BHAKTI YOGA – THE PATH OF DEVOTION
Bhakti yoga is one among the several spiritual paths expounded in Hindu philosophy for realisation of God. It is the yoga of devotion.
‘Bhakti’ is of Sanskrit origin, meaning devotion to a chosen ideal or personal God, ‘Ishtadeva’. Every individual, according to his nature, chooses his ideal. The formless Absolute appears to the devotee in the form of his chosen ideal, Ishtadeva. This is the highest manifestation of the Absolute in the phenomenal world. We have a human form. As our worship intensifies, we see Him as half human and half divine, until we attain the highest vision of God. Nevertheless, all the time it is the Absolute and Absolute alone.
Bhakti is both the ideal of spiritual life and the means to its attainment. The Bhakti path is seemingly the easiest and the most natural of all paths. It is the path of intense devotion which fosters unconditional love, utter faith and absolute surrender to the Lord. It is love for love sake. Nothing exists except yearning after the Lord.
Love is the greatest power of attraction. Through the power of love the senses become finer and finer, higher and higher. In our life we experience quite a few close relationships, as one human to another. Parent and child for instance, friend to friend, master and servant, lover and beloved, teacher and student. Very few among us are aware that the real attraction is our longing for spiritual love. Sooner or later it will dawn on us that it is divine love that we are seeking in each of these transient relationships. In the transitory temporal life no one can find lasting happiness. That spark of infinity dwelling in all of us, seeks eternal happiness.
Our human form induces us to seek God, the formless, the infinite, in a human symbol. This substitute gives us assurance, in place of apprehension. The worship of holy images is also very common. The devotee perceives God within the image. The spiritual image may even become ‘live’ and the devotee treats the image as a ‘living’ God. Our limited mind fails to fathom the unfathomable. He remains beyond our reach. Only assiduous practice of some spiritual discipline will gradually take us to the realm of higher consciousness where the divine presence becomes more evident.
The personal god of the ‘bhakta’, the devotee, is neither different nor separate from the Absolute Brahman. They are not two different gods. They are only One, without a second. The bhakta gives the Absolute a temporal form as he finds it rather difficult to express his devotion to the formless God. It is one and the same Absolute Brahman.
Devotees have wide possibilities to choose how to relate to and develop love for God. In this sense it may sound easy and the relationship natural. Nevertheless, the relationships have to be divinised by directing them to the Lord. Unless transformed and elevated to a higher level and ultimately to the highest, freed from the limitations of mundane human relationships, union with God will never occur.
The one setback to the path of devotion in its early stages is the risk to degenerate into fanaticism. The devotee may feel his chosen ‘God’ is superior to others’ ‘God/s’. In the higher stages of Bhakti there are no such risks. The devotee is just an instrument of God. He is too close to God and suffused with His love to be an instrument of hatred or incite hatred. Such a one does not hate. He sees God in everyone and so he loves all.
Bhakti is simply, devotion to the Lord. Bhakti yoga is generally considered as the one path more accessible to the layman. In the sense that it does not involve inordinate practices or disciplines. As such it has one advantage over the other paths. It is the most natural. It comes of its own. As one strives to become more religious one’s devotion slowly grows in intensity to culminate in supreme love for the Almighty, absolute surrender. Starting with ordinary worship, there will follow constant remembrance of the Lord until direct perception is achieved. Whether it is the simplest or easiest path rests entirely with the individual.
Bhakti is love for the Supreme. Love for anybody or anything else, howsoever great it may be, cannot be Bhakti. Similarly, blind attachment to our close ones is not Bhakti. It cannot bring us salvation. All living creatures are bound to the cycle of birth and death. This attachment will end at death. It may be love sincere, unselfish, yet nothing comparable to the attachment to God, which is eternal.
On the human level, love is more physical. Whereas Bhakti, meaning devotion to God, is spiritual. The individual soul and the Supreme soul. ‘Atma’ and ‘Paratmatma’. The higher self and the Universal Self. There is not the least expectation or desire for anything in return. So long as earthly desires are present there cannot be real Bhakti. Limit desires to only those that are conducive to spiritual life. Choose only such material object that is truly helpful to further the spiritual life.
A devotee should refrain from too much excitement or fun. Discipline is the means. As his devotion to his Lord intensifies, the attachment to worldly activities, material pleasures, etc effortlessly fades out in a natural, smooth manner.
The practice of detachment, contentment, discrimination, study of sacred scriptures, yearning for God, complete devotion, worship of God alone, are considered spiritual love. Worldly attraction distracts the mind. The practice of detachment purifies the mind and fosters love for God. Attraction, yearning and longing for God is intensified. Spiritual love or Bhakti is directed exclusively to the Lord.
