It is said that knowledge is power. On a spiritual journey, this becomes evident when one faces obstacles as one advances. Those who are ignorant of the likely hurdles on the way lose heart on encountering them, and start doubting their chances of success.
Some others, who have an inkling of what lies ahead, are successful some of the time and not so at other times. They tire of repeated efforts to remove the impediments and come to a standstill. They think of moving forward, but lack the courage to do so.
Weakened by their labour and short of hope, God’s help appears to be a distant prospect for them, so they turn to their fellow travellers for assistance. Forgetting the Almighty, they seek the support of other souls, and thereby move further away from Him.
Since they clutch at straws, they waver and fall when faced by doubt, fear, desires, or tough situations. Disappointed by their failures, they feel that deliverance from their defects and sorrows is far away.
Because of leaning on vacillating mortals instead of turning to the immortal One, such people achieve success only intermittently. As a result, they are happy and blissful one day, and dejected the next day. This is hardly surprising as their support itself is shaky.
Very few seekers consider their challenges to be opportunities for learning and progress. They see God as their companion and happily move along, crossing the barriers on the way without fretting over them.
The key to success on the spiritual path is complete faith in the Divine. Our sole responsibility is to follow His directions, with the conviction that He will take care of the rest. But if we start thinking that “I am doing this”, we will exhaust ourself battling real and imaginary problems, and lose hope.
B.K. Usha is a senior Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Abu Road, Rajasthan.