Is puja necessary, or only knowledge? The truth about karmakand and Advaita

What is being said these days?

On social media one voice has grown very fast — "What need is there for puja? It is all karmakand, hypocrisy. Only knowledge is needed — understand Advaita, that is all."

It sounds very lofty. But when a young man, in whose home the tradition of sandhya-vandan has continued for seven generations, hears this and gives up his yajnopavit and sandhya — then this lofty talk digs up his very foundation.

That is why it is necessary to understand this subject properly from the point of view of the shastras.

What is the order of the shastras?

The Sanatan tradition describes a clear ladder of sadhana, and all three rungs are necessary:

1. Karmakand — puja, sandhya, yajna, vrat, daan. This brings purification of the inner instrument.
2. Upasana kand — japa, meditation, remembrance of the chosen deity. This brings steadiness to the mind.
3. Jnana kand — Vedanta, self-enquiry, Advaita. This is the last rung.

Note — karmakand is not something lower or to be discarded. It is both a means of reaching the Supreme Brahman and the process of becoming fit. Until the inner instrument is pure, the teaching of knowledge will simply not stay in the mind. And until the mind is steady, even a pure inner instrument will keep wavering.

Goswami Tulsidas ji gave a very clear warning about this very situation:

ब्रह्म ज्ञान उपजा नहीं, कर्म दिये छिटकाय।
तुलसी ऐसी आतमा, सहजै नरकहिं जाय॥
— knowledge of Brahman did not arise, and karma too was thrown away — such a soul easily falls

This is the greatest harm today. Knowledge was not gained, and karma was lost — hanging in between.

The real meaning of Advaita

The literal meaning of Advaita is — dvaitaṃ na bhavati iti advaitam — where there is no duality, where there is no "other" at all.

The Upanishads say:

द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवति।
— fear arises only from the sense of another

That is, where steadfastness in Advaita is truly attained, no fear remains. The example of the devotee Prahlad is the proof of this — he was thrown from a mountain, drowned in water, put into fire — nothing happened. Because for him nothing existed apart from Brahman; he was seeing his own self in all.

This is a state of experience. No one becomes an Advaitin merely by speaking the words.

Acharya ji puts a direct question on this — *"Those who call themselves Advaitins should say whether their conduct too is that of Advaita. If there truly is no duality, then there should be no fear even before a lion."* The question sounds harsh, but its intent is one — there should be no gap between principle and conduct.

Two views, two paths — respect for both

It is also necessary to understand that differences of view are nothing new in the Sanatan tradition.

• Advaita — the doctrine of Adi Shankaracharya ji, the non-difference of jiva and Brahman
• Dvaita — the belief of many Vaishnava sampradayas, that jiva and Ishvara are different

Both traditions are authentic, and both have had great acharyas. The problem is not in the view but in the habit of refutation — when someone, to establish his own view, begins to break the faith of others.

The most important point for the new generation

Telling young people in whose homes the tradition is alive — whose yajnopavit was done on time, who still do sandhya today — that "there is no need for this" — how great a harm that is, is worth thinking about.

A building is not made without a foundation. Karmakand is the foundation, upasana the walls, knowledge the summit. Talking of the summit and getting the foundation broken — that is no one’s good.

One who truly seeks knowledge first sets his daily rites in order. That is the way of the tradition.

Read further

To understand the tradition of fasting and upasana, you can also read the complete guide to the Ekadashi fast.

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