Yogic Life – In And Through The World

By

Sri Swami Chidananda

This article is a chapter from the book Daily Swadhyaya.

We take up now the vital subject of how being in the midst of worldly activities, one may yet fulfil the supreme spiritual purpose of life on earth. While it is true that both the secular life and the spiritual life are a part of you, the spheres of the two are different, in the sense that the secular life has its sphere outside of yourself, and the spiritual life has its sphere within yourself. But then, your spiritual life does have some expression outwardly also, and wherever you are your spiritual life has to be there.

This interior life cannot be created by bringing about visible external changes in yourself or your circumstances. You cannot be a better spiritual man if you are living at the top of a mountain than if you are living at the foot of it. Mere change of the external form cannot really and truly affect your spiritual life; for it is the life of the soul, and wherever you are, the inner self can be looking towards God. It is what you are within yourself that determines whether you are living a spiritual life or a worldly life, and not the place you are in. That gives the secret of living a yogic life in and through the world.

Everything can become yogic if you spiritualise your life. The method of spiritualising life has been expounded in the most sacred scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. Yoga is the union with the Divine. And if you are living your life in constant inner union with the Divine through a link of great devotion and love for the Supreme, then whatever you may do, wherever you may be, and in whatever manner you may be living, you are living a life of Yoga. For you are living with God, and you are at one with God in your inner life.

Such a life of at-oneness with God, such a life of conscious effort to be for ever united with Him in love and devotion, and with an awareness that the whole of this life is meant for totally consummating of perfecting such union is Divine Life. It is a life of Yoga. If you are consciously trying all the time to reach out towards Him in spirit, to draw nearer and nearer to Him day by day, then you are living a life of Yoga, no matter what shape your external life might take. This spirit is the most important and essential factor, which makes the life spiritual. This enables us to be united with God in the interior of our being. Neither thief, nor even nuclear bombs can take away the spiritual wealth gained from living such ayogic life.