Once a man asked a Saint, “Dear Sir, I think all this Spirituality is not for me when I am young; I need to live life to the fullest, maybe when I get old”.

The Saint smiled and with an amused glint in His eye replied, “That is if you live to be an old man”.

This one of the reasons why we should start spiritual practice as soon as possible

While it is true that the earlier one starts spiritual practice, the more beneficial it is. The following points will explain the importance of pursuing spiritual practice seriously at any age:

• Making spiritual progress. Unlike material gains, which one loses at the time of death, spiritual progress attained in the current birth is carried over to the next birth. Hence, one should try to make maximum spiritual progress in the present birth.
• Increased tolerance to bear pain both at a psychological and physical level.
• Decreased reactions like anger, hatred, jealousy, etc. One also develops a philosophical attitude in accepting aging.
• Further, problems due to spiritual factors are alleviated. Hence, doing spiritual practice in old age would in fact, provide the much needed energy to undertake any endeavour that would not be possible otherwise.

On the other hand, there are some people who think, "It is too late to start spiritual practice in one’s old age, I will not be able to make significant spiritual progress."

Some elderly individuals get disheartened feeling that they cannot seriously pursue spiritual practice, as they feel that it is too late to make any spiritual progress. This may prevent them from making their best efforts towards spiritual progress. For example, when spreading Spirituality to older people, one may come across comments like, "We are too old for that!", "What can we do at this age? We have neither the energy nor the health for it", etc. For these individuals it is important to note that one should continue their spiritual practice according to their ability until their last breath. Spiritual practice of chanting the Lord’s Name is a spiritual practice for any age group.