Introducing the concept
Advaita Vedanta is at the same time a philosophical system and a spiritual-religious system. In Hinduism, the philosophical and the religious are not kept in separate compartments - philosophy, religion, art, science, and everyday life come together to create the magnificent tapestry of our civilization. In India, for millennia, the spiritual quest has been too essential to be kept within confines - it bursts out and gets assimilated into our society and our culture. High metaphysics finds expression in everyday rituals, and our societal constructs facilitate the process of self-inquiry for each individual.
In Advaita Vedanta understanding is of utmost importance - the ultimate problem is that we are ignorant of our real nature as Consciousness; and for ignorance the only solution is knowledge - jnana. In these pages, our focus has been on the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, the crown jewel of Hinduism; our attempt has been to understand the fundamentals of the philosophy, one building block at a time. Knowledge is necessary for moksha (freedom); the veil of Maya will not drop off without knowledge. But is knowledge sufficient for moksha? Is it enough just to understand? Not quite.
As we deepen our study of Vedanta, we might reach the point where we feel we have a good understanding of the philosophy; where we are convinced of the truth of the teachings and can comfortably reason it out to ourselves. But we might find that the teachings are still not a living reality for us. The knowledge might seem intellectual and not direct.
You know - intellectually - that whatever you see around you is nothing but your own Self, the light of Consciousness. You know - intellectually - that the world is dripping with Consciousness through and through. You know - intellectually - that your real nature is Bliss itself. But how does this turn into a living reality? How can I see this with my own eyes, how do I experience this every moment of my existence? This is the point that many seekers on the path of Advaita Vedanta reach.
When we have a fruit on the palm of our hand, do we tell ourselves - ‘This object seems to be an oval-shaped object of yellow color, with a spongy texture. Based on my studies of the class of object called ‘fruit’, I declare this to be a ‘mango’’ No! We just think ‘Ah, what a delicious looking mango!’ and jump right into it.
Just like we see the fruit on our palm, Adi Shankara says, we should see Brahman in everything. It should be a natural state of being, not an intellectual exercise.
You should not merely know about Brahman, you should see Brahman. You should not merely understand that you are nothing but Brahman, you should realize this Highest Truth.
Do you keep reminding yourself of your name? Similarly, there should be no need to remind yourself of your real nature.
This is where the spiritual journey becomes paramount. The intellectual inquiry is essential in removing the obstacles on the path - your mind is cleared of all doubts. But is the mind ready to make the final leap to realization? This requires spiritual effort.
Read this page as the companion to the page on Sadhana Chatusthaya (Shraddha), where we describe the four-fold qualifications or prerequisites that a seeker on the path of Advaita Vedanta must develop. Traditionally, students would work intensely, for long years, to try and gain these four-fold qualifications before they sat down with their guru to receive the Vedantic teachings. Their mind would thus be purified and well primed to receive the teachings. When the understanding of the Vedantic truth (jnana) develops in such a student’s mind to dispel the primal ignorance (ajnana), there is nothing blocking the way to full realization - the blazing light of Consciousness bursts through the purified mind unhindered.
But these days, most of us do not have the opportunity to gain the four-fold qualifications before we embark on a study of Vedanta. Thus sadhana becomes the process of developing these qualifications during our study and after we have gained an understanding of the teachings of Vedanta.
Going a little deeper
What is the prescribed Sadhana or spiritual practice on the path of Advaita Vedanta? There is no single prescription. Sadhana can take multiple forms; what works for one person might not be effective for another person. Which is why it is very highly recommended by all the Acharyas to study under the guidance of a qualified Guru, and to follow the Guru’s instructions on spiritual practice. We might go astray if we try to experiment with spiritual practices by ourselves.
Broadly speaking, spiritual practice has four paradigms, represented by the four Yogas - Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga. Read our pages on each of these Yogas to get a better understanding of these paths.
