Karma yoga, dnyan yoga, raj yoga and bhakti yoga serve the purpose of being prominent signposts on the path of Truth, directing the seeker toward the goal of Eternal Existence. But the hold of Life, fed by actions, is so tight on the aspirant that even with the help of these inspiring signposts he fails to be guided in the right direction. As long as the “self” is bound by actions, the aspirant, or even the pilgrim on the path toward Truth, is sure to go astray through self-deception.
Throughout all ages, sadhus and seekers, sages and saints, munis and monks, tapasvis and sanyasis, yogis, sufis and talibs have struggled during their lifetimes, undergoing untold hardships in their efforts to extricate themselves from the maze of actions and to realize the Eternal Existence by overcoming Life. They fail in their attempts because the more they struggle with their “self,” the firmer the self becomes gripped by Life, through actions intensified by austerities and penances, by seclusions and pilgrimages, by meditation and concentration, by assertive utterances and silent contemplation, by intense activity and inactivity, by silence and verbosity, by japa [repetitions] and tapas [penances] and by all types of yogas and chelas [discipleships].
-www.lordmeher.org, p3425
January, 1954; Mahabaleshwar