Day 219 - Worship in Everyday Actions

Day 219 - Worship in Everyday Actions

Every Action is Worship

The Lord said: "Whatever you do, whether you act or refrain from acting, consider it all as worship of the Lord, who is pure consciousness. Recognizing all actions as worship delights the Lord.

Likes and Dislikes are Illusions

The Lord continued: "Likes, dislikes, attraction, and aversion are not inherent in the self; they are mere words. Concepts like 'sovereignty', 'poverty', 'pleasure', 'pain', 'mine', and 'others' are actually forms of worship of the self, for the conceiving intelligence is the self. True worship of the cosmic being is the knowledge of the cosmic being.

The Self as Cosmic Consciousness

The Lord elaborated: "The self or cosmic consciousness is what we call 'this world.' It is a mysterious wonder that the self, which is pure consciousness, forgets its nature and considers itself as the individual (jiva). In the cosmic being, there is no division into worshipper, worship, and the worshipped. Describing the cosmic being, which supports the universe without division, is impossible. Abandoning all limited concepts and the division between worshipper and worshipped, worship the self by the self. Be at peace, pure, and free from cravings. See all experiences and expressions as the worship of the self."

Realizing the Self

The Reality Beyond Words

The Lord explained: "The reality is beginningless, endless, and not reflected in anything; it is pure. It is considered non-being because it cannot be experienced through the mind and senses.

Removing Ignorance

In response to Vasistha's question: "For the seeker eager to attain freedom from ignorance, equipped with 'satvic avidya' (subtle ignorance), scriptures help remove ignorance, like soap removes dirt. Through this, ignorance is removed, the self realizes the self, and the self sees the self due to its self-luminous nature.

Self-Knowledge and Instruction

The Lord continued: "If a child playing with charcoal washes his hands but plays with charcoal again, his hands get black again. Similarly, if one enquires into the nature of the self and refrains from actions promoting ignorance, the darkness of ignorance vanishes. The self alone becomes aware of the self. Do not see diversity as the self. Self-knowledge is not merely the result of a preceptor's teaching; the guru has a mind and senses, but the self or Brahman is beyond these. Self-knowledge is attained when scriptural knowledge, the preceptor's instructions, and true discipleship come together.