BHAKTI YOGA

Bhakti Yoga is the Path of Devotion or the Path of Divine Love. As in any style of Yoga, the goal is Communion with the Divine, achieving the state of spiritual self-realization by becoming One with Universal Consciousness. This form of Spiritual Path is the most widespread on our planet. Many religions have the same form of worshiping the Deity as is done in Bhakti Yoga. Christianity and Islam are 2 very widespread religions with many followers, based on the same principles found in Bhakti Yoga in India.

The basic principle is simple. Divinity is put first and the whole life experience of the adept is summed up and dedicated to Divinity. One always keeps the Divinity in the heart and looks at the exterior as a spectacular manifestation of the Divinity. The perception and feeling of a Positive Divine Universe are always preserved, which is manifested through everything that is outside and which is the source of our personal existence. Every man is a small part of Divinity and always has access to the Divine Grace.

Bhakti Yoga is not a practice in itself, it is more of a lifestyle based on love and devotion to the Divine. In this way, Divine Grace and all the benefits that come after it are obtained. There have been, there are and there will be enlightened persons who have reached this stage through Bhakti Yoga, through complete devotion and unconditional love to their Divinity.

As in any form of Yoga, the ego is the hindrance to spiritual realization. In order to reduce the power of the ego in human life and let the soul grow, some new habits are chosen that aim to Divinize everything you do.

First of all, a manifestation of the Divinity is chosen. There is only one Supreme and Unitary God, but he can manifest in various forms and symbols. It is just like an ocean can create many kinds of waves. India offers many forms of Divinity. Everyone will choose their form and the Divine concept that they are attracted to.

Bhakti Yoga has Krishna as its Central Deity of worship. This form of Divine incarnation lived in India 5000 years ago. Krishna is an incarnation of Vishnu and represents the God of Love. Vishnu is the God of Maintenance who is part of the Hindu divine trinity along with Brahma the creator and Shiva the Destroyer. Krishna is the Supreme Beloved. Krishna’s lover is Rada, and they form a divine couple of divine love.

Those who devoutly promoted the love of Krishna got to feel his Grace. They could be observed going into a special trance and everyone around felt a special energy. Many followers were attracted to worship Krishna because of these very devoted people. This is how “The Hare Krishna Movement” was created, which spread all over the world. Many felt like giving up their normal life and following Krishna.

A well-known song dedicated to Krishna is as follows:

“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare”.

These two lines are repeated many times, some do it with hours and others with days. It is a meditative form of mantra in which symbiosis with Krishna is sought. Rama is another incarnation of Krishna. By repeating his names so many times, a strong connection is created with Krishna (Vishnu) consciousness.

The most followed form of Deity in India is Shiva. He is considered the source of all Yoga masters. Other styles such as Hatha Yoga, Tantra Yoga, Kriya Yoga and Kundalini Yoga are started by Shiva. Shiva is situated as the primary deity in these branches of Yoga. Most temples and statues are dedicated to Shiva.

Shiva is the God of Destruction and is seen as a very positive entity. He is the force of the universe that returns manifestation to its original state of pure consciousness. He destroys Ignorance (not knowing) and therefore the problems and difficulties of life. Shiva enables matter (man) to return to spirit (God). He created and spread many forms of self-realization and is known all over the world.

We pray to Shiva to have a calm and balanced mind and to be able to remove or destroy anything that can grieve or hurt us. Any practice of Yoga will bring many benefits to the follower and will keep him always connected with the Grace of Shiva.

Shiva has many forms and many characteristics and is part of many extraordinary and essential stories in the evolution of India and the planet. What attracted me to be his follower is the fact that he is the God of Dance. Through dancing, I had very fulfilling states where I felt One with the Music. In this state of fantastic ecstasy, I felt like the body was controlled by the music and the mind was totally at rest without influencing the body in any way. For me it is a form of Samadhi, of union with Divinity where you lose the perception of being separate from the outside. The difference is that in this case, the body moves a lot.

