Satsang with Shri Chandra Swamiji Udasin
December 2015
19/12/2015
Question: Can you share some knowledge and light about relationships and spiritual growth? Sometimes I feel that a relationship can be a perfect mirror to reflect myself and places in me that are harder to see without it. But sometimes it feels that it can be a block in one's spiritual practice.
Swamiji: There are many aspects of God. To have the direct experience of God with attributes, relationships are useful. But to have the direct experience of God without attributes (nirguna), all relationships have to be transcended. The Spirit or Atma is the ground of all aspects of God.
Mind is the instrument of relationships. Meditation, reading and reflecting on spiritual books are also means of spiritual growth. For the direct experience of nirguna, the mind has to be transcended. Reading the biographies of avataras like Lord Buddha and other saints and sages is also helpful for spiritual growth. In Hinduism, Lord Buddha is believed to be an avatara to promote karma yoga.
In karma yoga, selfless action is predominant. In bhakti yoga, devotion is predominant. In jnana yoga, knowledge is predominant. Karma yoga is selfless action or action performed in the name of God.