Th Fantastic Four

Today’s world would have us believe that we live in an age of interconnectivity.  It doesn’t take a genius to realize that it’s only our electronic devices that are interconnected and not us.  Our computers, phones, bank accounts, television sets, cars, etc. are surely connected to one another but how interconnected are we to the people around us, and more importantly to the Supreme power?

In today’s world it’s becoming more and more difficult to be spiritual and to be able to see the spiritual realm beyond the material clutter.  The common man’s senses and intelligence are far too polluted and occupied by his worldly needs to be able to free up his senses to wonder about the real purpose of his life.  So what makes a man embark on a quest of self realization?  What are the kind of people who feel the need of understanding the nature of this universe and our role in it?  I am sure we can hem and haw and come up with some guesses, however, in the Bhagvad Gita verse 7.16, Sri Krishna reveals to Arjuna the four types of people who surrender to the Supreme –

catur-vidha bhajante mam, janah sukritino ’rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi, jnani ca bharatarsabha

Meaning, O best among the Bharatas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.

The distressed surrender to the Almighty in hope of release from worldly troubles.  People caught up with material problems such as ill health, relationship woes, and other such problems associated with the physical body (and not the spiritual self) fall in this category.  They turn to the Supreme with the hope that their devotion will please the Lord and He will award them inner peace in return.

The desirers of wealth surrender to the Almighty in hope of financial gains.  People desirous of a stronger bank balance, bigger house, faster cars, or lower debt fall in this category.  They turn to the Supreme with the hope that their devotion will bring them, in reward, the riches that they seek.

The inquisitive surrenders to the Almighty in hope of understanding the true nature of the world that we live in.  He is the philosopher who is seeking answers to questions of our origin, existence, end, and the overall objective of our presence.  He is puzzled by the overarching questions of existentialism such as our role in the cosmos, why bad things happen to good people, what is happiness, etc.  Confused by these questions, and un-helped by modern science, he turns to the Almighty for answers.  He hopes that his devotion will bring him the intellectual peace that he needs.

The one who is searching for the knowledge of the Absolute, or the mystic, surrenders to the Almighty in hope of understanding the exact nature of everything that is and isn’t.  He is driven by the desire to grasp the ultimate truth of existence and knows that the greatest gifts on the path are the ones invisible to the eyes.  He seeks a direct experience of the very source of life and wishes to lose himself in the universal essence of all things.  He hopes that his devotion will bring him the spiritual redemption that his existence craves for.

These are the four types of people who are able to rise above their material existence and free up their minds for higher thinking.  However, even these people are not ready to be called devotees just yet.  The reason for that is they are all still expecting to get something in return for their devotion to the Lord.  As has been mentioned in the Bhagvad Gita verse 2.47 –

karmany evadhikaras te, ma phalesu kadacana

ma karma-phala-hetur bhur, ma te sango ’stv akarmani

Meaning, we are not entitled to the results of our actions.  The above mentioned four categories of men are certainly pious, but they can only be elevated to being pure devotees when they engage in devotional service out of love of God, rather than for a personal motive – regardless of how noble the motive is.  The journey to self realization and God consciousness begins from these four ports.