________________
The Preparatory Renunciation.
We have finished the consideration of what may be called the preparatory bhakti, and are almost ready to enter into the study of the Para-Bhakti, or supreme devotion. We have to speak now of the final preparation necessary to the practice of this ParaBhakti. All such preparations are intended only for the purification of the soul. The repetition of names, the rituals, the forms, the symbols, all are for the purification of the soul. The greatest purifier among all such things, a purifier without which no one can enter the regions of this higher devotion (Para-Bhakti), is renunciation. It is a frightening thing to many; yet, without it, there cannot be any spiritual growth. In all the Yogas this renunciation is necessary. It is the stepping stone, the centre and the real heart of all spiritual culture. In short, religion is renunciation. When the human soul draws
