Bhakti Yoga

“Na Aham Vasami Vaikunthe, Yoginaam Hridayam Cha Na,

Madmast Bhakta Yatra Gayanti, Tatra Tisthtami Narad”.

SHRI KRISHNA declares his love and priority for his devotees [BHAKTA and the path of THE BHAKTI } to sage Naarada.

“O, Naarad, I do not dwell in Vaikunth, nor do I reside in the hearts of the yogis who practice physical and mental austerities to attain my grace or get my Darshan.

But I am always besides my devotees {BHAKTA} whenever they remember Me with love and devotion.”

Wherever my Bhakta is lost singing Bhajans [lyrics in my

Remembrance], I instantly I reach out for him, and you will find me beside them.

I am not lured by any complicated rites or karma kand practice of austerities or knowledge of the scriptures , it is Pure Love and Devotion which draws me closer and compels me to appear besides my Devotee.”

Let us first make an attempt at understanding the concept of BHAKTI.

BHAKTI begins with BHAVA

BHAVA means EMOTIONS purified in the stream of

Unfaltering FAITH

Complete SURRENDER

Unconditional LOVE

According to the BHAGWAD GITA, BHAKTI IS CULMINATED WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THE SUPREME REALITY AND ARE ALWAYS ATTACHED TO HIS NAME

For you nothing matters and no one matters, you are always connected.

With the God’ s name and remembrance, be it in Happiness or Unhappiness.

There are different kinds of yoga and all have equally important role to play in an individual ‘s life at physical, mental ,emotional and spiritual level.

But Bhakti Yoga is the easiest and simplest yoga ,the path to GOD and Self Realization in this Kaliyug. Just forget the world, remember HIM all the time And HE will be the shield protecting you from all kinds of disasters.

Have faith in him and just wait,

Fulfill your karmas in this world but connect your heart only to HIM

Shri Krishna respects Gyan Yoga, the path followed by the learned and those in quest of knowledge of the self, with the help of ancient scriptures.

He also respects the path to salvation through Kriya yoga, the path to inner engineering and deepening inner awareness

Karma Yoga which is performing actions but it is not only performing these actions that is called Karma Yoga . Performing immaculately without any attachment to the fruits, without any expectation from the result and devoid of any selfish motive.

There is only the witness attitude attached to the deeds by the doer.

HATHA YOGA ; comprising of cleansing techniques helps boost physical health and promotes mental peace and stability After the removal of toxins at the physical level, the mind feels relaxed and can be worked on for higher awareness.

Kundalini Yoga reduces and tries to kill the ego.

Chanting different mantras and purifying the mind and emotions is Mantra Yoga.

Then there is Naad Yoga, Swara Yoga ,etc

Bhakti Yoga is a yoga of complete faith; this faith is generally in the GOD or the supreme consciousness in any form ie. GURU. There should be a strong emotional bond with the object of faith.

According to Bhagwad Gita , a bhakta is able to connect with the supreme power or GOD. Ramkrishna Paramhansa is such an example. Another example is Vamakhepa whose bhakti forced Godess Kali to eat from his hands. One, who practices bhakti is called bhakta, represents in terms human.

Relationships, there is example of guru bhakti, personal form of god as a lover,

Friend–friend and divinity [nirguna form]

Intense love is the common factor.

According to Gita, by loving GOD, we also love the immortal self, find harmony in ourselves, find ourselves at peace with the entire cosmos.

Intense LOVE for the Supreme is the common factor

LOVE for GOD and love for the world are diametrically opposite things; one has to be renounced to achieve the other

Bhakti softens the heart,

Removes Jealousy, Hatred, Lust, Anger, Egoism, Pride, Arrogance, Anxiety, Fear

Fosters LOVE AND DEVOTION

BHAKTI YOGA denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to a personal form of god

The bhakti age saw poets like KABIR AND RAVIDAS resulting in a mass of devotional literature, devotional music and devotional art that enriched the world at large .The bhajans and compositions of Narsi Mehta, Meerabai and Rahim till today spell divinity and a touch of inner joy .

The Lord dislikes pride and ego and loves the humble and uninterrupted faith and devotion.

-The most powerful motivational force in a spiritual aspirant’s life, is pure selfless love, devotion and servitude.