Bhakti Yoga : भक्ति योग

Bhakti Yoga : भक्ति योग is a Spiritual discipline in which through the cultivation of Love and devotion towards God one attains to the highest state of Nirvana. It is a practice of devotion towards God, solely motivated by the sincere, loving desire to please the God, rather than the hope of divine reward or the fear of divine punishment. It is a means toward a state of spiritual liberation or enlightenment through the "realisation", or the attainment of "oneness" with God. Bhakti yoga is often considered by Hindus to be the easiest way for ordinary people to attain such a spiritually liberated state, because although it is a form of yoga, its practice is not as rigorous as most other yogic schools, and it is possible to practice bhakti yoga without needing to become a full-time yogi.

As per the Hindu mythology, in other paths like "Jnana Yoga", the path of Knowledge or "Dhyana Yoga", the Yoga of Meditation etc. it is essential that one practices self discipline, masters his senses, passions etc. to realize the God. But Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion is Unique in that sense.

Bhakti is a Sanskrit term that signifies an attitude of devotion towards God which is similar to a number of interpersonal relationships between humans, such as between lovers or friends. The difference is that in bhakti, the relationship is between a soul (that of the devotee) and a "Supersoul" (God). Bhakti is a yogic path, in that the devotee's aim is of loving union with God.

As per the great saint Sri Ramakrishna:

" Is it possible to realize God unless one’s passions have already been controlled? In a sense not. But that is true only of Jnana Yoga, the path of Knowledge. The knowing one says, “One must first be pure if one desires to see God. One must first control one’s passions. First self-discipline, then knowledge of God.”

There is however, another path leading to God – the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga). If one man gains love of God, if once the chanting of His holy name begins to thrill the devotee with joy, what effort is needed for the control of passions afterwards? The control comes of itself. Can a man suffering from intense grief be in a mood to enter into a quarrel, or to enjoy a feast, or to give his mind up to the pleasures of the senses? So one absorbed in the love of God cannot think of sense-pleasures.

A poet has compared devotion to God to a tiger. As the tiger devours animals, devotion also swallows up all the ‘arch-enemies’ of man, such as lust, passion and the rest. Once the devotion to God is fully awakened, all evil passions like lust and anger are completely destroyed."

In "Bhagwat Gita", Lord Krishna Says that if a person is devoted to God only then God rescues that person from ocean of Birth & Death i.e. that man becomes eligible for permanent life beyond death forever with God.

As per (Gita: Chapter XII verse 8) God says that:

"mayy eva mana adhatsva
mayi buddhim nivesaya
nivasisyasi mayy eva
ata urdhvam na samsayah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 8)

" Fix Your mind on Me (God) and establish your reasoning in Me (God) alone; thereafter doing so you shall abide in Me (God) only. There is no doubt about it. "

' Ye tu srvani krmani
myi sanyasya mat-para
anany-naiv yogen
maam dhyayant upasate '
' Tesham-aham samud-dharta
mrityu-sansar-saagrat
bhavami na-chirat parth
mayy-avesita-chetsam ' ( Bhagwat Gita: Chapter XII verse 6-7 )

'Those people, who worship Me by surrendering all their activities unto Me, are always devoted to Me, always meditate upon Me, Having always fixing their minds upon Me, O Parth - to them, I swiftly rescue from the ocean of birth and death.'

So as per assurance given by God in Gita, Lets all be devotees of God only & let's pray for Him (God) daily.

Jai Shri Krishna

Lord Krishna Bhakti is Like Boon Giving Tree Kalpvriksha

"Kalpvriksha" is a mythological Wish-Fulfilling or Boon-Giving tree. It is a tree that has mythological significance in India and elsewhere. As per mythology, if you ask anything from this tree, it fulfills that wish of a person. Considered as sacred among Hindus, the tree is believed to have been one of the nine jewels, which were churned out of the sea (Samudra Manthan) by the demons and gods.

