Why is it such a big deal? What is the problem with accepting Bhakti or Karma yoga? Many urban Indians or westerners may have problem with accepting Bhakti yoga or Karma yoga as a way to enrich their life.
Bhakti yoga is the yoga of faith and devotion and losing ourselves by being one with the object of our devotion. Karma yoga is the yoga of action, In Bhagavad Gita , Krishna says "Do your duty, and dedicate the results to me". It is the yoga of selfless work without any expectation of rewards.
What!! Work without rewards? Am I a slave? How can anyone work without caring about what they will get paid for it? or even with out a salary?
Devotion and faith? Is that even compatible with reason and intellect? and How can I lose myself? What about my self esteem?
These are the thoughts that come to the mind of a modern yogi. Our sense of entitlement and fairness makes it very hard to accept or believe in work without rewards or unconditional devotion.
It also brings to mind abuses of the past, slavery, misuse of power and lowly paid working classes, all this could happen with Karma yoga. Religious bigotism and religious wars, women sacrificing their health and food for the sake of family, abuse of ordinary people by priests by misusing their devotion to gather wealth, all this could happen with Bhakti yoga. How could it be a right path for anyone?
May be there is a different way to look at this? Let us try to explore it more deeply.
One of the most beautiful spiritual and religious movement, Sufism, The songs and poems which were written 100s of years ago by Rumi and Kabir still touch our hearts, It is the most tolerant form of Islam, It is Bhakti Yoga. The Krishna temple of Udupi has the idol facing backwards. It is said that one Bhakta of Krishna, Kanaka Daasa was not allowed into the temple as he was low caste. He went behind the temple and prayed, God was so moved by his prayer that the idol turned around and the temple walls crumbled, to give Darshan to Kanaka daasa. Bhakti yoga was a very powerful movement which gave power to oppressed castes in this way. Historically it was possibly the only way available to women and lower castes/classes to God realisation. Many rebellious personalities who stood against society were Bhakts, Meera Bai who dared break all the shackles put on women in her devotion to Krishna, Kabir and Sai baba who broke religious barriers between Hindus and Muslims are all part of Bhakti movement. One of the most loving men on earth Jesus, his teachings are all about love and Bhakti. Buddhist metta meditation is also Bhakti feeling.
Bhakti can also be towards nature, Shinto is a religion in Japan, which worships streams, mountain, forests and animals and they see life or sprits in all things nature, Such a gentle and loving and respectful attitude towards nature all over the world would have never led to the damage and destruction that is happening on earth today. What is it but Bhakti yoga or devotion to nature? Native American people see themselves not as separate from nature but as part of the forest. Bhakti yoga is most common type of religious sentiment found across the world. It only goes sour when people forget the unconditional love in their heart and let their sense of self become rigid and small.
Let us look at our sense of self, What is Myself? my sense of self limits to my body, I am as far as my body extends what ever is outside that is the other. That is how humans perceive it. Can it be any other way?
Surprisingly yes. Some studies on Killer Whales have found that, Their brains are wired in such a way that their sense of self extends to the whole pod. They may be different bodies who feel pain and sensations separately but they see themselves as one! Loss of one whale in the pod, probably feels like loss of arm or leg to them.
How would humans live, If their sense of self extended beyond themselves to the whole community or to the whole world?
Karma yoga makes us expand our sense of self and work for the sake of the other, this other can slowly be expanded to include the whole world.
Karma yoga is a very profound concept which makes us live in the present moment. The only moment which is ever real is the current moment, the past is in our memory and future in our imagination. The rewards which we seek for our work are always in the future and is thus not real. It is of utmost importance that we value our actions for their own sake in the present moment.
The work is the reward in itself. it is like enjoying the journey as much as the destination. artists are familiar with this concept, They make art for the joy it gives them not for the price it brings, but in karma yoga you dont choose a job that brings you joy, but you bring joy into what ever work that needs to be done.
Karma yoga does not make us subjugated to others but makes us one with others, Karma yogi will not take abuse but will fight against for the sake of greater good, As Arjuna was advised to do by Krishna.
Modern day problems like care of older people, expensive health care will all vanish if everyone participated in Karma yoga.
Lastly, There is very interesting initiative called Ugly indians, who have taken up cleaning up garbage and dirty public toilets voluntarily in big cities in India as a cleanliness drive. Surprisingly the number of people who attend such events are huge and they pay money to do the dirty work, without thinking that its not their job, and without thinking that those people who are supposed to clean it are not doing it. That is the power of karma yoga.
