What are we doing here?

I am getting older (maybe others are too?), and while we are Spirit and not the body, I have noticed the body has quite an effect on us. I find myself occasionally more reflective of time passing.

One of my favorite literary passages is from the Mahabharata (the great Indian epic, in which the Bhagavad Gita is a small part). Lord Dharma asks his son, Yudhishthira, “What is the greatest wonder?” Yudhishthira replies, “That each day, everywhere, humanity is touched by death. Yet each one of us lives as if we were immortal.”

I have been a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda my entire adult life, yet even given that lifelong dedication, some questions feel more present and powerful to me than previously. “What are we doing here?” is one such question.

Our goal, known or not, is to unite our spirit with Spirit; our little self with the greater Self. The entire material plane is designed to fool is into thinking it is “stuff” that is important, when in fact it is that union (Yoga is the word for "union" in Sanskrit.) Yet if we are here, this lesson needs to be learned ever more deeply. A line from one of my favorite songs says, “All the gains for which men sigh and moan/Will be harvested in God alone.” We believe that if we can get our circumstances just right (more money, better relationship, children, better job, etc.), then, finally, joy will be ours.

So what are we doing here? Yogananda said this planet is here for our education and entertainment. We must do our duty, as avoidance is not a way to union, but we must also remember that no one’s tombstone ever said, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office!” I do a lot of things in my life and do my very best to do them well and with full energy. But I try always to remember, and with increasing depth, that I am here to learn whatever God is trying to tell me for my own unfoldment.

Well, I warned you I was becoming more ruminative these days, so I hope you will forgive this brief wandering down the cosmic path today.