111 | Bhakti Yoga | Swami Tattwamayananda

12th chapter: verse 1 is about Bhakti Yoga – the path of devotion. Gita classifies spiritual practices in three categories depending on the temperament of the person. Those who are intellectual in nature and have complete sense control can pursue Jnana Yoga. Those involved in action can pursue Karma Yoga by performing all actions with detachment and unselfishness. The third path is Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion.<br /><br />Narada Bhakti Sutra defines Bhakti as the “nature of supreme, unselfish love for God”. In Bhakti, we give a spiritual orientation to our natural emotions and feelings – we divert these emotions towards God. In Bhakti tradition, one can look upon God with various attitudes – as Mother, father, child or friend. When we divert our emotions towards God, we get a feeling of inner richness, joy, fulfillment, and contentment.<br /><br />Inner contentment is not the absence of dis-satisfaction. It is called Santosha in Sanskrit. Inner contentment is the first sign of a true devotee. A true devotee can never be bitter towards anyone.<br /><br />Bhagavata Purana is one of the Hindu classics on bhakti. It was written by Vyasa and has over 18,000 verses divided into twelve skandhas and 335 chapters. Vyasa wrote the Bhagavata Purana on the advice of Narada to help the common man get inner spiritual contentment.<br /><br />1st verse: Arjuna asks: “Some people worship God with name and form – they chant and pray. Others worship the imperishable, the unmanifest. Which is better?”<br /><br />Arjuna’s question comes from a conflict he is facing. From earlier chapters, Arjuna knew that there are two ways of looking upon God. (1) God as the creator and protector, who listens to our prayers (2) God as the all-pervading divine spirit, that is Nirakara, transcending names and forms. Arjuna thought he could choose between God with form or God without form.<br /><br />It is not a matter of our intellectual choice. It is a matter of our own spiritual evolution. A ten-year-old boy has to attend primary school first –