Upasana means ‘to sit near’. There has to be some object near which one can sit. Then one has to meditate upon it. Upasana or worship basically begins in the heart.

We must understand the special qualities of the object on which we meditate. This is Vicārana or enquiry. It requires reading of books. But too much reading can pose impediments on the path of worship (upasana). We see many seekers who are caught in this trap. Upasana without enquiry is like one blind man leading another. But too much enquiry (vicarana) inflates the ego which in turn hampers real worship (upasana). Where then is the solution?

Saint Tyagaraja, the great composer of Indian classical music, in one of his compositions said that a heart without feelings will never be able to acquire knowledge. In the same composition, he said that meditation should culminate in happy experience. What is it?

Everyday we perform limitless actions. Some of them are with a sense of duty. Such actions seldom give happiness. We do not feel like repeating those actions. But there are some which give us happiness and which we love to repeat time and again. This feeling is called anuraga (passion).

Vicārana (enquiry) with anurāga (passion) takes the form of upāsana (worship). Similarly when upasana is undertaken with discrimination, Vicārana comes automatically. Thus there will be fusion of both the paths if action is undertaken with passion and discrimination (viveka).

It is said that ‘dharma protects those who protect it’. Yet it is said that ascetics (parivrājaka) do not need any dharma. (dharma is righteous principles). Why don’t they need it? The one who has released the Self from the bondages of the world is ‘parivrājaka’. To such person dharma (righteous principles) would be as effortless as breathing. They adhere to it automatically without any special wilful efforts. For this reason, it is said that they have transcended dharma.

(Bhaktimala Oct 1997)