Bhakti Yoga

IndigoGeminiWolf · #1 04-03-2019, 01:10 PM

Not every yoga is about stretches.

There is also Bhakti Yoga, which is about love and devotion toward a deity. It is the deity/god of your choosing.

So I chose a wolf god of an anthropomorphic wolf race of an alien planet. They don't exist here. But in loving tremendously this wolf god, I can find liberation one day. Or even go beyond liberation to simply and purely being devoted to him.

Do others here practice Bhakti Yoga? And what are your experiences, guidance?

Jainarayan · #2 04-03-2019, 05:34 PM

I'm a bhakta of Sri Krishna. Though I worship all the deities of Hinduism, he is the first and foremost representation of God to me. My daily puja (worship ritual) is for him. When I do nāma japa, it is his name. It is he whom I hope to be thinking of when I leave my body. I try to think of him as I'm going to sleep inthe event that's when I leave.

And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail. Bhagavad Gita 8.5-6

There is one particular bhajan (devotional song) that often moves me to tears.

Altair · #3 04-03-2019, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndigoGeminiWolf

Not every yoga is about stretches.

Yes, but this is a bit unfair. Most serious people don't consider yoga to be about stretches. Yoga is a path, and the asanas (physical poses) are only one part of it, and not practised by all.
The path itself is very difficult to follow to the letter, to do it perfectly would require a full time ascetic lifestyle so a lot of people are selective.

But do you know what it feels like to do asanas for an hour or so, and then jump into meditation? You will start to see how spiritually beneficial all that 'stretching' can be..
You'd be surprised!

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndigoGeminiWolf

Do others here practice Bhakti Yoga? And what are your experiences, guidance?

I do asanas and meditation, and I also pray and may dedicate the time to deities. I have mixed and different results with different ones. It's really important to choose carefully, look into what a god or goddess represents, and why you would want to bask in their energy or ask for their guidance. I always focus on goddesses because I find what they represent often more appealing and beneficial to my spirituality. But I don't call it 'bhakti yoga' although it bears similarities. I don't really call my path anything in particular, I go with the flow.

lotusmind · #4 01-05-2019, 09:07 PM

The Vedas do not permit the mind to concoct a deity. The Godhead is the object of worship in bhakti. The matrix of linguistic constructs the mind generates are not real. Bhakti is only attained by the eightfold path of yoga and an enlightened Guru

Jainarayan · #5 02-05-2019, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lotusmind

The Vedas do not permit the mind to concoct a deity. The Godhead is the object of worship in bhakti. The matrix of linguistic constructs the mind generates are not real. Bhakti is only attained by the eightfold path of yoga and an enlightened Guru

So in the Bhagavad Gita Sri Krishna is contradicting the Vedas?

Wow, just wow.

The Blessed Lord said: He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be most perfect.

But those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, fixed, and immovable-the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth-by controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, at last achieve Me.

For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progrese in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.

For one who worships Me, giving up all his activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, who has fixed his mind upon Me, O son of Prtha, for him I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.

Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt. Bhagavad Gita 12.2-8

Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear. Bhagavad Gita 18.65-66

Shivani Devi · #6 05-07-2019, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lotusmind

The Vedas do not permit the mind to concoct a deity. The Godhead is the object of worship in bhakti. The matrix of linguistic constructs the mind generates are not real. Bhakti is only attained by the eightfold path of yoga and an enlightened Guru

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the Vedas does not permit the mind to concoct a Deity, it doesn't really say anything at ALL about that, which to some, means that it is inconsequential and irrelevant, while to others, it simply means that the Vedas just didn't address it and that's that.

Of course the practitioner of Bhakti Yoga realises the Deity is just as "real" as everything ELSE is. :P

I follow the path of Bhakti Yoga, but I choose to worship my Ishta Devata, who is Lord Shiva, not Lord Krishna...even though I realise there is no difference between them when it comes to Brahman...it is all about what the heart resonates with, to bring down the energies from the thinking, rational mind into the heart space for surrender - Ishwara Pranidhana according to Patanjali's eight-fold path. =)

Being a devotee of Lord Shiva, in accordance with Shaiva Siddhanta or Pashupati Shaivism, means to incorporate the notion of Vishishtadvaita, or Achintya Bhedabheda Tattwa...the universal difference of indifference.

This was promulgated and codified by Ramanuja and Madhava of the Vaishnava tradition, and by Sambandhar and Basavanna of the Shaivite tradition, which gave rise to the Alvars and Nayanars respectively.

It is not about worshiping a Deity in stone or wood, but connecting with the energies represented BY the form and not the form in and of itself. This is a very common misunderstanding about Bhakti Yoga.

Some may say it is wrong to "concoct a Deity", but the ones who "concoct the Deity" don't see it that way, so who is correct? Well, that all depends on who you talk to, doesn't it? Which really means nothing whatsoever in the grander scheme of things. Each will do whatever it is they personally NEED to do, to get to wherever it is they need to be.

....and Grace just does the rest.

Jainarayan · #7 02-05-2019, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndigoGeminiWolf

Do others here practice Bhakti Yoga? And what are your experiences, guidance?

I do, or so I like to think.

I'm a devotee of Sri Krishna. I don't meditate for the purpose of jñāna, but I do nāma japa om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Not as frequently as I'd like, though.

I also sing bhajans and chant mantras for him (and other deities). I feel a sense of peace.

Altair · #8 05-05-2019, 11:03 AM

Yes.. bhakti yoga is a path of devotion and love towards a personal deity. It should not be confused with Jñāna yoga, where the goal is usually Self-realization and where one submits to a male guru, who is viewed as an enlightened master. Anyone interested can take a look at wiki, it's explained well there..

Of course, in practice things can run through one another..