When Is the Right Time for Spiritual Growth? Now.
Aum
Dear Beautiful People
Today, let us explore when Is the best time to embark on the spiritual path.
If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking “I’ll get into spirituality after I retire, when I finally have time,” you’re not alone. Many of us treat the spiritual path like a post-retirement hobby, something to dabble in once the real business of life is over. But the wisdom of the Vedas, and countless stories from around the world, urge us to rethink this. The best time to embark on the spiritual path is not later. It’s now.
Why People Turn to Spirituality
The Bhagavad Gita itself classifies spiritual seekers into four types:
Aarta - those in trouble who turn to God out of desperation.
Arthaarthi - those who approach God/spirituality as a transaction, seeking health, wealth, success, or reward in return for rituals and charity.
Jignaasu - those who are driven by curiosity, eager to intellectually understand God/spirituality.
Jnaani - the highest, who commune with God through the knowledge that there is only one power (Brahman) that pervades and orchestrates everything and everyone
Most of us begin as Aarta or Artharathi. It’s often pain or greed that first cracks our ego. But the scriptures remind us that it is better to graduate toward Jignaasa ( a curiosity to learn about this ultimate power) and ultimately Jnaana (communing with this powerful) before life’s trials force us to.
The Grace Hidden in Troubles: Kunti’s Prayer
Take the example of Queen Kunti from the Mahabharata. At the end of the great war, Lord Krishna asked her what boon she wanted as His parting gift. Instead of asking for peace or comfort, she shocked everyone by saying, “Give me more troubles.”
Why would anyone ask for that? Kunti explained that when troubles came, she was compelled to call out to Krishna, and when she called, Krishna had no choice but to come to her. Without adversity, she might have remembered Him only superficially but not called out as a cry from the soul. Suffering had become her doorway to divine intimacy. This is a lesson many of us learn late - challenges are not obstacles to spirituality, they are catalysts.
The Seduction of Distraction
A story from the Puranas captures the folly of postponing the inner journey. A man chased by robbers runs into a forest. He encounters a tiger and flees, only to reach the edge of a cliff. As he leaps and clings to a frail branch midair, he glances down to find a hyena waiting below. A snake hisses near his hand. At that moment, a few drops of honey drip from the tree above. Forgetting all his impending danger, he licks the honey with delight.
This is our life. Death, disease, and uncertainty surround us on all sides. Yet, instead of learning to navigate these dangers, we keep licking the “honey” - small pleasures, distractions, temporary comforts. We forget the cliff we’re hanging from.
This Too Shall Pass
Another timeless reminder comes from King Solomon’s ring, inscribed with the words: “This too shall pass.” When we face hardship, we cling to these words for comfort. But the ring’s wisdom is double-edged. Good times too, however sweet, will pass. Success, youth, health, relationships are all impermanent. If we base our happiness only on these, we are setting ourselves up for heartbreak. Spiritual practice is what equips us to navigate life without getting inflated in joy or crushed in despair when the things and people that give us joy pass away as they inevitably do.
Why Start Early?
In the Vedic scheme, life is divided into four stages:
Brahmacharya - the student years.
Grihastha - the householder phase.
Vanaprastha - gradual withdrawal from worldly duties.
Sanyasa - renunciation, putting down attachments and preparing for transition beyond this life.
Notice how the Rishis placed Brahmacharya first. The idea was simple: gain knowledge of Brahman 9the ultimate reality) early, so the storms of householder life don’t drown you. With that foundation, each stage becomes smoother, preparing you for the final phase of Sanyasa or release of attachments, not as an escape from the material world, but as a conscious completion of it.
From Robber to Rishi: The Transformation of Valmiki
Consider Ratnakara, a robber who later became Sage Valmiki, the author of the epic Ramayana. His turning point came when a sage asked him if his family, who benefited from his crimes, would also share the burden of the sin. His relatives admitted they wanted his earnings, but not his karmic debt. That realization shook him awake. Ratnakara renounced crime, devoted himself to meditation on Rama (Inner Bliss), and became an enlightened sage Valmiki. Yet, even after that, he didn’t know his larger role. It was only when he witnessed the tragic killing of a bird in the forest that inspiration struck. The arrow that killed the male bird in the midst of blissful union with the female bird revealed to Valmiki the very nature of embodied existence - joy cut short by sudden loss and life pierced by the unexpected arrow of death. From this flash of insight was born the Ramayana, a guide for humanity to move towards Rama - our inner bliss.
The Fierce Gift of Rishi Durvasa
A true Rishi is an enlightened and highly evolved being who cannot possibly lose control through mere passion or personal dislikes. Therefore, Durvasa's infamous temper represents the harsh insights that shatter arrogance and complacency and turn us towards spirituality. He reminds us that true wisdom doesn't always come in soothing whispers, but in deliberate, forceful jolts that crack our attachments. It is these very jolts to our body and mind (Du = bad, Vasa = garment/sheath) that awareness and deeper truth are able to enter us.
The Right Time Is Always Now!
The right time is not after you’ve retired, or when you’ve achieved all your material goals, or when a crisis forces you to. The right time is the moment you recognize that everything - good and bad - shall pass.
Spiritual practice is not an “extra” hobby. It is the inner compass without which the outer journey is chaotic. Whether through devotion, inquiry, meditation, service, or the seeking of knowledge, what truly matters is to begin wherever you are. Good actions alone cannot dissolve the fear of death, but right understanding can. As the saying goes, “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is now.”
Embark on the path today - not because life is falling apart, but because you want to live it fully, wisely, and with the resilience that comes from touching the eternal and imperishable within.
Reflect on what first nudged you towards spirituality. Was it a crisis, curiosity, or a quiet call from within? And resolve to dedicate more time to learn that ultimate knowledge, knowing which all becomes known.
Wishing you Love and Light
Your Partner in Positive Change
Nivedita
