Rituals very often just strengthen the ego of authoritarian people and give them an opportunity to hide behind them, while playing a role of a Guru

Yogi Ramsuratkumar

(from "Amarakavyam - Biography of Yogi Ramsuratkumar"):  

Yogi suggested some people to come and live in Tiruvannamalai. The people too had come and live in Tiruvannamalai. But after the mahasamadhi of Yogi, the people got vexed and would ask themselves in disarray, why Yogi had asked them to come and live in Tiruvannamalai. Such doubting devotees were always grumbling inside, but hiding themselves behind their superficial reverence. They pretended as if they had done great sacrifice for the sake of Yogi. But in due course most of the people would run away from Tiruvannamalai unable to withstand the hardship of life. The rest of the people would preach and do unnecessary religious rituals to while away the time. They would drag their Guru’s name, as if their Guru wanted them to do all those things. In all the possible ways they would try to show the world by their childish attitudes that they had become the gurus. J. Krishnamurti rightly talked about such so-called gurus, “The gurus destroy the disciples and the disciples destroy the gurus”. In a way Yogi arranged this drama to teach people how one shouldn’t live.

The attempts to possess Yogi by some devotees brought them the fall from the path of dharma, the righteous way of life. The fall prevented them to enter into the sphere of God. They got frightened, when they found that they were not able to live a spiritual life. However they would like to protect their social and spiritual image before the public. They would hide themselves behind the religious rituals. They would feel secure in the rituals. Those rituals made them behave with authority and the authority became the root cause for their fall. Their indifferent, immature attitudes affected the whole atmosphere breeding divisions and destructions.

Nowadays every religious institution, by their authoritarian heads, apart from the saintly persons in whose name everything revolves, have been cultivating violence, by breeding authority and conflicts, rather than the wisdom and devotion towards Lord. Where there is love, how could there be authority? Authority has no role to play in a saint’s place and in a saintly person, because authority divides, authority breeds violence and authority cultivates fear. Authority searches for security too. Out of fear, it tries to possess everything, including God with the help of rituals. The real devotees do not have fear. God is not for a coward either. The real devotees find it easy to transcend the religious rituals and near God by the grace of Guru. Rituals strengthen the ego of authoritarian people and in due course it will be the cause for their downfall. God and Guru are one and the same. Guru is the personification of God, Love and Compassion. God could not be attained through authority and rituals. God never demands rituals. Love needs no rituals. Guru needs no rituals. The real sadhakas too do not need to do any rituals to remember their Guru.

The spiritual masters always radiate their harmonious blessings, which alleviate the sufferings of the sincere devotees. The spiritual masters shower their blessings on the earnest devotees. They lead the serious aspirants on the right royal path towards God, not through any religious rituals, but in spite of them. Such devotees have no fear and they never expect anything from anybody. They would never try to accumulate anything, name, fame or wealth. They would never come in public gaze, proclaiming themselves as devotees or sadhakas. They would always like to be incognito and remain in solitude. They would attempt to merge themselves with their Guru with all seriousness, eradicating the self through their earnest penance. Once they merge with their Guru, they would lead such a simple life that would never reveal their real state of being. They dedicate their lives to the mission of their Guru without anybody’s notice. The very sight of such great souls brings joy and serenity in one’s heart. The presence of such great souls would help the real sadhakas to go on the right path to reach God safely. Such great souls are the lighthouses for the humanity. They attempt to eradicate the sufferings of the common people. They guide the serious sadhakas on the right path towards God and they are always helpful to balance the whole existence.

(from "Annamalai Swami - Final Talks"):

Annamalai Swami: If there is no external light such as Bhagavan to guide you, you have to look within to find the Self. You will not benefit from looking anywhere else, from doing anything else, or from listening to any other voice.

Walking round and round a temple, doing rituals to a deity— activities like these will not bring you any nearer to the Self. The pujas, the japas, the rituals - these are just for beginners. Meditation is the syllabus in a higher class. We need not waste our time by indulging in the activities of the infant class again and again.

Here, in this class, I ask you to put all your attention, all your interest on realizing the final teaching: 'I am not the body or the mind. I am Self. All is the Self.'

This is Bhagavan's final teaching. Nothing more needs to be added to it. Keep good company while you pursue this knowledge and all will be well