Why Daily Life is a Necessary Stepping Stone for the Spiritual Path.

Understanding how action and knowledge work together on the path of growth.

For many of us as householders on the path, we often find it challenging to dedicate ourselves to committed spiritual practices.

We may feel bound by our worldly duties and have little time to dedicate to our practices -alongside a mind full of thoughts to contend with once we do actually manage to sit for meditation!

This was where motherhood caught me in a confusion. Of course I loved looking after my daughter - It was a service and a Dharma that was there to be done.

But I couldn't help but feel I was “missing out” on my opportunity to do my practices like I used to, pre-baby.

It was when I pursued a deeper study of Karma Yoga in chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita that I came to understand something crucial and life transforming about the way in which I viewed and understood spirituality.

I discovered that my life circumstances were currently my ground for spiritual practice. And not only this- but that if done with a certain skill - can serve to purify my mind for the proper assimilation of higher knowledge later on.

Performing actions as a Yajña

The Bhagavad Gita teaches us that our actions are to be done as a service to a Higher Power - and not for our own self gain. With this, we should not be attached to the results of these actions. This is done through performing our actions like a Yajña - an offering, a ritual, or as Swami Sarvapriyananda lectures - like a Puja.

The 4-fold Qualifications of Vedanta

When we perform our actions in the way of Yajña, it serves to purify the mind - what is known as cittaśuddhi.

It is this cittaśuddhi that we should all be striving for over more techniques, practices & rituals. For it lays the right foundation for a deeper, grounded and more permanent absorption of Higher Knowledge.

Before really knowing about this, we may feel that these two paths, the householder duty and spiritual pursuit, are separate. One of the material life, and one of the spiritual life. 

But in reality, they are simply one long continuation, but just serving as different vehicles along the way. Sarvapriyananda uses a wonderful analogy to explain this - in planning a trip to another country, we cannot go directly onto the aeroplane, we need to take the taxi to the airport. We cannot take the plane unless we take the taxi first!

In essence - we cannot expect to evolve and expand on our spiritual path unless we fully own, move through and face up to our circumstances in life - even as mundane as they may feel. The way in which we perform them is the power of growth that rests in our own hands.

In Verse 3 Lord Krishna says: 

“lokesmin dvividhaa nishthaa puraa proktaa mayaanagha | jnyaanayogena saankhyaanaam karmayogena yoginaam” 

“Two kinds of disciplines in this world were set forth by Me in times of yore - for the Samkhyas the discipline of knowledge, and for the Yogins, that of works.”

Where Arjuna thinks he has to choose one, Krishna is in fact implying that we need both. But a more deeper understanding of this is that they work sequentially and as a team - one helping the other to move on.

For some time in our lives, our current vehicle will be our worldly duties - then at some point further - the vehicle changes to knowledge.

We must know and be aware of this - else we remain in confusion - just like Arjuna.

We view life through our limited minds - that work by finite and complete statements - right and wrong - yes or no. This or that.

What Lord Krishna is indirectly implying in this verse is that the path is just ONE long continum, and not separate parts. It can be this for now, and that later.

Our worldy duties can be what is most appropriate right now, and that later the time will come for deeper practices.

We can remember that our karma yoga will help us on our spiritual journey, not hinder us.

And that is what makes each of our daily lives just a little less ordinary…and more extrordinary.

If this way of looking at the path resonates with you, you’re welcome to stay connected here.

I’ll be sharing more reflections, study notes, and explorations into Vedic understanding– slowly, and in depth in the Bhagavad Gita Study Group starting from June 2026.

For more details and sign ups you can click here.