In today's world, money and material wealth are crucial for sustenance — this is true at least for those in गृहस्थाश्रम. Unarguably, spiritual knowledge and experience gained through साधना are indispensable today like any other time. As is oft said, three phenomena are दुर्लभ, viz — human birth, मुमुक्षत्व, गुरु-संश्रय। Thus, spirituality is a quest for humans, where fewer delve and it is a road less taken. Even amongst those few, only fewer succeed — since, क्षुरस्य धारा निशिता दुर्त्यया — this path is hard to traverse just like walking on a razor's blade.

Having said that, one inclined to walk on the spiritual path, should not be at despair. Why? Because, we are अमृतस्य पुत्राः — 'children of immortality' and thus even if we fail once or twice or thrice — there is no losing out. And as the Lord says in Bhagavad Gita —

नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते। स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात्॥

meaning thereby — there is no destruction of this effort, nor are there any adverse results if you are on this path — since even the smallest of efforts in this direction saves one from the great fear of पुनर्जन्म [going through this cycle of death and birth once again from scratch].

In this backdrop, let us now begin delving into how an ordinary गृहस्थ — be it an advocate, engineer, journalist, teacher, farmer, soldier, or anyone you can think of — can spiritualise his everyday life. Why this question gains importance is because while living a material life, we often find ourselves at crossroads with the ideals and values that are otherwise essential and fundamental to a spiritual life — there are stark contradictions, to say the least — rightly so, since the former stresses on accumulation while the latter on renunciation/त्याग; the former makes us selfish while a pre-condition for the latter is unselfishness, and at the very basics, 'spiritual' is an antonym for 'material'. Therefore, there is a need to harmonise these two aspects of life — else our life will be full of dualities — with differences of कथनी और करनी — and we being torn apart between these two worlds while making choices in everyday life. Riding in two boats also leaves one in deep water.

Now, there may be a set of persons for whom what is श्रेयस् (worthy of doing) and प्रेयस् (what they like to do) may converge — but that is not true for most of us. However, that is an ideal condition. For most of us, these two are on opposite ends — we tend to do one thing which is lucrative to our senses, while that may not be for the greater good. Or, even for those who are knowledgeable, as Duryodhana said in the Mahabharata —

We know what is good but we don't have a tendency to do it or do not feel like doing it; and at the same time, we know what is not the right thing to do, but we do not feel like quitting it.

This is more pronounced, although in a subtler manner, in a question put forth by Arjuna on the battlefield — प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि, निग्रहः किं करिष्यति? — beings are driven by their nature and tendencies, so what can control do?

Again, having stated these assertions, there is still hope as the Lord says — अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय, वैराग्येण च गृह्यते — by practice and renunciation, one can attain control over one's tendencies.

At this juncture there may be a set of people who would think — why not quit material life altogether? This may be the right course for the सन्यासी — who has renounced the world — but not everyone can become a सन्यासी.

Karma is not something that can be given up so easily, and that too when we are गृहस्थ. Also, it does not befit one to run away from life and its struggles just because we are not prepared to face them — so at those moments, a delusion may come that it is better to quit संसार and lead a life of a monk. As Krishna guided Arjuna who was confused when faced with his kins at Kurukshetra —

क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः पार्थ नैतत्त्वय्युपपद्यते। क्षुद्रं हृदय दौर्बल्यं त्यक्त्वोत्तिष्ठ परन्तप॥

— Yield not to unmanliness, O Arjuna! This does not befit you. Having given up this mean faint-heartedness, rise, O Scorcher of foes. This is the clarion call of the Gita that applies to every one of us.

In any case, it is not wise to imitate others — and especially those who have made a conscious choice to renounce the world — since स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः — it is better to die in one's own line of duty than to delve in others'; the latter can be disastrous.

Some will even have a question — where do we have the time for all of these practices and for attaining spiritual knowledge and experiences? Agreed — we are busy people doing important work, each in their own right and place. However, are we even busier than Arjuna — the warrior on the battlefield of Kurukshetra whose choices determined the lives of innumerable people? If such a person can pause, seek spiritual knowledge, and having been properly initiated go on to fight the battle — we too can make time for spirituality.