Fun and divinity

Does one need to sacrifice enjoyment to develop spiritually? Deepak Chopra and Arshad Warsi tell Ritu Verma what brings them closer to divinity
Deepak Chopra
Spiritual and Wellness Guru
Spirituality may be defined as an expanded state of awareness where you go beyond the skin encapsulated ego and experience your universality. In doing so, you become more conscious of your choices and access insight, intuition, creativity and realise the power of intention.
You feel close to your divine presence and lose the fear of death, thereby increasing love and compassion in yourself.
You don’t need to forcibly alter your eating habits, although they change spontaneously with spiritual practice. Yes, you need to be a non-smoker as smoking spurs violence and literally kills ‘Prana’ or the life force inside you.
To me, Coke or Pepsi, alcohol, etc are not pleasurable. I have had my fill of them in the past and can comfortably say, been there done that! Alcohol decreases awareness, and opposes spirituality, which is about expanding awareness. Renunciation can’t be forced, but with spiritual practice, meaningless pleasure becomes less important.
Heavy non-vegetarian food is considered ‘Tamasic’ and adds to inertia in both your body and mind. Therefore, our family is more
nclined toward vegetarian food now, but we do enjoy non-vegetarian food too, with Goan Fish Curry being our favourite. For me, partying means ‘pleasure for the sake of pleasure’ and it’s not a frequent activity in my family. Our social gatherings include music, sometimes dancing and wine. Songs by Beatles, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Lady Gaga are some of my party favourites.
Being spiritual doesn’t mean cutting your ties with the world. Indulge in social interaction, which is meaningful and good. Dress the way you feel comfortable and that speaks volumes about yourself.
Arshad Warsi
Actor
For me, being spiritual means not being extremely religious. It’s a state where you start loving something without trying to find a reason for it. I am a very spiritual person and feel much more sorted than many others around me. When we talk about religion, it involves a lot of do’s and don’ts. However, spirituality is something beyond these bizarre boundaries.
People often ask me what religion I follow and I always reply that I am a follower of humanity. My religion is my personal affair and shouldn’t matter to others.
I think altering your lifestyle and exercising self-control forms an important part of being spiritual. Sacrificing something you really enjoy is like testing yourself and I think it brings me closer to myself and helps me understand who I am.
I have given up meat and liquor, for as long as possible. I think this self-control helps me become stronger. I do the same every year and give up one thing that I relish. This is my idea of being spiritual. The best thing about spirituality is that you don’t have to follow anyone. I don’t expect my family to follow me and give up meat and alcohol.
Sacrifice has always been a part of our culture. People sacrifice animals for rituals, to attain blessings. However this way, only that poor animal loses his life and there is nothing really from your end. So it’s better to sacrifice a part of yourself to attain that spiritual high — it may be a habit, your lifestyle or something else.
Everyone comprehends spirituality in their own way. You can still be wearing western clothes, attending social dos, partying and yet be spiritual, it is all about how you learn to connect with the higher self.
Note: Arshad Warsi admits he is since back to his non-vegetarian days but that doesn't make him any less spiritual than he was!
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