When we speak about mystical experience, we have an idea
about something far away, meant for an ascetic somewhere. This is absolutely
wrong! Anybody, from any walk of life, can have a mystical experience because
the profound philosophy of Vedanta tells us that the divine spark is in every
one of us. We can come in touch with it, manifest it, and in the light of that
truth we can deal with other people in a happy way. Therefore a mystical
experience must walk hand-in hand with work and with the human relationships we
establish. Swami Vivekananda calls this practical Vedanta.
What was the privilege of a few in the past will become the privilege
of everyone in society when people understand it correctly. This is the truth,
but unfortunately we neglect it. In the future we should put a stop to this
sort of carelessness.
When I work in society, I can work from my ego and create
friction with others, or I can manifest a little of my divine nature and feel
oneness with others. The capacity for teamwork develops there. This is real
mystical growth and development and the type of human development we need.
In the Gita there is a very precious word: rajarshi—raja and
rishi in one. In all walks of life we find men of responsibility and authority.
But can they be spiritual at the same time? If they manifest the divine within,
they will become a rajarshi. When your hands wield power, you’re a raja. When
your hands wield power for the good of all, you become a rishi. This
combination is what we need to instil in our administration, our management and
all aspects of our human relations.
Swami Ranganathananda
Source - The Mind of the Guru