Bhakti: The Only Transcendental Yoga

by Hari Parayana Dasa

An analysis of four types of yoga described in the Bhagavad-gita.

Lord Krsna in His teachings to Uddhava Siaclassifies action and knowledge (among other things) as being either under the control of the three modes of material nature or under the spiritual energy (Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 11, Chapter 25). Thus the yogic processes explained by Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita can be broadly classified into two groups. In one group, the practices are under the control of sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), and tamas (ignorance). This group comprises karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and astanga-yoga* (Figure 1). The other group consists of bhakti-yoga, the yoga of devotional service to Lord Krsna and the only yoga process not under the control of the modes of material nature. Bhakti is a purely spiritual process directly under the control of the spiritual energy.

Material processes yield material results. For example, jogging every day for one hour will make the body fitter; that is, it will lead to a material result. But the body will die someday despite all the jogging. In fact, the results of all material actions are temporary, including those of karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and astanga-yoga, which are not transcendental activities.

Conversely, Lord Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita (7.14) that by surrendering to Him one can easily overcome the material energy. Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport: “Therefore surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is the only means to get free from the clutches of the stringent material nature.” Similarly Lord Krsna says in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (hereafter Bhag.) (11.14.21), bhaktyaham ekaya grahyah: “I am attained through unflinching faith and devotional service.”

Distinctions Between Karma-, Jnana-, and Bhakti-yoga

To an aspiring transcendentalist the choice between a process that gives eternal, spiritual results and one that yields temporary, material results may seem obvious. Yet some people consider either karma-yoga or jnana-yoga the Gita’s main teachingna. Such persistent misunderstanding of the Gita’s message might stem from an ignorance of the practices and results of each yoga. For the aspiring sadhaka devotee, it is also important to understand how bhakti is not covered by karma and jnana. This requires a clear understanding of the differences between the processes of karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. What follows is a discussion of their distinctive featuresna. I have based this discussion on Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, known as Sarartha Varsini Tikaa (translated by His Holiness Bhanu Swami). I have done this because Visvanatha carefully analyses, in the context of the Gita, bhakti-yoga as both mixed with the other two yogas and as free of their influence. narsniaI will conclude with a brief note on Srilaa Prabhupada’s Gita commentary.

Karma-yoga

In the Bhagavad-gita the word karma often refers to duties recommended in the Vedic scriptures. These duties are generally of three types: nitya, naimittika, and kamya. Nitya refers to regular duties, such as observing daily sacrifices and rituals. Naimittika-karma are rituals for special occasions such as sraddha (offerings to departed souls), marriage, and the birth of a child. Kamya-karma means scripturally prescribed actions performed with the desire for some material gain.

Karma-kanda, or sakama-karma, refers to the performance of the above types of karma with desire for material gain in this life or promotion to higher planets for enjoying heavenly pleasure in the next life (Gita 9.20, Figure 2). These are no small pleasures. Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport to Gita 9.20: “Once situated on those higher planetary systems, one can satisfy his senses hundreds of thousands of times better than on this planet.” After exhausting one’s “credits,” however, one has to return to earth. Srila Prabhupada writes, “One simply revolves in the cycle of birth and death on higher and lower planetary systems.”

The word yoga means "connection," and in its highest sense means connection with Krsna. In karma-yoga this connection is established when the performer surrenders the results of karma (duties) to Krsna . If this connection is absent, the word yoga is inapplicable. One’s occupational duties in varnasrama come under the definition of karma. This is evident from Gita 2.48, in which Krsna advises Arjuna to fight while performing niskama-karma-yoga by being equipoised in success and failure. Samatvam yoga ucyate: "Such equanimity is called yoga."

Karma-yoga is in the mode of goodness because the scriptural duties are performed without desire for results (Gita 18.23, Bhag. 11.25.23); sakama-karma is in the material mode of passion (11.25.23). Because of the absence of desires for results, karma-yoga is also called niskama. For reasons that will become clear later, I note two important aspects of karma-yoga here: (1) the activities are first performed, and then the results are given to Krsna, and (2) only scripturally prescribed duties come under the purview of karma-yoga.

Even though karma-yoga is connected with the divine through the offering of activities, it cannot by itself give transcendental results, such as freeing the performer from the cycle of birth and death or giving him love of God. This is because karma-yoga is in the material mode of goodness. Karma-yoga has one benefit: the results of those prescribed activities whose results are offered to Krsna without any personal desire do not bind the performer (Gita 3.9).

Karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, and aastanga-yoga are arranged in a hierarchy so that the faithful performance of one level results in purification and elevation to the next level. The fruit of niskama-karma-yoga is jnana-yoga, discussed next.

Jnana-yoga

The word jnana in jnana-yoga refers nato the jnana-yogi's knowledge that he or she is not the body but the indestructible soul (Gita 2.11–2.39). By karma-yoga, attachment for the results of activities is weakened and finally eliminated; one is then able to control one’s senses (samyatendriyah, Gita 4.39). In a heart thus purified, knowledge that one is the soul automatically (svayam) manifests (Gita 4.38). This is realized knowledge, as opposed to knowledge that might be read in a book but not experientially verified. In his role as an observer, a person situated in jnana-yoga does not identify with his senses; he does not claim ownership of their activities, nor is he controlled by them (Bhag. 11.25.16).

Although the realization gained by jnana-yoga is of transcendence–of the nonmaterial soul–the realization is still in the material mode of goodness sana(11.25.24), as in niskama-karma-yoga. Therefore jnana-yoga by itself can again not free one from the cycle of samsara, birth and death; it cannot provide liberation, or moksa.