The attachment to forms, scriptures, images, rituals drops of their own. Overwhelmed with supreme bliss, engrossed in the Lord, the devotee sees the world as one with God. He reveres all life because everything belongs to Him. The devotee perceives God in all beings and so hates none.
There is no barter in love. God is love. The devotee loves God for love’s sake. He does not shun misery, pain or danger to life, for he knows, nothing happens against God’s will! Spiritual life may be rough and tough but it certainly is neither joyless nor despairing. There is absolute contentment in the thoughts of the Lord. Nothing compares with Divine bliss.
In Bhakti, any form of ritual is secondary. The one great advantage of Bhakti is that it brings within the reach of all, the possibility of direct spiritual experience. Bhakti imposes no restrictions, no rules nor any rigorous practice. It can be carried out anywhere, everywhere, at all times, discretely; irrespective of class, clime or age. It depends exclusively on the devotee’s love and sincerity. Mantra japa and meditation are preferred, perhaps because no external help or external props are involved. It is altogether a mental attitude.
Bhakti yoga has two stages, the preparatory stage and the advanced ‘Para’ stage. The neophyte has to follow carefully the nine paths of devotion, one by one. The first path is for the newcomer, a novice who has yet to prepare the ground by freeing himself from attachment to mundane objects, sense enjoyment and by spending his time in such activities that will arouse longing for the divine in him. Reading and listening to stories from sacred books and scriptures, singing devotional songs, constant repetition of the Lord’s name will make the mind dwell upon the Godly. He needs to find a guru or spiritual guide. The guru shows the beginner the way and advises the best practice.
Symbols, rituals, ceremonies are external, and lesser forms of worship. They are of help only if performed with a pure heart and devotion. It should not be mere formality to degenerate into routine. A constant prayerful attitude in all humility and simplicity will gradually fill the mind with God awareness.
The novice should observe cleanliness, both of the mind and body, lead a simple life, practice truthfulness, non injury; Have no greed; Take proper food that will make him physically strong. Mental strength comes from regular observance of moral values and disciplines.
As far as possible the earnest novice should avoid the company of worldly minded people, doubtful places or enjoyments that risk nullifying his spiritual progress. Keep his senses within control. Passions subdued. He has to keep the company of saintly people, the true lovers of God. They are pure and without blemish. They are the true renunciant. They have realised the Truth, the relation the individual soul bears with the universal spirit. To get the company of such persons is one of the three greatest boons of human life. Longing for God is the second and a human birth is the third. The guru will in due time transmit divine power to his soul. When these powers begin to work within the neophyte, his soul will awaken and shed its coating of ignorance.
God is the soul of our souls. He is the life of our life. He is the whole and we are the part of the whole. Every living organism from the minutest to the mightiest is part of the absolute. That is why nonviolence is so important.
For the Bhakta, his mind always dwells in the Lord. This onepointedness makes meditation become fairly easy and continuous. It is easy for the bhakta to attain the highest form of concentration, Samadhi, where the individual soul communes with the Universal soul. Body consciousness is gone. Thoughts, feelings, ideas no more reach him. The soul has transcended the phenomenal plane to merge into cosmic consciousness or God consciousness. It sounds very simple indeed; but provided the devotee has extreme devotion and absolute love for the Divine.
For the bhakta, God is all pervading; He permeates everything. He perceives God everywhere and in everything. Every moment he experiences joy and peace. Precisely why Bhakti yoga is considered the simplest and easiest! Raja yoga may take years to reach a similar height of spirituality. In the same way in Karma yoga the student has to struggle hard to achieve selfless work.
In all yoga paths, the end result is one and identical. The difference is only in the method. They all converge to the one and single point, direct perception of God. To the philosopher, (Jnani), He is ‘Sat Chit Ananda’: Existence, Knowledge, Bliss. To the devotee, (Bhakta) He is the God of love, the personal God, the chosen ideal, ‘Ishtadeva’
The Parabhakta considers himself an instrument of God. He surrenders to his beloved Lord. God alone is the doer, so the fruits of all works belong to Him as everything else. The ‘Para’ devotee surrenders himself wholeheartedly to his Lord and submits his will to the will of God. He works as an instrument of God without any thought of results or reward. He works for His sake as an act of love. His only aim is to please his beloved Lord. His motive power is unconditional love. Selflessness overrides selfishness and transcends the karmic law. The devotee thus attains freedom.