114 - The Two Paths of Worship| Swami Tattwamayananda

Title: The Two Paths of Worship<br /><br />12th chapter: verse 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11<br /><br />1st verse: Arjuna asks: “Some people worship God with name and form – they chant and pray. Others worship the imperishable, the unmanifest. Which is better?”<br /><br />Arjuna’s question comes from a conflict he is facing. From earlier chapters, Arjuna knew that there are two ways of looking upon God. (1) Saguna – God with names and forms, as the creator and protector, who listens to our prayers (2) Nirguna - God as the all-pervading divine spirit, transcending names and forms. Arjuna thought he could choose between God with form or God without form.<br /><br />It is not a matter of our intellectual choice. It is a matter of our own spiritual evolution. One must be spiritually ready to pursue the path of Nirguna. A philosophical conviction about the higher reality does not equate to experience or one’s readiness to pursue the higher path. Philosophical conviction helps us guard against fanaticism.<br /><br />Lord Krishna talks about the journey of all spiritual seekers in his answer in the next few verses.<br /><br />In the 3rd and 4th verses he says: “Those higher spiritual seekers, who have their senses under control, who are even-minded, who are fully focused on the Atman as the divine spirit within them and as the all-pervading divine reality without names and forms – they can pursue the higher path.”<br /><br />Before this, in the 2nd verse, he says that those who are not ready for this higher contemplation should slowly take the graded path. They should practice rituals and go to temples – when they do this with shraddha, their mind will be absorbed in God. Then gradually, they can reach the higher path.<br /><br />A beginner’s mind may not cooperate when he starts spiritual practices. This is due to accumulated samskaras which make him act in a certain manner. He may want to read a spiritual book, but the mind presents stumbling blocks – it is accustomed to things that are not conducive to spiritual lif