Religious vs Spiritual life

Contrary to popular perception, the two are quite different in their objectives & results. The goals of the former are mostly worldly in nature like wealth, status, & a good family. No permanent change in mentality or lifestyle is expected. Most of the organised religions cater to this common human need & thrive in the number of their adherents. The most simple of these is the five requirements of the youngest world religion.

The mentality & requirements of the second kind of life is a quite different cup of tea. Some spiritual souls found out that a very few humans are not content with satisfying the natural desires, which is a mixed bag at the best. They wanted something more lasting. But this requires some sacrifice on their part. Patanjali, in his "Yoga Sutra" says, Yoga is going against the natural inclination of the mind.

The same is reiterated by the Mother Superior in Kathryn Hulme's popular novel "The Nun's Story" (also made into a fine film) to the nuns in her order that they are entering on a life against nature. The core texts of Christianity like Thomas. A. Kempis's "The Imitation of Christ" & William Law's "A Serious Call to a Devout & Holy Life" substantially support this view. Even John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress", envisages a normal worldly life as an intolerable burden.

The requirements of spiritual life consists in giving up all the natural requirements of human life like wealth & family. This is the teaching of the Upanishads, reiterated by Lord Krishna in "Bhagawad Gita". Similar exhortations are made in the Gospel according to St.Matthew (One cannot serve both God & Mammon) & the life of the Muslim Saint Rabia of Basra, stressing the mandatory requirements of celibacy & voluntary poverty, before even considering a spiritual life.

Also, it may be wondered, if by following a conventional religious life, one's needs are satisfied, what was the relevance of the advent of saints like Sri Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi & Sri Aurobindo, who led lives which did not procure for them what the normal human desires? Why should they  be adored & worshiped? This question can be answered in the affirmative only if one is prepared to accept that worldly goals are not the sine qua non of human existence.

To sum up, the lives of the two child devotees in Hindu Scriptures, illustrate the two aspects. Dhruva, though he performed great austerities, did it initially to get his father's love (being religious to get worldly rewards), whereas Prahlada even antagonised his father (being spiritual to get the love of God.)