Everything is Worship of the Self

Sage Vasishtha

The LORD continued:

Whatever you do and whenever you do it (or refrain from doing it) - all that is worship of the Lord who is pure consciousness. By regarding all that as the worship of the self who is the Lord - he is delighted.

Likes and dislikes, attraction and aversion are not found in the self independent of its essential nature; they are mere words. Even the concepts indicated by words like 'sovereignty', 'poverty', 'pleasure', 'pain', 'one's own' and 'others', are in fact worship of the self, for the conceiving intelligence is the self. Knowledge of the cosmic being alone is the proper worship of the cosmic being.

It is that self or cosmic consciousness alone which is indicated by expressions like 'this world'. Oh, what a mysterious wonder it is that the self which is pure consciousness or intelligence somehow seems to forget its own nature and comes to regard itself as the jiva (the individual). In fact, in that cosmic being which is the reality in everything, there is not even the division into worshipper, worship and the worshipped. It is impossible to describe that cosmic being which supports the entire universe without division;  it is impossible to teach another concerning it. And, we do not consider them worthy of being taught by us, who consider that god is limited by time and space. Hence, abandoning all such limited concepts, abandoning even the division between the worshipper and the worshipped (Lord), worship the self by the self. Be at peace, pure, free from cravings. Consider that all your experiences and expressions are the worship of the self.

(In reply to Vasishtha's request for a fuller explant ion of Shiva, Brahman, self; why they are so called and how such differences arose, the Lord continued:)

The reality is beginningless and endless and it is not even reflected in anything: that is the reality. However, since it is not possible to experience it through the mind and the senses, it is even regarded as if it were non-being.

(In reply to Vasishtha's question. "If it is beyond the mind, how is it realized?" the LORD replied:)

In the case of the seeker who is eager to attain freedom from ignorance and who is therefore equipped with that is termed 'sattvic avidya' (subtle ignorance), this 'sattvic avidya', with the help of what are known as scriptures, removes the ignorance, just as washerman removes dirt with the help of another form of dirt (soap). By his catalytic action the ignorance is removed, the self realizes the self and the self sees the self on account of its own self-luminous nature.