Hope this essay will help modern yogi see Karma and Bhakti yoga from a different perspective and help them accept it.
Bhakti yoga is the yoga of faith and devotion and losing ourselves by being one with the object of our devotion. Karma yoga is the yoga of action, In Bhagavad Gita , Krishna says "Do your duty, and dedicate the results to me". It is the yoga of selfless work without any expectation of rewards.
What!! Work without rewards? Am I a slave? How can anyone work without caring about what they will get paid for it? or even with out a salary?
Devotion and faith? Is that even compatible with reason and intellect? and How can I lose myself? What about my self esteem?
These are the thoughts that come to the mind of a modern yogi. Our sense of entitlement and fairness makes it very hard to accept or believe in work without rewards or unconditional devotion.
It also brings to mind abuses of the past, slavery, misuse of power and lowly paid working classes, all this could happen with Karma yoga. Religious bigotism and religious wars, women sacrificing their health and food for the sake of family, abuse of ordinary people by priests by misusing their devotion to gather wealth, all this could happen with Bhakti yoga. How could it be a right path for anyone?
May be there is a different way to look at this? Let us try to explore it more deeply.
One of the most beautiful spiritual and religious movement, Sufism, The songs and poems which were written 100s of years ago by Rumi and Kabir still touch our hearts, It is the most tolerant form of Islam, It is Bhakti Yoga. The Krishna temple of Udupi has the idol facing backwards. It is said that one Bhakta of Krishna, Kanaka Daasa was not allowed into the temple as he was low caste. He went behind the temple and prayed, God was so moved by his prayer that the idol turned around and the temple walls crumbled, to give Darshan to Kanaka daasa. Bhakti yoga was a very powerful movement which gave power to oppressed castes in this way. Historically it was possibly the only way available to women and lower castes/classes to God realisation. Many rebellious personalities who stood against society were Bhakts, Meera Bai who dared break all the shackles put on women in her devotion to Krishna, Kabir and Sai baba who broke religious barriers between Hindus and Muslims are all part of Bhakti movement. One of the most loving men on earth Jesus, his teachings are all about love and Bhakti. Buddhist metta meditation is also Bhakti feeling.
Bhakti can also be towards nature, Shinto is a religion in Japan, which worships streams, mountain, forests and animals and they see life or sprits in all things nature, Such a gentle and loving and respectful attitude towards nature all over the world would have never led to the damage and destruction that is happening on earth today. What is it but Bhakti yoga or devotion to nature? Native American people see themselves not as separate from nature but as part of the forest. Bhakti yoga is most common type of religious sentiment found across the world. It only goes sour when people forget the unconditional love in their heart and let their sense of self become rigid and small.
Let us look at our sense of self, What is Myself? my sense of self limits to my body, I am as far as my body extends what ever is outside that is the other. That is how humans perceive it. Can it be any other way?
Surprisingly yes. Some studies on Killer Whales have found that, Their brains are wired in such a way that their sense of self extends to the whole pod. They may be different bodies who feel pain and sensations separately but they see themselves as one! Loss of one whale in the pod, probably feels like loss of arm or leg to them.
How would humans live, If their sense of self extended beyond themselves to the whole community or to the whole world?
Karma yoga makes us expand our sense of self and work for the sake of the other, this other can slowly be expanded to include the whole world.
Karma yoga is a very profound concept which makes us live in the present moment. The only moment which is ever real is the current moment, the past is in our memory and future in our imagination. The rewards which we seek for our work are always in the future and is thus not real. It is of utmost importance that we value our actions for their own sake in the present moment.
The work is the reward in itself. it is like enjoying the journey as much as the destination. artists are familiar with this concept, They make art for the joy it gives them not for the price it brings, but in karma yoga you dont choose a job that brings you joy, but you bring joy into what ever work that needs to be done.
Karma yoga does not make us subjugated to others but makes us one with others, Karma yogi will not take abuse but will fight against for the sake of greater good, As Arjuna was advised to do by Krishna.
Modern day problems like care of older people, expensive health care will all vanish if everyone participated in Karma yoga.
Lastly, There is very interesting initiative called Ugly indians, who have taken up cleaning up garbage and dirty public toilets voluntarily in big cities in India as a cleanliness drive. Surprisingly the number of people who attend such events are huge and they pay money to do the dirty work, without thinking that its not their job, and without thinking that those people who are supposed to clean it are not doing it. That is the power of karma yoga.
Hope this essay will help modern yogi see Karma and Bhakti yoga from a different perspective and help them accept it.
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