As per the saints, Lord Krishna Bhakti too is Like the "Kalpvriksha" for his devotees. From the God, whatever, is asked for, God provides that to his devotee. God is so kind that he provides everything to his devotee even without being asked for. Surely, He does not give anything which shall be harmful to his devotee or anybody else. If you have firm faith in God & your wish is pure then God shall certainly fulfill that wish. Just like an unmarried woman, who when gets married to a man, automatically enjoys all the affluence of her husband; similarly when a devotee by his/her devotion gets to the God, then that devotee automatically gets all the affluence of God & of this world. This whole world is created by God only, so when one is able to get to the God, then that person too gets all the affluence of this world. As per "Srimad-Bhagwat", in the past, God became very happy with the devotion of child "Dhruva" & gave him all the boons & the kingdom of the world.

The essence is that, whatever you want, material or spiritual, you can get it from God by becoming His devotee. God Himself declares in "Bhagwat Gita":

"ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesham nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Nine verse 22)

"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have."

"mam cha yo ’vyabhicharena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Fourteen verse 26)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, One who engages in full devotional service to Him, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman & attains God."

"man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaishyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo ’si me" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend."

"sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
mokshayisyami ma suchah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66)

"Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna, Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."

So as the God promises that He shall always protect His devotee & fulfill all his/her rightful desires, so let's always be with God & keep Him in our thoughts. Remember, Lord Krishna Bhakti is Like Boon Giving Tree Kalpvriksha.

Jai Sri Krishna

Krishna Bhakti Is The Best Purifier

"Krishna Bhakti" simply means "Devotion to Lord Krishna". One who does such Bhakti or Devotion to the Lord is called a devotee. Lord Krishna is dear to his devotees & they too are dear to Lord Krishna. In such a devotion to Lord, devotees have a burning desire to meet Lord Krishna. Gopis of Vrindavan, including Sri Radharani were such devotees who fell in Love with Lord Krishna.

Sri Radharani was a Gopi who was most near to Lord Krishna’s heart. Sri Radha's devotion and dedication towards Lord Sri Krishna was complete that is the reason that she was most dear to Lord Krishna. Sri Radha was not married to Lord Krishna but still she was most dear to Him even more than His wives. It was because Sri Radha was always full of devotion towards the Lord & never thought of anyone besides Lord Krishna. In pictures Sri Radha is almost always depicted alongside Lord Krishna.

Similarly we too should have devotion or Bhakti towards Lord Krishna.

As per the Bhagwat Gita, devotion is the easiest method to know the truth about self knowledge / soul knowledge & get close to the God. God himself declares about the glory of devotion in Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65 & 66 which are here given below.

Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65:

"man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaishyasi satyam te

pratijane priyo ’si me" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65)

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend."

Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66:

"sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

mokshayisyami ma suchah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66)

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."

In the above verses of Bhagwat Gita, Lord Krishna is assuring Arjuna that He shall always be with him in all circumstances if he is always in devotion to Him. Same thing applies to every human being also. If a person remains devoted to Lord Krishna then Lord promises that He shall deliver that person of all the sins of the past & purify that person. By doing such loving service to the Lord, certainly that person shall be in the eyes of Lord & Lord shall always protect that person.

So let's be devoted to Lord Krishna always. Let's sing His Glories, read literature regarding Him & also do loving service to humanity (charity etc.) in His name. So lets have devotion to Lord Krishna. Remaining in Krishna consciousness is good for everyone. Krishna is one of the names of God and it means all-attractive. So Praise to such a Lord.

Jai Shri Krishna

Uniqueness of Bhakti (Devotion) - The path of Love

As per the Hindu mythology, in other paths like "Jnana Yoga", the path of Knowledge or "Dhyana Yoga", the Yoga of Meditation etc. it is essential that one practices self discipline, masters his senses, passions etc. to realize the God. But Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion is Unique in that sense.

As per the great saint Sri Ramakrishna:

" Is it possible to realize God unless one’s passions have already been controlled? In a sense not. But that is true only of Jnana Yoga, the path of Knowledge. The knowing one says, “One must first be pure if one desires to see God. One must first control one’s passions. First self-discipline, then knowledge of God.”

