What is the difference between religion and spirituality? When the revelations, concepts, and practices promulgated by sages or prophets are defined and controlled by a priest class or such a body with the accompanying rules, regulations, and prohibitions without any scope for further spiritual advancement then that attains the character of a religion. Religion remains static, whereas spirituality renews and refreshes the spiritual experience with relevance to time and space and is measured to the individual needs as well as those of society. Spirituality has a kinetic quality, whereas religion binds us with an earlier interpretation of spiritual experience or revelation. Spirituality is the culture of realized souls who appear from time to time for the spiritual renewal of humanity. The difference between religion and spirituality lies here.
It is only Jnana or knowledge that leads to Punya (Virtue) and Bhagya (Good Luck). People with no proper awareness of spirituality usually say that it is enough to live doing good karma (Satkarma) without harming anyone. If you ask what they mean by Satkarma, they say, giving to charities, helping the poor, doing some good for the community, helping the family, etc. It’s all good. Let everyone evaluate how much Satkarma they have been able to do. But the scope of Satkarma is not limited to this. The true Satkarma is a conscious effort to enrich and transform one’s life. What is attained by Satkarma is Punya. Just as the body is nourished by food, Punya nourishes the soul. The soul without Punya does not bring Bhagya. And if there is no Bhagya, it leads to many hardships in life. Enriching the Soul means earning Punya. Soul transformation means upgrading one’s soul to the next Jnana Bhumika or knowledge plane. Satkarma is how the soul gradually gets upgraded to its absolute potential. One gets the guidance and motivation to do Satkarma only through Satsang. Satsang means fellowship with the Soul-knowing Guru.
Spirituality is the effort to know what is the current state of one’s soul, its aura (color), and how can it be transformed and enriched by Satkarma. When Punya is not there, the color of the soul, which is pure white, fades and becomes dark. The soul color changes according to the predominance of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas (three gunas), and attains various conditions that may lead to character disabilities. The shortcomings and misfortunes of one’s soul can be corrected through the guidance and divine radiance of a Guru who knows this soul science. Religion is irrelevant here. Religion is like a stagnant pool. The spiritual guidance of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru transforms your life and leads it to the right destination.