Is Ritual Worship Necessary To Please God?
Shammi Paranjape
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Will God get angry if we fail to worship Him? What is worship? It is a set of prescribed rituals offered to a deity . Hindus have an elaborate and varied set of rituals offered to multifarious manifestations of Divinity in their religious firmament. Christianity, Islam, and other religions, have their own prescribed modes of worship. The bottom line in all is the religious sentiment of adoration and reverence for the Supreme, in whichever manner perceived. This is not a bad thing.Ritual worship engenders humility and a sense of awe at the grandeur of the Supreme Entity and helps forge a relationship between man and God.Places of worship facilitate this process.If you want to post a letter, you go to a post office; to take a walk you go to a park; if you want a few moments with God, you go to the designated House of God. So, in that sense it is not bad at all.
However, there are some points to consider. Our worship gives us satisfaction, for sure, but what about `God'?
What does He get out of it? Does God need our worship? Not at all; He does not need validation. Praise and genuflection are the needs of earthly rulers.Then what might be God's need?
In the thousands that throng Houses of Worship, or religiously perform puja and prayer rituals at home, He is simply looking for a true devotee.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “You may acquire the highest knowledge, you may spend hours in meditation, you may visit temples and perform rituals earnestly , but unless you feel love for God, it is all useless. Love alone surpasses the most arduous sadhana, and makes you the recipient of the highest of graces.“ Love. What could be the definition of this love that pleases God so much? Is it the one we hear and talk so much about in pop songs, movies, and books? Hardly. That is limited love and mostly transient. It changes, shifts, varies with time.And it is concentrated on a few chosen individuals only . Divine love cannot be narrowed like that. It is expansive and covers all creation, seeing the underlying unity of all. Such a love is spontaneous, permanent, engenders bliss and naturally promotes peace and harmony. Unless a devotee has this basic credential of universal love, he does not pass the test of a true devotee.
How can this universal love be manifested? It is quite simple. By developing a spiritual vision and seeing everything with the eye of wisdom. The divine principle is cognised in all, and revered and respected. When you hurt another, you are hurting the Divine, when you love another you are loving the Divine. That is the bottom line of all religion and spirituality. So, worship, yes. But remember, worship to become a better person. Its value is to you, not to God. Its purpose is to cleanse you and bring forth, from your true nature, the gems of universal love, that are the adornment of human life.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “Love knows no distinction of any kind. It knows no caste, colour, creed or nationality. Love should be all-embracing and envelop the entire world. `Love all, serve all', is the worship which pleases God the most.“ (November 23 is the 91st birth anniversary of Sri Sathya Sai Baba).
However, there are some points to consider. Our worship gives us satisfaction, for sure, but what about `God'?
What does He get out of it? Does God need our worship? Not at all; He does not need validation. Praise and genuflection are the needs of earthly rulers.Then what might be God's need?
In the thousands that throng Houses of Worship, or religiously perform puja and prayer rituals at home, He is simply looking for a true devotee.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “You may acquire the highest knowledge, you may spend hours in meditation, you may visit temples and perform rituals earnestly , but unless you feel love for God, it is all useless. Love alone surpasses the most arduous sadhana, and makes you the recipient of the highest of graces.“ Love. What could be the definition of this love that pleases God so much? Is it the one we hear and talk so much about in pop songs, movies, and books? Hardly. That is limited love and mostly transient. It changes, shifts, varies with time.And it is concentrated on a few chosen individuals only . Divine love cannot be narrowed like that. It is expansive and covers all creation, seeing the underlying unity of all. Such a love is spontaneous, permanent, engenders bliss and naturally promotes peace and harmony. Unless a devotee has this basic credential of universal love, he does not pass the test of a true devotee.
How can this universal love be manifested? It is quite simple. By developing a spiritual vision and seeing everything with the eye of wisdom. The divine principle is cognised in all, and revered and respected. When you hurt another, you are hurting the Divine, when you love another you are loving the Divine. That is the bottom line of all religion and spirituality. So, worship, yes. But remember, worship to become a better person. Its value is to you, not to God. Its purpose is to cleanse you and bring forth, from your true nature, the gems of universal love, that are the adornment of human life.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, “Love knows no distinction of any kind. It knows no caste, colour, creed or nationality. Love should be all-embracing and envelop the entire world. `Love all, serve all', is the worship which pleases God the most.“ (November 23 is the 91st birth anniversary of Sri Sathya Sai Baba).
