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Bhakti Yoga Meditation

True religion does not consist in ritualistic observances, baths and pilgrimages, but in loving all. Cosmic love is all-embracing and all-inclusive. In the presence of pure love all distinctions and differences as well as all hatred, jealousy and egoism are dispelled just as darkness is dispelled by the penetrating rays of the morning sun. There is no religion higher than love. There is no knowledge higher than love. There is no treasure higher than love because love is truth, love is God.

—Swami Sivananda
Practical Lessons In Yoga

Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion. While Jnana Yoga appeals to the intellectual, and Raja Yoga to the rational and scientific mind, Bhakti Yoga comes naturally to those who are predominantly emotional in temperament. Stemming from the innate and unselfish drive toward Unity, it is the most direct way to God-Realisation. It is the approach of pure love, which is poured upon the chosen deity, or aspect of God. The path of Bhakti Yoga is essentially the same as that of the Christian tradition. Through placing all his concentration on God, the devotee endeavors to increase his remembrance of and communion with the Lord. With faith, prayer and self-surrender he attains direct perception of his Ideal. When merging takes place and Oneness alone remains, the goal is reached.

Converting the Emotions

Emotions have no place in other paths of Yoga, and, because they are bound up with attachment, they are rigorously uprooted. However, the bhakta converts the emotions into unconditional love for God, which is neither binding nor selfish. The emotions, when channeled properly, can be used to attain liberation.

The practice of Bhakti Yoga transmutes the lower emotions into devotion. Emotion is weakness, and must not be equated with divine love, which manifests as peace and joy. The lower emotions are not suppressed, however, but are utilised and sublimated. Without emotion there is no love, and without love one cannot approach the infinite Love that is God. Through the higher emotions the devotee reaches out to the Divine. His practice is carried out by both formal worship and by seeing the Lord in all names and forms at all times. With purification the receptive heart receives the continual flow of divine love.

The barrier between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul is the ego, the ever-present enemy. It manifests as a feeling of separateness. Bhakti does away with this feeling of separation, for in the ecstasy of pure love and devotion, the consciousness of the individual self is lost. With the surrender of the ego, the individual becomes an instrument in the hands of God. This state is beautifully symbolised by the image of Krishna playing the flute. Just as the flute is a hollow instrument through which the breath of God moves, so the individual must empty himself of all egoism, to enable the Lord to act fully through him. He takes neither credit nor blame for his actions, for God does the action. The devotee thinks of nothing but God. The Lord is his constant thought wave, and fills every mental space. He is the consummation of everything; hence everything is to be worshipped.

God is experienced by each individual in his own way. This idea is strikingly illustrated in the Srimad Bhagavatam, in which Krishna assumes as many forms of himself as there are cowherd women, his disciples, and manifests to shower love on each individually. Their yearning for him lies in their knowledge that he is the Lord, and their fulfillment is the fulfillment of divine love. While immersed in the bliss of dancing with him, they experience samprajnata samadhi, in which there is still awareness of duality. This gives way to asamprajnata samadhi, the highest superconscious state, when they become one with him. However, Krishna separated himself from them when their egoism made them feel that they had ensnared and could control him. A true spiritual master treats his devotees in the same way, relating to each individually, but withdrawing temporarily when pride and egoism infect the disciple.

Control of the mind and annihilation of the ego are the essence of all yogic disciplines, including Bhakti Yoga. Even on this essentially emotional path, the intellect must not be neglected. If it is disregarded, Bhakti Yoga can degenerate into fanaticism. If, on the other hand, it is transcended, the devotees experiences para-bhakti, the highest state of supreme devotional ecstasy.

Ashrams and solitude are not necessary for the Bhakti Yogi. The mental attitude alone is important. This attitude of devotion is also necessary for progress on the paths of Yoga. Even the intellectual approach of Jnana Yoga needs the element of bhakti for success in attaining God’s grace.

Those who turn to Bhakti Yoga are moved by one of four general motivations. Distress can be a powerful factor. When all else has failed, there is no recourse left but to turn to God. How many soldiers in battle and people burdened by extreme sorrow have found God as their final refuge! Curiosity is another impetus. Looking beyond the external trappings of worship, the mind seeks to understand what lies behind the symbolism, words and rituals, and pushes on to the other shore. A third motive is desire for gain, whether it be of love, knowledge or wealth, etc. God is petitioned as the benevolent father who will grant favors if approached with faith and devotion. The highest bhakti is selfless. The motivation is the simple desire to love and serve God. Only with this attitude will the ego disappear. One cannot attain liberation until all desires, including spiritual desire itself, have been burned.

