The sacrifices themselves often took the place of a living religion

"This hardening of the institutional part of religion exalted in time the power of the priests, and it was in opposition to this externalizing and crystallizing of what should have remained living symbols of truths behind appearances, and also in opposition to the tyranny of a rising priesthood, that Buddha rose in revolt. The Bhagavad-Gita had already condemned the tendency to attribute undue importance to ritualistic sacrifices."

The Spiritual Heritage Of India: A Clear Summary of Indian Philosophy and Religion

The Spiritual Heritage Of India: A Clear Summary of Indian Philosophy and Religion

"The Brahmanas, in comparison with the Samhitas, are concerned with practical, everyday things—with the details of sacrificial rites and with specific duties and rules of conduct.

Brahmanah vividisant yajnene danena—The brahmins desire to know, with the sacrifices and charity as the means. That is, when the heart becomes purified by the performance of sacrifices and charity, there arises the knowledge of Brahman. Thus is acknowledged the need for the performance of sacrifices and for the ceremonial and rites of religion. But it is true that at times undue importance was laid on these things, as well as on the mere chanting of the words of the Vedas, so much so that the sacrifices themselves often took the place of a living religion—a circumstance that occurs in the development of all religious institutions.

Under such conditions, prayers and supplication before the object of worship becomes unnecessary; for by the performance of elaborate and fixed sacrifices the gods may be forced to grant one's desires. Professor Das Gupta believes that in these sacrificial rites is to be found the germ of the law of karma (which Manu later systematized philosophically): `Thou canst not gather what thou dost not sow. As thou dost sow, so will thou reap.'

This hardening of the institutional part of religion exalted in time the power of the priests, and it was in opposition to this externalizing and crystallizing of what should have remained living symbols of truths behind appearances, and also in opposition to the tyranny of a rising priesthood, that Buddha rose in revolt. The Bhagavad-Gita had already condemned the tendency to attribute undue importance to ritualistic sacrifices.

The duties and rules of conduct prescribed by the Brahmanas are largely those common in all religious creeds. Self-control is emphasized, and love, and kindness; theft, murder, and adultery are forbidden. We are all deep in debt, declare the Brahmanas, the most important of our obligations being those to the gods, to the seers, to the spirits of the dead, to living men, and to animals. Our debt to the gods we must pay with sacrifices; to the seers with feelings of admiration and devotion; to departed spirits with prayers in their behalf; to living men with love and kindness; to animals with food and drink—and to all of these, whenever we partake of nourishment, we must tender a portion to the accompaniment of fitting prayers.

By the due discharge of these our moral debts we achieve no merit, but if we neglect them we become unworthy of our privileged status as human beings. Our duties must be performed, moreover, with no thought of self or selfish ends, but simply because they are, for a righteous man, duties—and because they purify the heart.

The Aranyakas, or forest treatises, need detain us but a moment. They may most simply be regarded as a supplement to the Brahmanas—and a corrective. Like the Brahmanas, they deal much in rites and ceremonies, but unlike the Brahmanas they do not rest in them. They are vividly aware that not in rites and ceremonies, but in the truths they stand for, lies their real importance; and so from the fruit or flesh of the sacrifice they pass on to its spiritual interpretation.

In doing so, in so occupying themselves less with the outward symbol than with the inner reality, they come close to the chief and central glory of all the Vedas—the universally admired Upanishads."

The Spiritual Heritage Of India: A Clear Summary of Indian Philosophy and Religion, pp. 35-37
Swami Prabhavananda
Vedanta Press (June 1979)
ISBN-10: 0874810353
ISBN-13: 978-0874810356

Shri Mataji: "Sahaja Yoga is against Karma Kanda, that is rituals"

Oct 31, 2008

Yes Violet, the "Devi can liberate us without any rituals". i do not see any need for the 1001 SYSSR rituals, most of which are known human innovations and corruption of Her teachings. Even a single ritual is one too many. Accept one and you have to include the other 1000.

And i am not giving a guideline for a new organization, just reminding all that the nature of the Divine is primal, profound Samaadhi:

Arbad narbad dhun dhookaaraa.
For endless eons, there was only utter darkness.
Dharan na gagnaa hukam apaaraa.
There was no earth or sky; there was only the infinite Command of His Hukam.
Naa din rain na chand na sooraj sunn samaaDh lagaa-idaa.
There was no day or night, no moon or sun; God sat in primal, profound Samaadhi.

and Silence on Self is that primal, profound Samaadhi! Adding even a single ritual, dogma, dress code, dietary rule, religious verse, or anything for that matter is corruption of a most sacred and secret Truth.

Q: Are you suggesting we turn right away from all rituals, as an organisation, so nobody need be turned off by any rituals whatsoever? A: Yes!

Q: Do you believe the SYSSR has so spoiled Shri Mataji's teachings that we really need to go in the opposite direction, and have no rituals whatsoever?
A: Yes! Without question!

Q: Do you believe people can have their spiritual liberation without any ritual help, whatsoever?
A: Yes! Absolutely! Silence on Self is the key that opens the doors of liberation; the purest essence of scripture, gnosis and enlightenment; the promised human evolution from matter to spirit!

Other than Silence on Self--the innermost core of unsurpassed enlightenment in its most simplistic reduction and comprehension-- there must be no other emphasis on rules, dress, food, religion, guru, leadership, ritual, treatment, penance, idol, pilgrimage, or any other human invention to participate in the General Resurrection.

The Great Adi Shakti Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

The Great Adi Shakti Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi"The people who think that they can control their ego will eat less or use all types of methods to control ego. For example, someone is standing on one leg or other one on his head, all types of efforts they are doing to reduce their ego.

But with all these techniques, ego doesn't vanish. On the contrary, ego increases. Fasting, reciting the names, increases your ego. With Havans also ego increases because Agni, fire, is the right side element. Anything which is rituals increases your ego.

Human being thinks that they are alright, since they are doing these rituals since thousand years. All the wrong teachings they are still following. For this reason Sahaja Yoga is against Karma Kanda, that is rituals. No need to do any kind of Karma Kanda.

And to go to the extreme point is also dangerous. I had asked them to shoe-beat to destroy their ego and what I see that every morning all the Sahaja Yogis go in the line with their shoes for shoe-beatings. But I had asked to do this if you have ego in you.

All these rituals have entered into Sahaja Yoga. I got somebody in France with the list of the treatments of Vashi hospital. But that was for sick peoples. This is the nature of human being to follow the rituals because he thinks that he can do it."

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
25 December 1997, Christmas Puja
Ganapatipule, Maharashtra, India

NOTE: If this page was accessed during a web search you may wish to browse the sites listed below where this topic or related issues are discussed in detail to promote global peace, religious harmony, and spiritual development of humanity:

www.adishakti.org/
www.al-qiyamah.org/
www.adi-shakti.org/  — Divine Feminine (Hinduism)
www.holyspirit-shekinah.org/  — Divine Feminine (Christianity)
www.ruach-elohim.org/  — Divine Feminine (Judaism)
www.ruh-allah.org/  — Divine Feminine (Islam)
www.tao-mother.org/  — Divine Feminine (Taoism)
www.prajnaaparamita.org/  — Divine Feminine (Buddhism)
www.aykaa-mayee.org/  — Divine Feminine (Sikhism)
www.great-spirit-mother.org/  — Divine Feminine (Native Traditions)

"Now, the principle of Mother is in every, every scripture - has to be there." Shri Mataji, Radio Interview 1983 Oct 01, Santa Cruz, USA