People may reach the same goal by different paths.

Just as they can reach Mount

Kailash via Badrinath, Almora, Gangotri or Ladakh, in the same way, they can reach
the goal of life by the different paths of karma, bhakti, raja or jnana yoga.

Four paths
Karma yoga is the path of work and bhakti yoga of love. Raja yoga is the path of
psychic control and jnana yoga of self-analysis and knowledge. One can reach the
goal of life or spiritual destination by any of these four paths.

The four divisions are not hard and fast. There are no marked or rigid demarcation
lines among the four paths. They are made in accordance with the temperament or
tendency predominant in the individual. One path does not exclude the other paths.
The path of action is suitable for a person of dynamic tendency. The path of love
is adapted for someone of an emotional temperament. The path of raja yoga is suited
for a person of a mystic temperament, and the path of Vedanta or jnana yoga is
suitable for a person of will and reason. Each path blends into the other.
Ultimately, they converge and become one. It is very difficult to say where raja
yoga ends and jnana yoga begins, and, in the long run, aspirants of the different
paths meet on a common platform or junction.

Head, heart and hands

Spirituality must educate and develop the whole person, the head, heart and hands.
Only then there will be perfection, whereas one-sided development is not
commendable. The four paths, far from being antagonistic to one another, indicate
that the different methods of the yoga system are in absolute harmony with one
another. Karma yoga leads to bhakti yoga, which in turn leads to raja yoga, which
brings jnana. Karma yoga removes the tossing of the mind, raja yoga steadies the
mind, and jnana yoga removes the veil of ignorance and brings knowledge of the
Self. Every yoga is a fulfillment of the preceding one. Bhakti yoga is the
fulfillment of karma yoga, raja yoga of bhakti yoga, and jnana of all the preceding
three.

Supreme devotion is jnana. Therefore, it should be borne in mind that bhakti is not
divorced from jnana. On the contrary, jnana intensifies bhakti. Sri Shankara, the
adwaita jnani, was a great bhakta of Lord Hari, Hara and Devi. Jnanadev of Alandi,
the eminent yogi of Maharashtra, was a bhakta of Lord Krishna. Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa worshipped Kali and obtained jnana through Swami Totapuri, his adwaita
guru. Appaya Dikshitar, a famous jnani of South India, author of monumental works
on Vedanta, was a devotee of Lord Shiva.

The practice of karma yoga prepares the aspirant for the reception of knowledge of
the Self. It moulds him into a proper adhikari, or qualified aspirant, for the
study of Vedanta. Ignorant people jump at once to jnana yoga without having any
preliminary training in karma yoga. That is the reason why they fail miserably in
realizing the truth. The impurities still lurk in their minds which are filled with
likes and dislikes. They only talk of Brahman or God, indulge in useless, dry
discussions and vain, endless debates. Their philosophy is only on their lips, they
are lip-Vedantins, but what is really needed is practical Vedanta through ceaseless
and selfless service.

Karma yoga
Those who follow the path of karma yoga should do work for the sake of work and
without any motive. Two things are indispensable requisites in the practice of
karma yoga. A karma yogi should have extreme non-attachment to the fruit of his
works, and secondly, he should dedicate all his actions at the altar of God with
the feeling of self-surrender. Non-attachment brings freedom. Non-attachment is
eternal life and makes a person absolutely fearless.

When one consecrates one’s actions to the Lord, devotion to Him will develop
naturally, and the greater the devotion the nearer one will be to the Lord. Slowly,
one will feel that God works directly through the body and senses. One will feel no
strain in the discharge of the work. The heavy load felt previously on account of
false egoism will have vanished out of sight, never to return.

Bhakti yoga
Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion or affection. It is suitable for people of a
devotional temperament or in whom the love element predominates. Ladies are fit for
this path because affection predominates in them. Generally, there is a mixture of
the devotional and intellectual temperaments in all persons. Therefore, bhakti yoga
is suitable for the vast majority of people. In bhakti yoga the devotee makes
absolute and unreserved self-surrender and depends upon the Lord for everything. A
bhakta is extremely humble and meek and develops devotion to the Lord gradually but
to a very high degree by repeating His name, by studying the holy scriptures and by
practising the nine modes of devotion.

Hearing the name of the Lord, singing His glories, remembering His presence,
serving His Lotus Feet, bowing before Him, worshipping Him, attending on Him,
loving Him as a friend, and surrendering the self entirely to Him, are the nine
modes of devotion. The devotee observes austerities, prays frequently and offers
mental worship. He serves his fellows, realizing that the Lord dwells in the hearts
of all. This is the sadhana for those who wish to tread the path of the yoga of
devotion.

Bhakti is a means to an end. It gives purity of mind and removes mental oscillation
or tossing of the mind. Sakama bhakti or devotion with expectation brings swarga,
heaven, for the devotee, while nishkama bhakti or devotion without any expectation,
brings purity of mind and jnana.