The Bhakti Yogi makes use of gross forms and rituals as aids to self-surrender. Altars, statues, pictures, etc., are not in themselves objects of worship. Like the Christian Cross, which stands for Jesus, they are all symbols. The omnipresent Lord is as present in the image as anywhere else. The image is merely used as a focal point for worship of God.

Forms of Devotion

Indian tradition recognises nine forms of worship in the practice of Bhakti Yoga. From the simple to the more difficult, they are:

1. Sravanam—Listening to stories of the Lord’s lila, or play. Book knowledge is not sufficient. The stories must be imparted by inspired teachers and wise men.
2. Kirtanam—Singing of God’s glories. Christian hymns also fall into this category.
3. Smaranam—Remembrance of His name and presence, in mental attitude and unceasing prayer.
4. Padasevanam—Service at the Lord’s feet. The world is seen as God’s feet, and in serving humanity one mentally is offering worship to His feet.
5. Archanam—Worship of God through such rituals as puja. One offers himself to the Lord, thus breaking the ego.
6. Vandanam—Prostration to the Lord with full awareness of His presence in all names and forms. This develops humility.
7. Dasyam—Cultivation of the feeling of being a servant of God.
8. Sakhyam—Cultivation of feeling friendship toward the Lord, thus establishing a personal relationship.
9. Atmanivedanam—Complete surrender of self. This is the equivalent of asamprajnata samadhi, the seedless state in which there is complete acceptance and surrender, and no duality.

Practice of the lower stages, such as listening to stories, is relatively easy. It keeps the mind centered on the Almighty, creating positive thought waves and a receptive mind. Even those who are intellectually oriented derive benefit from the stories and chanting if they will open their hearts as well as their minds. When the devotee has been prepared by the earlier stages of worship, he can attempt the more difficult higher stages.

In any case, the bhava, or devotional feeling, of the devotee is of extreme importance. Accommodating the various temperaments of people, there are five different ways of relating to God:

1. Shanta—This pure feeling of peace is devoid of desire, ignorance and emotion. Its presence is not externally apparent. This is the devotional attitude of the Jnana Yogi.
2. Dasya—The devotee regards himself as the servant of God, whom he sees in everything but himself. He sees himself as inferior to the rest of humanity. Humbly placing himself in God’s hands, he takes delight in service to all. Hanuman, the monkey chieftain of the Ramayana, who dedicated his life to the service of Rama, exemplifies this relationship.
3. Sakhya—God is regarded as a spiritual friend, to whom one can turn for advice, comfort and companionship. One becomes unable to live without His company. Arjuna’s relationship with Krishna, as set forth in the Bhagavad Gita, is of this nature.
4. Vatsalya—The relationship is that of parent and child, with God being viewed as a Divine Child. It is exemplified by Yashoda’s relationship with the baby Krishna.
5. Madhurya—This is the feeling of the lover toward the beloved. It is pure love, untinged by lust, and is difficult to develop. Encompassing a pure desire to touch and embrace His physical and astral form, this method is encountered frequently in the poetry and writings of the Sufi and Christian mystics. In Yoga it is symbolised by the union of Siva and Shakti in the sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head. This is the highest type of devotional feeling.

There is one more bhava, which remains outside the pale of normal relationships. It is not deliberately cultivated as a path to God, nor is it easy to maintain. This is the feeling of extreme hatred toward God. When one is in constant remembrance of Him, even with hatred, the mind becomes one-pointed and fixed. Through this concentration one is redeemed, for evil always falls before goodness. Various demons of Hindu mythology such as Kamsa and Ravana, achieved salvation in this manner.

According to classical tradition, the human being experiences fourteen different states of consciousness: physical, astral, mental, supramental, superconscious, unconscious, subconscious, dream, supracosmic, dual, multiple, virat (God as Cosmos), divine and absolute. The practice of Bhakti Yoga can lead the aspirant through any or all of them. The devotee is particularly subject to visions, lights in the forehead and other manifestations of psychic phenomena. These experiences can be frightening, particularly the loss of physical consciousness, which may feel like dying. However, the aspirant must not be faint-hearted, nor should he cling to these experiences which will appear and reappear for brief periods at the beginning of serious spiritual progress. With persistent and regular practice, one goes beyond these phenomena to meditation, peace and bliss. One must struggle to reach meditation, and struggle even harder to reach samadhi, the superconscious state.

In all religions Truth becomes diluted by and for the masses. It becomes an external object to be sought after, rather than an inner state of Consciousness, which is its true nature. The essential attitude to be taken in any religion is one of taking refuge, of confession, prayer, and ultimate surrender to a higher power. It is this inner state of consciousness that Bhakti Yoga nurtures. Without its presence, all other paths of Yoga and any true spiritual progress will fall short of the mark.