Solitude can help balance our worldly and spiritual pursuits

This question troubles the minds of many young men and women: Should I take up a job and get married or devote my life to spiritual pursuits? The answer to this is that one can grow spiritually even with a job and family, provided one pays attention to a few things.

One needs to think how solitude is desirable. For the first few years of our spiritual life, we need a lot of solitude and once we are firmly on the path, even an hour of prayer, pranayama and journal writing or any physical exercises is enough.

Can we grow spiritually in this world? Mahatma Gandhi is an example of a person who balanced his spiritual and world ly pursuits. He controlled his desires, gave up unnecessary talking, read the scriptures, and kept himself busy with work. He was active in politics with the goal of self-realisation.

Leo Tolstoy’s short story, Father Sergius, deals with the issue of monks living in seclusion. One of the lessons of the story is that if we want to grow spiritually, we need to stay in seclusion, avoid overeating, read and meditate. If we meet a lot of people, our spiritual strength will diminish. When we live in seclusion, we doubt whether god exists or is it right to renounce the pleasures of the world.

Another lesson is that lust is an enemy of solitude. Someone who may spend time reading, doing prayer or meditation can also face difficulties in controlling desire. At the end of the story, the monk leaves the monastery and begins to work on a farm, teach children and nurse the sick. The lesson is that instead of spending our time in seclusion, we should do socially useful work.

(Inner Voice comprises contributions from our readers. The views expressed are personal.)