Everyone will have to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong in their lives; this is inevitable. Those who are not willing to take risks in life will not advance, and they will have lived in vain. They are the living dead.

When we decide to live life according to Gitaji, in many ways, it will be a venture. Many old, selfish relations will break, and new relations will develop. Until now, we have lived a life of an animal, forgetting that the real purpose of out human life is God Realization.

Wake Up! This human life is very precious. We can't trade it in for the worthless "toys" of this deceptive, ever changing world of misery. We must evaluate and change all old, useless relations, thoughts, and religious superstitions, beliefs and rituals that have no bearing on our progress towards divinity. To give up old traditions will appear risky. It may seem like we are losing our so-called "comfortable" state of life and security.

However, when we honestly evaluate our life and experiences deep in our heart, we find that the risk we are taking for Self Realization is far less dangerous than the risks we have thoughtlessly and emotionally taken for worldly relationships and other perishable achievements. True joy, peace and a life of selfless service is far more attainable because it is our true nature.

Of course, unless and until we drop the superstitions, beliefs, and stunts that we see in religions and take responsibility for our spirituality, there is no possibility for us to move on the path of the Truth. You cannot swim comfortably with a two ton stone of false beliefs tied to your neck. True joy, as Upanishad says, is in renouncing the evil done in the name of religion, business, or duty -- then man is free to enjoy the Eternal Bliss.

The Lord is within us. He is driving our life's chariot. We must trust Him completely. We must drop all foolish, hopeless, traditional, and useless behaviors before we can advance in the path of the Truth. We must fight like a good soldier -- against all odds -- with faith that with the Lord on our side we can't fail and without Him, all the success we may achieve in the world is only a delusion.

Our worldly achievements and rewards cannot even be compared with what is in store for us in the path of the Truth. Once you are on the path of devotion, you will begin to see the real beauty in everything. Anger, jealousy, greed, lust, delusions, frustration, depression and stress will start vanishing. We must transcend living an animal life of birth, growth, decay and death. We must transcend this outer consciousness and realize ourselves through super consciousness, which is beyond all understanding.

Let us at least try true Spirituality like we have tried everything else in our lives. Let us obey heartily our mother Gitaji, our true Guru. We will not lose if we trust Her and execute Her loving insistence of practicing disciplines of Yama and Niyama as our first step towards our Supreme Goal.

-- Swami Radhanandaji