There is however, another path leading to God – the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga). If one man gains love of God, if once the chanting of His holy name begins to thrill the devotee with joy, what effort is needed for the control of passions afterwards? The control comes of itself. Can a man suffering from intense grief be in a mood to enter into a quarrel, or to enjoy a feast, or to give his mind up to the pleasures of the senses? So one absorbed in the love of God cannot think of sense-pleasures.

A poet has compared devotion to God to a tiger. As the tiger devours animals, devotion also swallows up all the ‘arch-enemies’ of man, such as lust, passion and the rest. Once the devotion to God is fully awakened, all evil passions like lust and anger are completely destroyed."

In "Bhagwat Gita", Lord Krishna Says that if a person is devoted to God only then God rescues that person from ocean of Birth & Death i.e. that man becomes eligible for permanent life beyond death forever with God.

As per (Gita: Chapter XII verse 8) God says that:

"mayy eva mana adhatsva
mayi buddhim nivesaya
nivasisyasi mayy eva
ata urdhvam na samsayah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Twelve verse 8)

" Fix Your mind on Me (God) and establish your reasoning in Me (God) alone; thereafter doing so you shall abide in Me (God) only. There is no doubt about it. "

' Ye tu srvani krmani
myi sanyasya mat-para
anany-naiv yogen
maam dhyayant upasate '
' Tesham-aham samud-dharta
mrityu-sansar-saagrat
bhavami na-chirat parth
mayy-avesita-chetsam ' ( Bhagwat Gita: Chapter XII verse 6-7 )

'Those people, who worship Me by surrendering all their activities unto Me, are always devoted to Me, always meditate upon Me, Having always fixing their minds upon Me, O Parth - to them, I swiftly rescue from the ocean of birth and death.'

So as per assurance given by God in Gita, Lets all be devotees of God only & let's pray for Him (God) daily.

Jai Shri Krishna

Krishna Bhakti

"Krishna Bhakti" simply means "Devotion to Lord Krishna". One who does such Bhakti or Devotion to the Lord is called a devotee. Lord Krishna is dear to his devotees & they too are dear to Lord Krishna. In such a devotion to Lord, devotees have a burning desire to meet Lord Krishna. Gopis of Vrindavan, including Sri Radharani were such devotees who fell in Love with Lord Krishna.

Sri Radharani was a Gopi who was most near to Lord Krishna’s heart. Sri Radha's devotion and dedication towards Lord Sri Krishna was complete that is the reason that she was most dear to Lord Krishna. Sri Radha was not married to Lord Krishna but still she was most dear to Him even more than His wives. It was because Sri Radha was always full of devotion towards the Lord & never thought of anyone besides Lord Krishna. In pictures Sri Radha is almost always depicted alongside Lord Krishna.

Similarly we too should have devotion or Bhakti towards Lord Krishna.

As per the Bhagwat Gita, devotion is the easiest method to know the truth about self knowledge / soul knowledge & get close to the God. God himself declares about the glory of devotion in Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65 & 66 which are here given below.

Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65:

"man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaishyasi satyam te

pratijane priyo ’si me" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 65)

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend."

Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66:

"sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

mokshayisyami ma suchah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Eighteen verse 66)

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."

In the above verses of Bhagwat Gita, Lord Krishna is assuring Arjuna that He shall always be with him in all circumstances if he is always in devotion to Him. Same thing applies to every human being also. If a person remains devoted to Lord Krishna then Lord promises that He shall deliver that person of all the sins of the past & purify that person. By doing such loving service to the Lord, certainly that person shall be in the eyes of Lord & Lord shall always protect that person.

So let's be devoted to Lord Krishna always. Let's sing His Glories, read literature regarding Him & also do loving service to humanity (charity etc.) in His name. So lets have devotion to Lord Krishna. Remaining in Krishna consciousness is good for everyone. Krishna is one of the names of God and it means all-attractive. So Praise to such a Lord.

Jai Sri Krishna.