Anonymous: I want to excel in both spiritualism and materialism. I want to succeed but am a little disheartened due to lack of success.
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you. Your views in connection with spiritualism are appreciative. Actually it is a main motto of human-life to worship God and to attain salvation. God states in Yajurveda mantra 40/2 that one should discharge his duties while doing pious deeds according to vedas. So, it is moral duty of husband and wife to know the pious deeds and moral duties according to vedas and to discharge the same faithfully. In short, one should get progress in worldly affairs (studying science etc., etc) and simultaneously he should get progress in spiritualism also otherwise the person is indulged in illusion. So, the moral duties are not obstacle in spiritualism. However, advises for the same by learned acharyas of vedas and yoga philosophy are needed regularly to understand the said both paths.
So, only prayers are of no use until the vedas knowledge is gained from the acharya and hard-working is done to obtain the good results of prayers. I meant to say that mere prayers will do nothing. Those men or women who gets comforts are enjoying the results of their previous life deeds but vedas state that if those persons are away from the true worship of God then they are minimizing their balance of previous lives’ pious deeds and one day sure they will be like a bankrupt and their time will start to face to sorrows, problems etc., still I am telling you that those who have all materialistic comforts are not fully happy being indulged in several problems, tensions, sickness etc., etc. So, we must follow the vedas wherein it is stated that one should be satisfied with his own earnings and comforts and should know that in the absence of real worship of God no one can attain peace and long happy life whether he is rich or poor.
It is a fundamental law of nature that until and unless knowledge is given by anybody else no knowledge can be obtained and no one can be learned and happy person. So, I, you or any person independently is unable to get the God’s grace, guidance and confidence etc., because nobody can change the fundamental law of nature.
Human-being want help and cooperation that is why, we are social human-being. So, I would advice you to chant the Gayatri mantra mentally both time sitting on any suitable asan with closed eyes and concentrate between the points of two eyebrows. Gayatri mantra should be chanted along with its meaning. To obtain the more and more benefit of Gayatri mantra, one should do havan daily with Gayatri mantra both times.
Cassette/Cd/Hindi book to do havan is also available in which guidance to perform the havan have been mentioned. The same can be sent to you on the receipt of your postal address, if you so desire. My blessings are always with you and you can send your query as and when you wish.
Aneel Kumar: Can one become liberated (self-realized) with the help of a Guru who is not a liberated one? Can one become liberated (self-realized) without a Guru?
Swami Ram Swarup: No, please. Nobody can attain salvation in the absence of the liberated acharya (Guru) because liberated guru is only able to tell the truth because he has realized the truth that is he is witness of the truth. Otherwise the gurus will sure preach false spiritual matter based on bookish knowledge only which will always go in vain. In this connection, Kapil muni who wrote Sankhya shastra has stated in his Sankhya shastra sutra 3/81 that if the guru have not realized God then path of blind faith will start.
