Talking about peace, inner happiness and selfless love is quite easy, but being able to inculcate them in one’s life (that too in today’s hectic life) is not a cakewalk. However, following the main yogic paths, such as bhakti yoga, one can experience enlightenment, unity of mind and deep connection with the Almighty.
Bhakti yoga or the yoga of devotion refers to the union with God through love, respect and devotion. It explains that God is everywhere, and we are connected to him through a fine thread of love. A person practicing bhakti yoga visualizes God as not just his chosen deity, but also as someone beloved – mother, father, friend, brother etc. Hence, the bond between a bhakti yogi and God strengthens to an extent that the former is able to directly connect with the latter and experience the unity of spirit, mind and body.
Main Practices Of Bhakti Yoga
An amazing fact about bhakti yoga is that you can practice it anywhere (obviously a quiet place is preferred) without actually having to sit beside the sculptures of Hindu deities. Listed below are the major practices of bhakti yoga that are popular all over the world -
Listening to discourses on God
Worshiping
Singing hymn and songs of God
Becoming mindful of the God (Remembrance) all the time
Thinking oneself as the servant of God, and carry out daily activities with this servitude attitude.
Surrendering everything to God, i.e., Let Thy will be done
These practices help you remove jealousy, egoism, pride or hatred and experience joy, peace and divine feelings. Owing to its great benefits and superiority over rigid rituals, many legendary sages and monks have practiced it and helped others to understand its real essence.
Bhakti Yoga From Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s Perspective
As per the philosophies of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa on bhakti yoga, this yogic path is ideal for people of kaliyuga to attain peace and unity with the mind. He explains that everyone who believes in God, has faith in him, can easily practice this yoga and establish an unbreakable bond with the Supreme Power.
Unlike other forms of yoga, bhakti yoga lets the bhakti yogi use all the sense organs and complete flexibility to:
Not just this, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa also explains that this yoga does not force renunciation on the bhakti yogi. As the love for God deepens, the bhakti yogi naturally drops his attachment to materialistic things.
With this, it can be inferred that keeping faith in God is the ultimate key to find inner happiness and stay at peace even in the stressful life of kaliyuga.