There are several categories of persons who traverse the path to Higher Consciousness.

The first category is of people, who simply desire, but never start the actual journey and make no effort!

The second category of practitioners start enthusiastically but hardly take a few steps and stop. They do not have the will to pursue.

The third category is of people, who start with great vigor and inclination, but after getting a minor jolt, or due to absence of any perceptible evidence of success (in their ambitions for which they had started their journey), they just turn away (under some false pretext).

Apart from these, there is a fourth category of practitioners, who possess perfect determination. These folks never retreat, even after suffering through immense troubles and tortures. They are convinced that in the path of love, one has to tolerate these troubles. If they have to succeed in the test, there is no scope for becoming perplexed or disheartened. So, they go on tolerating everything with pleasure. Such a practitioner thinks that he should continue without any hesitation, whether the situations he or she is going through is of his or her liking or not. This is Spiritual Pursuit (it is also referred to as ‘RAZI’ and ‘RIZA’).

[Edited to this point]

Only this is enough for spiritual progress.

This is the Sadhan that pleases the Guru, and takes the devotee to Him and

makes him endeared to HIM. The dictum of such practitioners is, RAZI HAIN

HAM USI MEN, JISMEN TERI RAZA HO, which means that we are pleased in

whatsoever is your wish.

This is termed ‘SHREYA MARG’, which is extremely troublesome in the

beginning inspite of the fact that it is the most beneficial path. These

very initial tortures and troubles carry them to the court of their Guru.

HE always remains near the poor and deprived persons. The process of

attaining HIM, is to be steadfast without expressing the signs of agony

and without turning face from Him, even after being pushed away. He

becomes enamored by such act and His heart becomes kind towards these

devotees, who have suffered silently with pleasure, all those trobles.

This results in yoga, the ultimate meeting with Him.

There is a cuplet :

“SURKHARU HOTA HAI INSAN AFATE SAHANE KE BAD

RANG LATI HAI HINA PATHAR PAR GHIS JANE KE BAD”,

which means that a human being becomes perfect after enduring sufferings,

as the leaves of Hena (Mehandi) exudes its true colour after being rubbed

on stone.

The very person, who has endured many troubles in his life, becomes

endeared to the Lord.

This is the path of Riza and Tasleem (Lone and Devotion) which is divine.

It relieves a human being from all the basic troubles and makes him rest

in the blissful lap of the Lord. It is termed Shreya Marg in Vedic terms.

A human being is standing at the junction of both these paths, Preya and

Shreya, and he has be ability to select any one of them.”

A lesson on Razi and Riza. [from Sadha ke Anubhav]