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Bähya Kriyämän Rächatä, Antarbhed Na Känyi; Jnän Märga Nishedhatä, Teh Kriyäjad Änyi.
Lifeless ritualists are those, who cherish the external rituals without inner discrimination and reject the path of knowledge. (4)
Explanation & Discussion:
Here Shrimad describes the characteristics of lifeless ritualists. Those, who rely merely upon rituals and cherish in performing them without keeping in view their purpose, are lifeless ritualists. The term ritual connotes religious formality. The activities undertaken by the laymen as their daily routine like going to the temple, performing Poojan, performing Samayik, Pratikraman, etc. become mechanical, because they do not have the true concept for undertaking the same; they are undertaken without understanding their significance and meaning. Most of them have wrong notion about these activities. They remain under the impression that their activities will remove the impact of Karmas and lead them to liberation.
It should be noted that rituals are not to be rejected. They are meant to benefit the average aspirants and beginners. There is therefore no reason to denigrate the importance of the rituals. Every ritual has, however, some purpose. The purpose behind the ritual and its relevance needs to be kept in mind while performing it; otherwise it becomes lifeless and mechanical. Such performance does not yield the expected benefit. The rituals are primarily meant for cultivating detachment and for augmenting the sense of devotion. Their ultimate objective is to gain equanimity. The lifeless ritualists fail to make out this aspect.
Austerities also are mostly observed with such notions. The main purpose of the external austerities is to develop bearing capability so as to maintain equanimity under difficult circumstances. For example, fasting is meant for developing capability to stay without food for some time, and Ayambil for getting used to tasteless foods. Those purposes are often lost sight of and the people generally observe the austerities with a view to earning Punya.
Moreover, rituals are often carried out with ulterior motives. Desire to be known as a religious person in the community, expectation to get heavenly pleasures in subequent life, inclination to follow the family traditions, and the fear of infernal life are the examples of such ulterior motives. The lifeless ritualists might also think that mere observance of austerities and other restraints, reciting prayer, going to temple, etc. would result in eradication of unwholesome Karma and lead them to Karmaless state. They are not aware that lifeless observance of the rituals can lead to wholesome Karma, but it cannot lead to the Karmaless or liberated state.
As a matter of fact, no activity without internal bearing and true understanding can lead to liberation. The people without internal discrimination thus stay deluded about the liberation. They do not realize that during the infinite wandering, they must have performed rituals and observed austerities countless number of times. That has not brought the lasting well being, nor has it led them on the path of liberation. They are
