If spiritual discipline can take us to the whole “I”, then there is no difference between Sadhana and Upasana. But the truth is that we cannot achieve the whole “I” through efforts. And that is why a moment comes in the life of a Sadhaka, a traveler on the path of effort, when he is called upon to drop his self, to give up his “I”. Efforts can, at the most take us to Soul. Soul is an incomplete attainment. To complete it, to attain the supreme, Sadhaka has to take a leap and give up the soul too. The Upasaka – devotee makes this leap in his very first step. We cannot come to supreme through efforts alone. When all efforts cease, the ultimate truth comes into being. The Sadhaka is in much better position, he first drops the “I” and then there is nothing more to drop. What Sadhaka does in the end the upasaka does in the beginning.
It is not easy for all but Krishna feels it is wise to drop the unwanted at the beginning itself. Why carry and cling to the unnecessary? Why go through all tortuous struggles? And Krishna questions, why we should carry the unwanted burden to the top of the mountain when you are told to drop off before the assent? It is too much effort to carry a burden all the way up to the mountain peak. Sooner or later it has to be dropped, but we doers say we will carry, as long as it is possible. The Upasaka is more intelligent, his faith on God is tremendous, he drops his “I” at the very start of his journey. And miracle happens that with dropping of the “I” the journey is complete. This is the difference between the doer and the devotee. However there is no difference between them when they have arrived.
It is significant that while the journey of the doer is hard and sometimes painful too. The journey of the devotee is joyful. The doer’s attachment to the “I” will continue to impede his progress. And can even force him to leave his journey unfinished, if the doer is undetermined. The devotee faces this problem only once, ad that too at the beginning of the journey. And if we can tackle it rightly, we can be finished with it forever. Devotee can be tempted to think that if doer can reach the peak with the “I” why should he drop it right at the start? He can get confused. But it is a matter of inclination, type and the choice that a person takes to devotion and another to discipline and effort. And while devotee’s difficulty comes at the start and the doer’s difficulty at the end, the goal is the same. But let us remember that the world of Krishna is the world of devotee, the upasaka.
Let us understand Krishna, to understand Gita.
Dr Dwarakanath, Mithran Foundation
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