On the path to Self-Realization, two aspects are important. The first is that one should be pointed in the right direction and moving towards the goal. By this right direction it is meant the direction towards increasing sattva guna, and in the tAntric sense it means moving energy upward through the cakras, rather than downward. This is what is meant by tamasO mA jyotirgamaya (lead me from darkness towards the light). Once one is pointed along the right direction on the path, one needs to be moving steadily forward.
So the second important aspect is that one needs to be moving actively towards the Self in one's sAdhanA. Stasis in spiritual practice should be vigilantly guarded against, or its consequences in advanced stages can be very painful.
Once one is pointed in the right direction, there is still a second choice. The Bhagavad Gita talks of the Southern and Northern paths. The Southern path leads back to rebirth in this world, even if the puNyam (merit) earned from many good deeds results in a long period of enjoyment in the heavens. So the Southern path is not liberating. This is a very important point for the sAdhaka to become aware of. No amount of ritual worship, no number of good deeds, no amount of prayer is going to liberate the human being from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth without Gnosis of the true Self that is beyond the three GuNas. This is not to say that these are not important, but one has to make a choice at some point.
The Vedas are divided into two portions: the karmakANDa and the jnAnakANDa. The former relate to ritual worship while the latter deal with Brahmavidya (also called VedAnta). Explaining the importance of the 'KarmakANDa', the Mahaswami of Kanchi, Paramapoojya Sri Chndrasekharendra Saraswati, has observed: "The Vedas and the Vedanta are not at variance with one another. The Karmakanda prepares us for Vedanta or Jnanakanda. The former has to do with this world and with many deities and its adherents are subject to the three gunas. But it is the first step to go beyond the three gunas and to severe oneself from worldly existence. If we perform the rites laid down in the Karmakanda, keeping in mind their true purpose, we shall naturally be qualifying for the Jnanakanda." (Hindu Dharma: The Universal Way of Life, a Bhavans' publication.)
The key point is to not get stuck in karmakANDa, if one seeks liberation. The Northern path liberates from rebirth, but to set one's feet firmly on this path one has to come to the conviction that “All attachment is misery”. This is what the Yoga Sutras (2.15) say, and it is also what the Buddha said. But the positive message of the Upanishads is that life in the world can be enjoyed even more fully because of this realization.