Humanity cannot exist even for a moment without perseverance and faith. They are the two wheels of the chariot of a man's life which should proceed towards the unfathomable ocean of God's boundless Grace.
God is worshipped by four kinds of devotees; "aartha", "arthaarthi", jijnasu" and "jnani". God loves all of them. He grants them boons appropriate to their thoughts and attributes.
An "aartha" prays to God in times of distress. He prays for relief from the difficulties, troubles, trials and tribulations of the world. God gives him mundane happiness by removing his sorrow and sickness. With the cessation of his sadness, the relation between the "aartha" and God also comes to an end.
An "arthaarthi" is a devotee who prays to God for power, pelf and prosperity. He becomes an egoist as soon as his wishes are fulfilled. If his ambitions are not fulfilled, he blames God for his indifference to the welfare of mankind. When an arthaarthi's prayers are not answered, he becomes an angry agnostic.
A "jijnasu" wants to understand the enigma of God and to solve the riddle of the universe. He is an inquirer, and explorer and an investigator. His aim is to unravel the mystery of existence with the aid of his limited intellect. This is a painful intellectual endeavor foredoomed to failure. When all his efforts fail, he also becomes a disinterested man filled with indifference and apathy. But, if a "jijnasu" remains undaunted by failures and persists in his inquires with single-track mind, he will also win God's Boundless Grace.
A "jnani" is the only individual who has reached the summit of spirituality. He has attained the acme of wisdom. He alone can reach and know God. It does not, however, mean that the others cannot know God. They, too, can realize God if they dedicate all their actions to God in a spirit of self-abnegation. Killing of the lower self is more important than memorization all the scriptures.
This is the easiest path to God-realization. Every act should be treated as a sacrament. Meditation, yoga and rites and rituals are no longer essential to the "jnani". His life and his actions are dedicated to God in complete self-surrender. He remains unattached to the fruits of his actions.
(Summer Showers 1979, pg 66)
