Different paths to....

How can that be?

mmm.. let us say I want to go to Chennai from Cuddalore where I reside.

Easiest way is through Pondicherry and ECR.

Or one might like to travel via Pondicherry and Tindivanam.

Well… my taxi has no Pondicherry permit. Then I take the Pannuruti, Tindivanam road to Chennai.

Whichever road I take I shall reach Chennai.

The roads are different but the destination is not.

In the same way whatever path we take for realisation we can still achieve it.

 There are four different paths.

1.       The bhakti way

2.       The karma way

3.       The yogic way

4.       The gnana way.

Shall we examine them one by one?

First the bhakti way.

Most of us are familiar with this one.

We realise/ acknowledge a force that is superior to us and call that force God. We may name Him in any manner. That god might have a legend. A temple. A particular way of worship. Or we may have our own way of worshipping Him. A set of rituals. Different ways of puja….

A big ocean this is!

 Come on, wait a second!

Ok!

You started saying realising one self.

Of course.

Now you say God and we worship and all that. What is this?

Realising God and realising oneself are not much different.

How?

They are two different manifestations of Brahman.

WHAT! I can’t comprehend.

Of course not. The levels of thinking are different. One should not jump from one level to another level of thinking. That will usually lead to confusion.

You wanted to go to Chennai and I am suggesting driving towards Pondicherry. This is one of the ways. Let us see if it is to your liking. Otherwise we may examine another way. Be assured all roads lead to Chennai.

The concept of Brahman is gnana path. Seeing the difference between man and God is one level. In bhakti that is the initial level to be thought in.  We have to study in primary school and secondary school before going on to the college. If we start seeing God in a temple, in a icon, then slowly we will start seeing it in all other live beings and still later on in everything in this universe... then realisation comes at one stage we realise everything is one. That would be at the end of gnana path as well.

So why all of us should not follow the gnana path?