Can't we reach the goal through our spiritual effort, without a Guru? What is the difference between Sadhana and Upasana?

Sadhana means attaining the grace of the Lord in human form by serving Him. Upasana is attaining something, which is very much near and similar to the Lord. In Upasana you cannot serve the Lord. ‘Upa’ means near. ‘Asana’ means attainment. In Upasana you can understand the nature of the Lord through a model (Prateeka), which has some similarity with the Lord. The Veda says that the sun, mind etc., should be meditated upon as the Lord (Adityam Brahmeti Upaseeta, Tam Mana Iti Upaseeta). The sun removes darkness as the Lord removes ignorance. The mind creates several forms in a dream as the Lord creates several forms in the world. The sun and the mind are only models to understand the Lord. When you meditate upon the sun and the mind, you can only understand the nature of the Lord. But you cannot serve the Lord. Hanuman meditated upon the sun and understood the nature of the Lord. Then He met Lord Rama and served Him. Therefore sadhana is greater than upasana. Upasana is the beginning stage and sadhana is the final stage. Sadhana (spiritual effort) without Guru is like the blind bull which ran in the field throughout the night and was unable to reach the village since the farmer (guide) was not associated with it.

Guru means He who removes ignorance and shows the right path. Without a Guru you will be wasting lot of energy and a lot of time without reaching the goal. If you recognize the Lord in human form and serve Him like Hanuman and Gopikas, you can attain the highest fruit. All this is known only through the preaching of the Guru. If you only serve statues, you will end in misery like Tyagaraja. The blind bull spends all its energy throughout the night without any use. Had it been in the hands of a guide, it could have reached the village in ten minutes by spending very little energy in walking.

[Swami sang the following song spontaneously here:]

O Blind bull! Hear the Guru.

You don’t see the way. But you are running with vigor.

How many wives, how many husbands, how many sons and how many daughters—have you had for the past millions of births?

Don’t be trapped by the sweet words and sweet love of these family members

They are your real enemies in your sadhana! You have stolen their money in the previous birth and they have come now to get it from you with interest!

They have come not only to collect their loans, but also to revenge upon you—By spoiling your sadhana.

Your energy and time are limited. They cannot save you when death attacks you.

They will leave you after their revenge. They have come to you for food and shelter. Help them as per your duty.

But be brief with them without wasting time and energy.

Hear Me, See Me, Speak about Me and Think about Me only.

Your senses caught by these bonds will not allow you to come to Me. The blind bull ran and ran throughout the night and was in the field. It was dissociated from the guide—Therefore, catch the Guru at once.

Holy Jesus said in the Bible that if one does not hate his family members, he couldn’t become His disciple. I am explaining the reason for His statement. Your family attracts you by love and becomes an obstacle for your love for the Lord. Guru is very important in sadhana. Nobody is more than Guru (Na Guroradhikam, Guru Saakshat Parabrahma). You must not limit your service by only serving the Guru personally. You must digest His preaching. Can you pass the examination if you have merely paid the fees regularly to the teacher? But today Gurus are concentrating on the fees and not on the student.