I want to know what the purpose of my life is. Everybody is born for achieving something, I wanted to know what my purpose may be. Please guide me.
—Raj, India
Dear Raj,
Your question may be answered in several ways. First and most important, the purpose of your life, my life, and everyone’s lives is God-realization and becoming one with all that is.
Another way of putting this is that the purpose of life is to find happiness and much more than happiness: the eternal, unchanging inner bliss, which is to be found within yourself, primarily through meditation. Therefore, your spiritual practices and pursuits should be all-important to you, for the way you choose to live your life.
Next, we usually have some great karmic test to overcome and our victory in doing will be a great help to our future happiness. Paramhansa Yogananda says: “Overcome all by constant inward calling on God and utmost devotion in words, thought, action, and obedience to Guru.”
Finally, if there are some smaller goals you wish to achieve, such as material success or fulfilling relationship, it is fine to pursue those things, but always with the help and guidance of God and your Guru, and as long as you understand what the most important purpose of your life really should be. God first, God alone!
Seek God’s kingdom within you first, and everything else will fall into place, just as it should.
