A lot is spoken of in the name of ‘spirituality’. Most spiritual seekers don’t really know what they’re seeking. They only know that they are dissatisfied with what they are doing in life. Therefore, they think something different or odd, will give them what they want, but most of them don’t really know what they want. This lack of clarity is called ‘Avivekah’ (lack of discrimination), which is an essential qualification for the seeker of Vedanta. So how does one get it?
Most people live a life fulfilling their desires. Many of them are running around like headless chickens, trying to get money, name, fame, relationships, houses, success, jobs and careers. So the first step would be to really understand and identify what’s truly important for oneself – One’s priorities. What is a priority? I would call it the need behind your desire.
Like if you have a need for money, it is not just money that you are looking for. Most people come and say, “I want a job.” And I say, “Why do you want the job?” “To get some money.” I then say, “If you open a vadapav stall, you will earn a lot of money?” “No. It doesn’t have any social standing.” So when you say ‘job’, what lies behind that is financial independence, social standing, etc., because that is what is really important for you.
If we examine every desire we have, underlying all of them will be eight to ten priorities. Once we have a relative understanding of what we want out of life and start living life by our priorities, we will understand our deeper needs.
We want to fulfil our priorities because we want to be fulfilled. This lack of fulfilment leads to these priorities which are manifesting into hundreds of desires.
Essentially, the spiritual pursuit is wanting to be a fulfilled being. Unlike what most believe, it is actually more spiritual than what people think. Being a fulfilled being is what Vedanta calls ‘Moksha’ – moksha, freedom from one’s lack of fulfilment and dissatisfaction with life. This is the heart of all spiritual pursuits.
The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at aarshavidyaf@gmail.com
