“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.55)

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भक्त्या माम् अभिजानाति
यावान् यश् चास्मि तत्त्वतः
ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा
विशते तद्-अनन्तरम्

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad-anantaram

Is there a quick way to explain bhakti-yoga to someone new? If a person stumbles upon Bhagavad-gita for the first time, as if by accident, what should they know? Is there a reference point to which they can be directed? Is there something with which they are already familiar that can help them to understand?

After all, there is the visual of people falling in line. There is allegiance. There is devotion. There is some kind of interest, to varying degrees. One person is content to read the books and expand their knowledge. Another person has quit their job, shaved their head, and decided to live in a temple as a full-time resident.

1. Something to do

Parents face this difficulty with their young children. Especially in the modern day, with the rapid advancements in technology, it is possible for a child to spend the entire day staring at a screen. They do not have to leave the house to get educated or entertained.

They become accustomed to instant gratification. If they don’t like a particular video, just swipe up. If they want to eat something, put in an order through the app. If they want to buy something, expect it to arrive in the mail within one day.

The parents search for alternatives. They want the children to get out of the house. Meet other people. Play games. Read books. Develop the mind. Think beyond the short-term. Broaden the horizons. Enjoy nature.

Bhakti-yoga provides such an outlet. There is variety in activity. It is not that a participant is limited to one thing, such as sitting in meditation. They can cook. They can hear stories. They can paint. They can sing and dance. They can talk. They can teach.

2. Religion

This is such a staple of the human experience that it typically requires no justification. I follow religion because that’s what people do. It is what my ancestors did. Our family inherited specific traditions. We go to a house of worship. We work in such a way as to make an impact on the destination in the afterlife.

Okay, not everyone follows the same religion. This group has their specific book. That group has a different savior. This party insists that their path is the only way, that everyone else is doomed. There are different degrees of insistence, usually based on dogma.

Bhakti-yoga can be considered another way to practice religion. It is the same kind of culture with which we are familiar. There is an object of worship. There are books considered to be sacred. There are identified destinations for the afterlife.

3. Dharma

When entering the realm of Sanskrit culture, we have further refinement to the concept of religion. The closest equivalent term is dharma, which actually references a way of life. Dharma is the way of living for the spirit soul.

Dharma is the essential characteristic of something, and for the individual that characteristic is service. Dharma is that quality which cannot be removed from an object. This means that the individual will always follow service. Whether they think they are a believer in religion or a staunch atheist, they serve someone or something all the same.

Bhakti-yoga is not necessarily a kind of dharma. It is a way to understand dharma. It is a sort of implementation, in the external sense. In the same way that dharma can never be removed from the individual, so bhakti-yoga is the natural way of living, independent of time and condition.

4. A revival of consciousness

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada translates bhakti-yoga as “Krishna consciousness.” This is what separates the living beings from matter. Spirit has consciousness, chaitanya. Matter lacks consciousness. That is the simplest way to tell the difference between a human being and a rock.

Bhakti-yoga is like a revival of the original consciousness. Like waking up from a dream. We slept so soundly that we really thought we were in that temporary condition. At the end of the dream, we return to reality. We go back to where we were, previously.

Bhakti-yoga revives me to the condition of knowledge. I remember who I am, spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme. I find an object of worship who seems so familiar. It is a natural interaction. The yoga aspect is the linking of two sides. The individual consciousness meeting with the Supreme Consciousness.

5. Knowing the Supreme Personality of Godhead

In Bhagavad-gita, Shri Krishna explains that He can only be known in truth through bhakti. The person who follows bhakti-yoga faithfully and free of outside motivations automatically knows Krishna in truth. Krishna is the detail behind the abstract. He is the picture to the otherwise blank canvas. He is the complete picture to clear up the confusion.

जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यम्
एवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर् जन्म
नैति माम् एति सो ऽर्जुन

janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.9)

Bhakti-yoga is knowing Krishna, and the person who knows Krishna does not have to take birth again. Upon quitting the body, they attain the supreme destination, param gatim. Therefore, the fear-based motivation from the dogmatic-style religions is already accounted for. In fact, there is nothing to fear, as Krishna is the object of all kinds of dharma. He is the central repository.

In Closing:

From understanding clear,
That nothing to fear.

For all dharmas to account,
On His protection can count.

Giving me something to do,
A meaningful engagement too.

With my essential quality to align,
In bhakti finally alive.

Categories: the five

Tags: bhakti, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, yoga