Bhakti-Yoga

Bhakti is a Sanskrit term denoting service and Yoga means to connect. Bhakti Yoga therefore, refers to the performance of service to God with loving devotion and with the sole purpose of pleasing God. Bhakti is such a blissful state of existence that souls living in higher planets descend to earth in human form to be able to love God. Only humans have the senses and intelligence to be able to love God and show their devotion by participating in devotional activities.

Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original God, and the purpose of human existence is to serve Krishna. Krishna is so merciful that he agrees to be worshipped in the form of deities, despite the lack of qualification of His devotees.

Prahalad Maharaj outlines the following nine activities as the processes for Bhakti. By cultivating all of them, or one of them perfectly anyone can attain the mercy of Krishna and become beloved to him.

Sravanam - Hearing about Krishna from the scriptures.
Kirtanam- Glorifying Krishna’s all-attractive features, names, forms and pastimes.
Visnoh Smaranam - Remembering Krishna’s form, activities, names and personality.
Pada-sevanam - Serving the lotus feet of Krishna - providing a form of physical service.
Arcanam - Worshiping Krishna - deity worship (puja).
Vandanam - Offering prayers to please Krishna.
Dasyam - offering a service for Krishna’s pleasure, such as preaching activity.
Sakhyam- Building a friendship with Krishna - having loving relationship with him.
Atma Nivedanam - surrendering one's thoughts, actions and deeds to Krishna.

Characteristics of Bhakti Yoga

The path of Bhakti is considered the highest and easiest amongst all the different paths to go back to Godhead. In some ways almost all paths eventually lead to and recommend loving God as the means to reaching him. The path of knowledge and severe austerity may serve as preparing oneself for Bhakti and also making one deserving of the pure love for Krishna.

Bhakti Yoga is superior to liberation (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.32)

Lord Kapila, an incarnation of Lord Krishna says: The mind's natural duty is to serve. When that service spirit is engaged in devotional service to the Personality of Godhead without any motive, that is far better than salvation.

Bhakti Yoga is superior to other systems (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.31.12)

Transcendental practices that do not ultimately help one realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead are useless, be they mystic yoga practices, the analytical study of matter, severe austerity, the acceptance of sannyasa, or the study of Vedic literature. All these may be very important aspects of spiritual advancement, but unless one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, all these processes are useless. In Chaitanya-charitamrta (Madhya lila 24.109) it is said:

bhakti vina kevala jnane `mukti' nahi haya
bhakti sadhana kare yei `prapta-brahma-laya'
Impersonalists do not take to devotional service, but take to other practices, such as the analytical study of the material elements, the discrimination between matter and spirit, and the mystic yoga system. These are beneficial only insofar as they are complementary to devotional service. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu therefore, told Sanatana Gosvami that without a touch of devotional service, jnana, yoga and Sankhya philosophy cannot give one the desired results. The impersonalists wish to merge into the Supreme Brahman; however, merging into the Supreme Brahman also requires a touch of devotional service. The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases - impersonal Brahman, Paramatma and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these require a touch of devotional service. Sometimes it is actually seen that these Mayavadis also chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, although their motive is to merge into the Brahman effulgence of the Absolute. The yogis also at times take to chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, but their purpose is different from that of the bhaktas. In all processes - karma, jnana or yoga - bhakti is required.

How to Practice Bhakti Yoga at our temple

Krishna consciousness is all about Bhakti. It is about loving Krishna, serving him and surrendering to him. At our temple all our activities are aimed at pleasing Krishna, the prayers, the aarti, the Sunday prasadam, the discourse and chanting, the rath yatra. Anything that pleases Krishna and his associates, that pleases Prabhupada as the supreme vaisnava in our lives, anything that pleases the devotees who serve Krishna selflessly. The love for Krishna is intoxicating as it makes one forget fleeting material pleasures and they no longer bind him nor influence him. The bliss in playing the mridanga (an Indian drum) for hours without rest, the joy in singing kirtana at the top of ones voice, the satisfaction in preparing and serving prasadam all day, the peacefulness in chanting the Mahamantra, material pleasures cannot match these activities and hence when great souls prefer to stay as Krishna’s servant than go back to the spiritual world it should not come as a surprise. Krishna is sitting in everyone’s heart as the supreme enjoyer and anything that pleases him provides the soul with a part of the divine happiness that is part of Krishna and that is the “Bliss in Bhakti”.

Come join us to share that joy, to sing loudly the name of the lord.

“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare”