"Not striving to reach the highest peak of spirituality— believing that no matter what we do, we cannot attain it— creates a mindset of separation from God. This is called spiritual laziness.", said Swami Gokulanand. He shared these profound insights while addressing the Sunday Satsang at Shravanalay of Yogada Satsang Ashram, Ranchi, in the presence of Yogada devotees.
He called out people who refrained from doing ordinary chores under the pretext of being a yogi. He said that such people are still surrounded by Maya and they never advance spiritually. This mindset too is a form of spiritual laziness. He reminded the devotees that only the ones who let go of distractions and live simply can achieve spiritual growth. The true art lies in living in whatever condition God places you. That is the highest path to spirituality.
He recalls the time in the 1970s when Maa Anandmayi visited Ranchi. During her visit, she also came to the Yogada Satsang Ashram. A devotee approached her sharing his inability to attain God, even after being engaged in Kriya Yoga. Maa Anandmayi advised him to keep working with devotion — as a saint's blessings cannot guarantee spiritual success. God and gurus can only guide.
Swami Gokulanand went on to share a story of a fisherman and Gandharva. There lived a poor fisherman who struggled hard to earn a living. One day his wife found out that a Gandharva lived nearby— someone known for granting people's wishes. Tired of living in poverty, she pressured the fisherman to meet the Gandharva and request a boon to end their hardships. Yielding to her wishes, the fisherman went to the Gandharva and asked for wealth and property. The Gandharva granted his desires, and the fisherman soon became prosperous.
However, the wife began to get greedy. Wanting to rule like a queen, she urged her husband to ask the Gandharva for a kingdom. Once again, the fisherman made a request and their wish was fulfilled.
As time passed, the fisherman's wife became indulgent and spoiled. She began sleeping late and was irritated that the sunlight disturbed her rest. She asked her husband to approach the Gandharva once again, this time with a bizzare request: that the sun should rise only after she is up. It didn't take the Gandharva too long to realize that the fisherman who was once hardworking, was getting distracted and lazy. In order to teach him a lesson, he Gandharva returned him to his original state. With no choice, the fisherman spent the rest of his days living in poverty.
Swami Gokulanand explained that this story teaches us a powerful lesson: we often fail to value things we get without effort, no matter how significant that may be. He stated that if someone initiated in Kriya Yoga claims to have not found God, he either lacks intensity of desire or determination to work hard. Kriya Yoga, he emphasized, has the highest intensity, even greater than Karma, Knowledge, and Devotion.
Quoting verse 4 of Chapter 3 from Shrimad Bhagvad Gita, he said no one can achieve the stillness of soul without Karma and meditation. Yogis understand this truth, that is why they are closer to God. He gave examples of spiritual masters like Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Yukteshwar Giri and Gurudev Paramhans Yogananda ji— who after having attained God, continued to do Karma.
Why? Because there is no yogi or sanyasi without Karma. Anyone who claims the title, has to keep doing the work. A lazy person can never attain God. He said that a hardworking labourer who earns his living honestly is far superior to a so- called yogi who escapes responsibilities under the guise of spirituality.
He said that sleep, laziness and negligence are destructive tendencies that lead a person towards darkness. The one who is always sleeping becomes like a tree or stone. Such a person, he added, is disliked by God. He also stated that mental laziness is more dangerous than physical laziness. Failing to perform tasks with full concentration is a sign of mental laziness. People who struggle with it succeed neither in the material nor in the spiritual world.
Swami Gokulanand explained that life presents many obstacles. Some people confront these challenges and overcome them as God presents such hurdles in our paths to strengthen us. The people who succumb to it due to laziness, ruin their entire lives. He added that whenever the mind begins to wander, we must catch hold of it and redirect it towards the soul. No work is too small or big. Consider it as God's work, this will prevent laziness from entering your lives.
Author is a senior journalist of Bihar - Jharkhand and the editor of Vidrohi24.
Original text in Hindi. Translated into English by Shreya Kumari.