Another form of Deity very popular in India and in the world is the second son of Shiva, namely Ganesha. What makes Ganesha special is that he has the body of a man and the head of an elephant. Ganesha is the God of Wisdom and the Remover of Obstacles in life. We pray to Ganesha to bless us with the wisdom to overcome any obstacle and create a happy and healthy life.

Another form of popular Animal Deity is the God Hanuman. He was the king of monkeys and became a follower of God Rama (another incarnation of Vishnu). Hanuman is the God of Strength, Courage and Discipline. We pray to Hanuman to help us face challenges and always be successful in what we want to achieve.

Worshiping these divine entities is the essence of Bhakti Yoga. This devotion is manifested through symbols, images or statuettes of the chosen Divinity in the house, where they are always given thanks and love. Worship and offerings are also practiced.

A very beautiful practice is Kirtan. A large crowd gathers for a live instrument chant where only songs dedicated to the Deities are played. Kirtan also involves audience participation. The band sings a verse and then the audience repeats it. In this way, everyone connects with the sounds of music and the Divinity within them. A state of unity is also created between those who take part in the group musical experience. Singing together brings them closer to God and closer to each other.

In Bhakti Yoga, one also has a practice of chanting and reciting mantras out loud or in one’s mind. Meditation is also present and has a great significance and influence. One meditates on the chosen Divinity, visualizes how it looks, perceives how its presence is felt, creates a connection between man and Divinity, man transposes the Divinity in him.

The discipline greatly assists the adept in his quest to unite with his Inner Divinity. The fact of devoting a certain time of the day only to the worship of the Beloved God, will count for a lot. This habit will create an ever-increasing magnetism between the two connected entities.

The Feminine Goddess is very present in India. Hinduism offers a variety of goddesses that are highly followed by many people.

Shakti is seen as the Divine Mother of the Universe and is the consort of Shiva. Shakti is the moving force of Shiva. One of the most well-known and revered forms of Shakti is Kali, the goddess of Destruction and Death. It is a deity of unsurpassed power and is the last entity you would want to come into conflict with. No one messes with Kali, not even Shiva. We pray to Kali to destroy our problems and troubles in life. Kali is easily recognisable; she is the Fearsome Deity with a chain of human heads around her neck.

Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge and Art. She represents the human traits of learning and expressing yourself artistically. Saraswati is the consort of the Creator God Brahma. Brahma creates with Saraswati’s creativity with wisdom. We pray to the Goddess to be able to learn what we want and to be able to express ourselves artistically in whatever way we feel is right for us. Saraswati is represented as a goddess holding a musical instrument.

Lakshmi is the Goddess of Abundance. She represents any kind of abundance: material, mental, emotional and spiritual. Lakshmi is the consort of the Sustainer God Vishnu. For Vishnu to sustain and grow Brahma’s creation, he needs resources and Lakshmi provides him with an abundance of universal resources. We pray to Goddess Lakshmi for whatever kind of abundance we wish to have in our lives. Lakshmi is represented as a goddess from which gold coins emerge.

To follow the Path of Bhakti is not to be a follower of only the Deities of India. Through Bhakti Yoga, one can follow any kind of Deity in the world. It is essentially the same thing but with a different form or name.

There are people who are followers of Divine Feminine Energy in the form of Nature, Planet, Isis, Venus or Virgin Mary. There are people who are followers of the Divine Masculine Energy in the form of the Sun, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Ra, Zeus or Kukulkan. I am of the opinion that the form of the chosen Deity does not matter, it only matters what it represents for you and the devotion offered to Him. Everyone can choose what they feel works for them. Hinduism accepts all other forms of Divinity and is not opposed to any form of deity worship. The same cannot be said about Christianity or Islam, where only their Way is the True one and all others are false ways. In the true pure form of Bhakti Yoga, Deity does not matter, only love and devotion matters.

Bhakti Yoga brings the Divine presence into human consciousness and life and, in this way, divinizes and spiritualizes man. A loving, happy, united and connected society with God is necessary for the healthy evolution of the human species.