Definition

    Asat - Means Untruth

    Sat - Means Truth

    Truth is something that does not change. Since God is the only One Who is eternal, He is the only and Absolute Truth. Aside from God, everything else is the non-truth (Asat) or the great illusion (Maya). Hence, one should invest all one’s efforts in God.

Importance

    It is definitely better to serve others than serving yourself, in other words, being selfless rather than selfish. For spiritual progress, although doing good deeds does not help in a big way, it is still a step in the correct direction. Then, in some later life, one will definitely start doing spiritual practice. However, a true spiritual seeker seeks Final Liberation in this birth itself, as he knows that there is no guarantee that in his next life, he will have such a good opportunity to progress spiritually. Thus, once again, it is best to invest one’s efforts into serving the Absolute Truth (God). The following reasons strengthen this conclusion:

• Psychological emotions drive us to serve others in society. However, in Spirituality, it is spiritual emotion (bhav), not psychological emotion (bhavana) that counts.

• One of the basic principles of Spirituality is progressing from many to one. Psychological emotion is directed towards various things. One feels like helping one’s family, the poor, the sick, the uneducated, the old, etc. However, in keeping with the basic principle of traversing from many to one, spiritual emotion is towards the only One, that is, God.

• Another basic principle of Spirituality is going from the gross (tangible) to the subtle (intangible). To really get rid of a problem, one has to get down to the root of the problem. The root cause of most major problems is spiritual in nature. Hence, helping others at the gross level, when the root cause is spiritual, provides only temporary relief.

• There is a saying that instead of giving a fish to a hungry man, give him a fishing rod (or teach him how to fish). Thus, helping a person in one particular sphere of life, such as education, financial stability, health, etc., helps that person face problems in that sphere alone. This would be equivalent to giving the hungry man a fish that would take care of his hunger but once. However, giving the tool to face every situation and to remain happy under all circumstances would be equivalent to giving a fishing rod to the hungry man, thereby taking care of his hunger forever. The only tool that keeps us happy in all circumstances is spiritual practice based on the science of Spirituality. This makes spreading Spirituality more important than serving worldly issues.

    In conclusion, although psychological emotion aids, to a certain extent, in worldly life, only spiritual practice can make a lasting, positive change.

Actual practice of Spirituality

• Going from the Path of Action (Karmayog) to the Path of Devotion (Bhaktiyog)
  A seeker should not get confined to social commitments, since social service, etc. are a part of the Great Illusion (Maya). This fact is reiterated further, as society is ever-changing, unlike God, Who is eternal and stable. Therefore, to achieve rapid spiritual progress, only a commitment to God is desirable. Once a seeker realizes this, he turns to the Path of Devotion.

• Going from the Path of Knowledge (Dnyanyoga) to the Path of Devotion (Bhaktiyoga)
  Spirituality is a science of experience. Instead of getting tangled in the web of words, which are less subtle and arise from the Great Illusion (non-truth), one should focus on the more subtle experience of spiritual emotion. Words keep us in duality and separate us from God, whereas spiritual emotion imparts the spiritual experience of Bliss, that is, of being one with God.