This point may seem inconsistent with the understanding that jnana-yoga awards the liberation of merging into Brahman, the impersonal absolute. Brahman, however, is Krsna’s transcendental effulgence (Bhag. 1.2.11, Gita 14.27), and therefore to achieve even impersonal liberation requires a transcendental process aaah(bhaktyaham ekaya grahyah, Bhag. 11.14.21). Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains this surprising subtlety: even the liberation that ultimately accrues (after great difficulty, Gita 12.5) for the jnana-yogi is due to trace levels of bhakti. The jnana-yogi who at the time of death surrenders his jnana itself to Krsna (as Krsna instructs in Bhag. 11.14.21) acquires–by dint of the trace of bhakti that remains–the transcendental result of merging into Krsna’s effulgence. Sirsn(Figure 3)

But the jnani without the trace of bhakti nai- such as one who considers Krsna’s birth and activities temporary and His deity forms material - naigets only suffering (Bhag. 10.14.4, 10.2.32). Instead of transcendental benefit, he undergoes birth and death repeatedly in samsara.

What constitutes the activities of a jnani? Lord Krsna addresses this question in some detail rsnin the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 5. The jnani can take sannyasa and thereby renounce all actions and the world itself. Or he can continue to perform niskama-karma-yoga by giving the results of his activities to Krsna. Acting in niskama-karma-yoga is not a step down for the jnani; rather, in this way he can remain fixed in purity.

Bhakti-yoga

The main type of bhakti is called uttama-bhakti, which is on the platform of prema (pure love) for Krsna. (Figure 4) Another type of bhakti arises from mixing bhakti with jnana and karma. Sakama-karma-misra-bhakti is naasbhakti mixed with a trace of sakama-karmarsn, a desire for some material goal. There are three types of sakama-karma-misra-bhaktas (Gita 7.16): those who are suffering, those who are inquisitive, and those who desire wealth. Because of the transcendental nature of bhakti, the result of even mixed bhakti is that such devotees, after attaining their desires (relief from suffering, gain of material benefits, or attainment of scriptural knowledge), achieve pure bhakti and enter the transcendental Vaikuntha planets (salokya-mukti, Gita 18.56), predominated by the mood of aisvarya (opulence) and sukha (real happiness, beyond the neutrality of Brahman realization). (Figure 4) When bhakti is predominant but is mixed with niskama-karma and jnana it is called karma-jnana-misra-bhakti. An example could be cooking and offering preparations to Krsna. Cooking food for Krsna without a desire for the result (to taste the food) is analogous to the activities of niskama-karma-yoga. But in niskama-karma-yoga, only the results of scriptural duties (e.g., nitya- and naimittika-karma, or varnasrama duties) are offered to Krsna, while in bhakti all activities are offered to Krsna. Also, the practitioner has knowledge of atma and Paramatma, like a jnani, but is superior to a jnani owing to the knowledge of Krsna as Bhagavan. Therefore this is not niskama-karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, or uttama-bhakti, but rather karma-jnana-misra-bhakti. Such a bhakta attains direct service to the Lord (Gita 9.28).

Why is offering what we eat to Krsna not uttama-bhakti? Uttama-bhakti involves more than just offering the final result (cooked food). Rather, the entire activity of cooking is done to satisfy Krsna (Bhag. 7.5.24).** For example, one may specifically select Krsna’s favorite preparations, cook with the desire that they turn out tasty for rsnHim, offer them to rsnHim with love, and then accept the remnants as His mercyrsn. To only offer the results to Krsna but not be conscious of Krsna during the entire activity is mixed bhakti, not uttama-bhakti. This is an important metric for sadhakas to determine whether they are practicing uttama-bhakti or bhakti mixed with karma and jnanarsn. Additionally, uttama-bhaktas reject karma-yoga, considering it a distraction in their worship of Krsna, despite the risks associated with neglect of such duties. (Bhag. 11.11.32, 11.5.41)

A corollary is that all bhakti-yoga activities meant only to satisfy Krsna are transcendental and come under uttama-bhakti. These include traveling, using the Internetrsn, making moviesaa, making devotional art, and a long list of other activities in which Srila Prabhupada engaged devotees to spread Krsna consciousness.

If sakama-bhakti becomes nisskama, the result is jnana-misra-bhakti. The jnana-misra-bhakta enters the santa-rasa. Known as the neutral state of love of God, it is characterized by overwhelming awe of Krsna. The sages called the four Kumaras exemplify santa-rasa. Some jnana-misra-bhaktasnai, such as Sukadeva Gosvami, progress to the more mature stage of prema (pure love) for Krsna through the association of pure devoteesrsn (Bhag. 1.7.10, Gita 18.54).

Yoga-misra-bhakti refers to the mixing of bhakti with astanga-yoga (Gita 8.9–10). Fixing the life air in the ajna-cakra (between the eyebrows) at the time of death, the yoga-misra-bhakta attains the Lord’s abode (salokya-mukti) (Gita 8.13).

Is there no jnana in uttama-bhakti? Uttama-bhaktas like Srila Prabhupada and Srila Rupa Gosvami clearly are storehouses of knowledge, so it is not that uttama-bhakti is devoid of knowledge. Rather the knowledge in uttama-bhakti is specifically about Krsna, such as His form, opulences, and pastimes. This knowledge is transcendental to the three gunas because it is about the transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore it is not considered jnana, but rather bhakti (Bhag. 11.25.24). What is rejected from uttama-bhakti is the trace of the jnani’s desire to merge into the impersonal Brahman.

In summary, uttama-bhakti is both niskama and nirguna. Niskama because there are no material desires to fulfill; rather, the only goal is to fulfill Krsna’s desires. Nirguna because it is not under the control of the material energy. As a result, because of bhakti’s transcendental nature even a new devotee performing sadhana-bhakti is connected with transcendence. He is above the gunas, and becomes quickly purified (Bhag. 10.33.39, 2.8.5).