Such question is very certain for a new spiritual practitioner, but worshiping God and devoting to him is very easy for growing spiritually compared to atheistic spiritual philosophy. I read many quotes similar spiritual, but not religious and likes, but without religiousness its hard to progress spiritually.
We are humans and we need some thing and someone to attach with for progressing either materially or spiritually. Materially we use support from our mentors or our contacts using which we progress materially. For example, a businessman needs contacts to promote his business or a person looking for a job need contacts which are also called references in his niche industries. Similarly, for progressing spiritually we need someone to attach with and hence worshiping God is such a attachment towards him. When I was young I was attached to Optimus Prime of Transformers movie due to lack of knowledge of Lord Krishna. I used to think he was real (so dumb I was 😛!) and will help me. The reason for my attachment with him was, I liked his heroic nature, his friendliness, his guiding voice, his matured and knowledgeable attitude, his leadership, etc. look at the level of human nature of attachment! humans can attach with fictional characters like Optimus Prime, why not God? where God is eternal and real and has innumerable desirable qualities than any human or fictional character. If I had knowledge about Bhagvad Gita and Lord Krishna at that time, I won't have got attached to optimus prime, instead I would have attached with Lord Krishna as I am now.
Its true that we suffer or enjoy according to our actions in past lives, but we have to take birth to enjoy or suffer our karmic reactions and if taken birth then death is certain (which is very painful). As a spiritualist we are searching for ways to end this birth-death cycle and enter into unlimited bliss. For it there are many ways like Bhaktiyoga, Gyanyoga, etc. but out of this the Bhakti yoga is very easy to perform and understand. I have a recent example of me and my friend, my friend is a student of Gyanyoga and he is studying it since childhood as they belong to a specific clan from south India. He is very advanced in spiritual knowledge and as a Gyan yogi he don't worship God, he believes in himself. As a part of human life, happiness and sadness is certain and my friend was not an exception. He had some bad experiences in life because which now he is in depression, and is always struggling with his mind. I learned from his case that depression not only affects us psychologically but physically as well, he regularly have a severe headaches. He shown this to many psychiatrists but they only suggested pain killers which gave temporary relief. He is still struggling with this depression and recovering slowly, but this affected his social and professional life. Except some friends like me many left him in such condition. I also had similar bad experience like him and I was also depressed back then. But Lord Krishna helped me from recovering depression by delivering his priceless teachings from Bhagvad Gita and I am happy as before. My friend was astonished by knowing this, he is practicing Gyanyoga from childhood and I am very new to bhaktiyoga still he is not able to detach himself from happiness and distress of human life but I am. This is the magic of bhaktiyoga, Lord Krishna is himself with us always as a super soul guides us when we develop devotion towards him. The results of bhaktiyoga can be seen early than other ways.
For developing devotion and progressing in Bhaktiyoga we have to worship God which is Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is all powerful and by reading his pastimes we can learn that he always protects his devotees. So why not develop devotion towards him and pray for his protection to help us? This seems a easy deal but its not, Lord Krishna as a super soul knows very well who is really devoted towards him and who is not.
Spirituality with religiousness is helpful as we becomes verse in a specific culture in which all people associated with it are trying to achieve same goal as ours and also help us. So by my personal experience I think we should worship God not for something but to develop devotion towards him, because liberation is the side effect of the devotion towards God.
Thus I end this post with wonderful quote by one of great saints A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad whose teachings I follow:
We are humans and we need some thing and someone to attach with for progressing either materially or spiritually. Materially we use support from our mentors or our contacts using which we progress materially. For example, a businessman needs contacts to promote his business or a person looking for a job need contacts which are also called references in his niche industries. Similarly, for progressing spiritually we need someone to attach with and hence worshiping God is such a attachment towards him. When I was young I was attached to Optimus Prime of Transformers movie due to lack of knowledge of Lord Krishna. I used to think he was real (so dumb I was 😛!) and will help me. The reason for my attachment with him was, I liked his heroic nature, his friendliness, his guiding voice, his matured and knowledgeable attitude, his leadership, etc. look at the level of human nature of attachment! humans can attach with fictional characters like Optimus Prime, why not God? where God is eternal and real and has innumerable desirable qualities than any human or fictional character. If I had knowledge about Bhagvad Gita and Lord Krishna at that time, I won't have got attached to optimus prime, instead I would have attached with Lord Krishna as I am now.
Its true that we suffer or enjoy according to our actions in past lives, but we have to take birth to enjoy or suffer our karmic reactions and if taken birth then death is certain (which is very painful). As a spiritualist we are searching for ways to end this birth-death cycle and enter into unlimited bliss. For it there are many ways like Bhaktiyoga, Gyanyoga, etc. but out of this the Bhakti yoga is very easy to perform and understand. I have a recent example of me and my friend, my friend is a student of Gyanyoga and he is studying it since childhood as they belong to a specific clan from south India. He is very advanced in spiritual knowledge and as a Gyan yogi he don't worship God, he believes in himself. As a part of human life, happiness and sadness is certain and my friend was not an exception. He had some bad experiences in life because which now he is in depression, and is always struggling with his mind. I learned from his case that depression not only affects us psychologically but physically as well, he regularly have a severe headaches. He shown this to many psychiatrists but they only suggested pain killers which gave temporary relief. He is still struggling with this depression and recovering slowly, but this affected his social and professional life. Except some friends like me many left him in such condition. I also had similar bad experience like him and I was also depressed back then. But Lord Krishna helped me from recovering depression by delivering his priceless teachings from Bhagvad Gita and I am happy as before. My friend was astonished by knowing this, he is practicing Gyanyoga from childhood and I am very new to bhaktiyoga still he is not able to detach himself from happiness and distress of human life but I am. This is the magic of bhaktiyoga, Lord Krishna is himself with us always as a super soul guides us when we develop devotion towards him. The results of bhaktiyoga can be seen early than other ways.
For developing devotion and progressing in Bhaktiyoga we have to worship God which is Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is all powerful and by reading his pastimes we can learn that he always protects his devotees. So why not develop devotion towards him and pray for his protection to help us? This seems a easy deal but its not, Lord Krishna as a super soul knows very well who is really devoted towards him and who is not.
Spirituality with religiousness is helpful as we becomes verse in a specific culture in which all people associated with it are trying to achieve same goal as ours and also help us. So by my personal experience I think we should worship God not for something but to develop devotion towards him, because liberation is the side effect of the devotion towards God.
Thus I end this post with wonderful quote by one of great saints A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad whose teachings I follow:
Don't try to see the God, instead work in such a way that God will see you.