Raja yoga
The student treading the path of raja yoga has to ascend the spiritual ladder step
by step. There are eight limbs in raja yoga. They are yama, niyama, asana,
pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. By practising yama and niyama
at the outset, the student attains ethical training and purification of the mind.
By developing friendship, mercy and complacency, he destroys hatred, jealousy and
harshness of the heart and finds peace of mind. By practising asanas, he steadies
his posture and develops control and mastery over his body. He removes the tossing
of the mind and destroys inertia by practising pranayama. The body becomes light
and elastic. By practising pratyahara, or withdrawal of the senses from sense
objects, strength and peace of mind are obtained. The aspirant is fit for con-
centration, which will come by itself, and he will practise meditation and enter
into samadhi.

By the combined practice of concentration, meditation and samadhi, known as yogic

samyama, various psychic powers arise. By concentration on the senses, egoism and
the mind, the raja yogi acquires various powers and experiences. He is able to see
without eyes, taste without tongue, hear without ears, smell without the nose and
feel without skin. He can work miracles; he simply wills and everything comes into
being.

Jnana yoga
Those who follow the path of jnana yoga or Vedanta should first acquire the ‘four
means of salvation’: viveka, vairagya, shatsamapatti and mumukshutva.

Viveka is discrimination between the real and unreal. Vairagya is indifference or

dispassion towards sensual objects. Shatsamapatti is the six fold virtues, namely,
sama, calmness of mind, dama, restraint of the senses, uparati, satiety, titiksha,
power of endurance, shraddha, faith, and samadhana, one-pointedness of mind.
Mumukshutva is intense longing for liberation.
Having acquired these ‘four means of salvation’, the students of jnana yoga should
approach a Brahmanishtha guru, who has fully realized the Supreme Self, and hear
the scriptures directly from his lips. They should reflect and meditate on what
they have heard and attain self-realization. As liberated souls they will see the
Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.

One goal
A karma yogi does self-sacrifice to kill the little self. A bhakta practises self-
surrender to annihilate egoism. A jnani practises self-denial. The methods are
different but all want to destroy the little, self-arrogating ‘I’ which is the root
cause of human suffering. Once this is done, they reach the same goal.

Karma, bhakti and raja yoga are means to the end. Jnana is the end. Just as rivers
join the sea, so also karma, bhakti and raja yoga join the ocean of jnana. Karma
yoga prepares the mind for the reception of knowledge. It expands the heart and
breaks the barriers that stand in the way of unity or oneness. Bhakti and
meditation are also mental karmas. There can be no jnana without raja yoga. The
fruit of bhakti is jnana. Therefore, one has to understand the nature of the four
yogas and their interrelation in this manner.

Ideal in life
One should have an ideal in life and exert oneself in the accomplishment of this
ideal. People vary in their capacities, mental and intellectual calibre, and
physical and mental strength. Therefore, different people should have different
ideals in order to evolve quickly and have sure and rapid progress. The ideal of
one person will not suit another. If one keeps an ideal that one cannot realize, an
ideal that is beyond one’s reach and capacity, there will be disappointment, the
effort will be given up and one will become tamasic.

It does not matter much if one realizes the ideal this moment or after ten years
with faltering steps. Every person should endeavour to live up to the ideal and put
his whole energy, mental power and will into its realization. One can chalk out the
ideal according to one’s standard.

One person may say, “My ideal in life is to teach the village boys and give them
free education.” Another may say, “I will serve the sick, join a charitable
institution and give my service till the end of my life.” A third person may say,
“My ideal is to beg from door to door and start a feeding scheme for mendicants and
sannyasins.” A fourth person may say, “My ideal is self-realization. I will go to
Gangotri, live in a cave and do sincere meditation.”

All are quite correct according to their individual capacity and standard.
Gradually, you must change your ideal to the realization of truth or Brahman. The
highest ideal is self-realization. Service and worship eventually result in the
realization of the inner self. The ideal to have ethical perfection is just below
the ideal of self-realization, but it leads to self-realization.

The vast majority of people have no ideal at all. Educated people do not cherish
any ideal but lead an aimless life. Therefore, they drift hither and thither like a
piece of straw and make no progress in life. It is very difficult to obtain a human
birth and yet people do not realize the importance of keeping an ideal and living
up to it. The ideal of ‘eat, drink and be merry’ has countless followers and the
number is increasing by leaps and bounds. This ideal will lead a person only to
misery and sorrow.

However, you should not treat a person who has a low ideal with contempt. He may be
a baby-soul who is just crawling on the moral or spiritual path. Your duty is to
help him in all possible ways in the realization or accomplishment of his ideal.
You should give him encouragement in his sincere endeavour to live up to his own
highest ideal. The person who keeps his ideal and struggles hard to live up to it
will attain God-realization.