In brief, Karma Yoga is the path of work or action, Raja Yoga is the path of meditation, Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion, and Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge or philosophical inquiry.
Based on our innate tendencies, each one of us might be drawn to one of these paths. But the Self-realized Acharyas warn us against focusing too much on one path while ignoring others. Powerful spiritual practice consists of assimilating all of these four paths. The balance between the Yogas need not be the same for each person - like we said, no two people will have the exact same spiritual path - but we must try and push ourselves in the paths that do not come naturally to us.
What is common to all the four paths is that it enables the gradual reduction of the ego. Let us examine this.
Selflessness in Karma Yoga
Let me take Karma Yoga first. The essence of Karma Yoga is in constantly performing actions with the welfare and betterment of others in mind. Karma Yoga certainly also includes the Vedic rituals and duties that we must perform based on our stage in life and place in society (Varnashrama Dharma). But the fuller significance of Karma Yoga goes beyond that to include every action that we perform - How can we convert every action we perform in our lives into an offering to society and the Lord? How can we be ethically grounded and empathetic in everything we do - whether it is at work, in school, or in our families?
A Karma Yogi does not necessarily need to do heroic actions; a Karma Yogi will perform every daily action with compassion and a sense of duty. We must all be Karma Yogis.
Karma Yogis, thus, will constantly shed their ego. Every selfless act they perform chips away at their limited ego.
Selflessness in Raja Yoga
The path of Raja Yoga or Patanjali Yoga is one where the sadhaka gains complete control over their minds. This involves meditation practices for long durations of time. The mind is like a chariot pulled by fierce and unruly horses, each dragging us out in different directions; we need to become strong charioteers and rein in the horses; this is accomplished by Raja Yoga.
When one advances on this path, one will find that, in deep meditation, all our thoughts drop away, including the ego. After all, is not the ego - the sense of limited ‘I’ we have - just another thought?
Thus practitioners of Raja Yoga will find their ego melting away in due course of time.
Selflessness in Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion to the Gods. Read our page on Isvara and Saguna-Nirguna to understand how the Gods are conceptualized in Advaita Vedanta Hinduism.
A Bhakti Yogi will channel all their emotions to the Lord. They will pour out their love to Saguna Brahman with no expectations in return - a transactional relationship with the Lord is not for the Bhakti Yogi; all they desire is to love and serve the Absolute in the manifestation of their choice (i.e. their Ishta Devata).
As we can clearly see, the Bhakti Yogi will think nothing of her or his small ego. They are servants of the Lord, they completely surrender themselves to the Lord (Prapatti). Bhaktas will find their egos melting away.
Selflessness in Jnana Yoga
We finally come to Jnana Yoga, the central path in Advaita Vedanta. This is the path of knowledge or understanding, where we use our reason and experience to inquire into ourselves and the world. If you have been reading these series of essays, you are on the path of Jnana Yoga.
As we conduct philosophical inquiry into our Self with the help of the scriptures and the commentaries and under the guidance of a qualified Guru, we will come to see the Highest Truth that is pointed to by Advaita Vedanta - that You are That!
When this happens, we realize that we are the Immortal Atman, not this limited person we, in ignorance, considered ourselves to be.
Tying the threads together
It is only when we drop our erroneous identification with the limited sense of self - with this body and mind - that we can truly realize our real nature as Brahman. Until then, even if we get a clear understanding of the Highest Truth, it will not be something that ripens into a continuous state of being.
And as we can see, all four paradigms of spiritual practice result in the gradual reduction of the ego, and thus all four paths take us to the Advaitic destination. As sincere seekers, we should try and incorporate all four approaches into our life. As you gain a better understanding of Vedanta, you will, very likely, find yourself drawn to the other paths automatically, and you might find that your entire life is enriched by the spiritual quest.
‘All practice or worship is only for taking off this veil [of Ignorance]’ said Swami Vivekananda, ‘When that will go, you will find that the Sun of Absolute Knowledge is shining in Its own lustre.’