Attaining Kṛṣṇa through Bhakti-yoga or Devotional Service
Śrīla Prabhupāda presents bhakti-yoga not merely as a religious sentiment, but as the supreme science of self-realization and the ultimate goal of all spiritual endeavors. He explains that while there are various systems of yoga intended to link the living entity with the Absolute Truth, devotional service is the direct method that purifies the existence, removes material misgivings, and re-establishes the eternal relationship between the soul and Kṛṣṇa. Through the practical application of hearing, chanting, and engaging the senses in the Lord's service, one transcends the modes of material nature and attains the highest perfection of life.
Definition and Supremacy of Bhakti-yoga
Śrīla Prabhupāda defines bhakti-yoga as the science of reconnecting the conditioned soul with the Supreme Lord through favorable service. He clarifies that while other paths like karma, jñāna, and haṭha are preliminary steps on the yoga ladder, they must all eventually culminate in devotional service to be successful, making bhakti-yoga the topmost and only direct means to understand God.
- Any yoga system means an endeavor to connect our relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is called yoga. Someone is trying to make the connection, karma-yoga. Someone is trying by jnana-yoga. Someone is trying hatha-yoga. But the real aim is bhakti-yoga.
- Bhakti-yoga is the only process by which one can become competent to know Him (Krsna). The empiric philosophers and mystic yogis cannot conceive of the Personality of Godhead, He is called anupalaksya-vartmane, God of the inconceivable way, or bhakti-yoga.
- Bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal of both karma-yoga and jnana-yoga, and in the same way in this chapter it is emphatically declared that bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal of the different varieties of worship of the different demigods.
- Bhakti-yoga means anukulyena krsnanusilanam: (CC Madhya 19.167) one should serve Krsna very favorably. This is the real injunction.
Practical Process of Purification
The actual practice of bhakti-yoga begins with the hearing and chanting of the holy names and involves engaging all the senses in the service of the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this process is not about artificially stopping the senses, but rather purifying them (hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ) so that one can attain the spiritual platform naturally.
- Bhakti-yoga actually begins with the chanting of the holy name, as confirmed by Madhvacarya in his commentary on the Mundaka Upanisad.
- In bhakti-yoga it is recommended that a devotee follow nine principles; sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam/ arcanam. vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam - SB 7.5.23.
- Ahankara cannot be abolished. Ahankara will be there, but ahankara has to be cleansed. Therefore bhakti-marga, the path of bhakti-yoga, is the cleansing process, clearing process.
- Yoga necessitates controlling the senses, and bhakti-yoga, or Krsna consciousness, is the process of purifying the senses. When the senses are purified, they are automatically controlled.
Knowledge and Detachment through Devotion
Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that knowledge (jñāna) and detachment (vairāgya) are automatic byproducts of devotional service, rendering separate endeavors for them unnecessary. True advancement in bhakti-yoga is tested by one's detachment from material sense gratification and attachment to Kṛṣṇa, which leads to a blissful state free from material hankering.
- Janayaty asu vairagyam. A man is tested how much he has advanced in bhakti-yoga by his detachment from material enjoyment. If one is attached to sense enjoyment, at the same time he poses himself as a great devotee, that cannot work.
- The whole Krsna consciousness movement means vairagya-vidya, the education of vairagya, detachment. Vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yogam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna, and He wanted to teach the people this vairagya-vidya-nija-bhakti-yogam.
- Yogis are not without knowledge and renunciation. To become a bhakti-yogi means to automatically attain knowledge and renunciation. That is the consequent result of bhakti-yoga.
- Bhakti-yoga leads to gradual evaporation of the sex desire, which is summarized in three headings, namely profit, adoration and distinction.
Ultimate Perfection of Life
The perfection of bhakti-yoga is described as the state of unalloyed love for God, where the devotee has no desire other than the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms that by executing this process with intelligence and sincerity, one conquers the unconquerable Lord and is guaranteed to return home, back to Godhead, at the end of life.
- Bhakti-yoga, or buddhi-yoga, executed with intelligence and full knowledge, is the only successful method for going back home, back to Godhead.
- The culmination of all yogas lies in bhakti-yoga, the rendering of devotional service unto Krsna. Actually, all of the yogas delineated in Bhagavad-gita end on this note, for Krsna is the ultimate destination of all the yoga systems.
- If one is sincere, he will take advantage of guru's mercy and Krsna's mercy, and then he will be perfect. This is called bhakti-yoga. Not that "I am now very much advanced. I don't require any help from my guru," as somebody are doing. This is rascaldom.
- Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail. (BG 8.6) Therefore one must train the mind in the system of bhakti-yoga, as did Maharaja Ambarisa, who kept himself always in Krsna consciousness.
Conclusion
In summary, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that bhakti-yoga is the essential and final conclusion of all Vedic knowledge. It is the direct path to Kṛṣṇa, characterized by favorable service, the purification of the senses, and the development of complete detachment from material life. Whether one desires liberation, material gain, or nothing at all, the practice of bhakti-yoga is the only means to attain true perfection and eternal life in the spiritual world.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Bhakti-yoga - Devotional Service to God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.