How to Understand Bhakti Yoga in Hinduism
The Difference Between Sakamya and Nishkamya Bhakti
Loving and worshiping God with adoration and devotion is known as Bhakti in Hinduism. Hinduism states that the highest goal of human life is to attain God and become one with him. “Yoga” means union and attaining the union with God through the path of devotion is known as Bhakti Yoga. Great sages and saints like Sri Ramakrishna affirm that the path of Bhakti is the best and most suitable for the majority of seekers.
Love is emotional and most people are basically emotional. Love is the very sustaining force of life. It is the mother’s love that protects and nurtures the child; it is the love of man on woman and the love of woman on man that binds both to raise a family and continue the world’s sustenance through progeny. Love for the dear ones and for materialistic comforts in this world drives man into action and engages him in worldly pursuits.
Love in the Worldly Plane
But all the love in the worldly plane only binds man more and more into relationships and entangles him into ceaseless wants, desires, expectations, worries and anger. Love in worldly plane is motivated invariably by selfishness and self-sustenance; “love” in a worldly plane also has “hate” on the other side of the coin! This worldly love is transitory. When the object of love stops giving pleasure and comfort, the same becomes an object of hatred.
Loving the Creator
Instead of loving the “created” which are impermanent, why not love the “Creator” who is Sat-Chit-Ananda, the eternal existence-knowledge-bliss? When this love is consummated, eternal bliss is the gain. In worldly love, everything is sweet in the beginning but the end is bitter. On the other hand, in the love of God, the beginning may be bitter but the end is sweet.
Why is it said here that “the beginning may be bitter?” Because, when you fall in love with God, you have to discard everything else in the worldly plane which you have loved all along. And most people are so deeply entangled in the worldly love-affairs which look very sweet outwardly; consequently, discarding them for the sake of God is bitter to many in the beginning, till one tastes the real sweetness of divine bliss.
Can Love of the World and Love of God Co-exist?
The vast majority of people have faith in God. Existence of a God at some invisible plane, who masterminds creation, sustenance and destruction of the universe, is believed by most of the people. As people are so deeply bound to the world and they derive their joy of living in this world and also experience the pain and worries associated with it, they look up to the creator and seek his help in enjoying the world without the pains associated with it.
They worship him with this goal in mind; they offer sacrifices to satisfy Him; they want only boons from Him and they are most unwilling to accept any punishment from Him. They seek His grace to remove pain, disease and suffering in life. And they love God with all these calculations in mind. Is it Bakti? Hinduism calls it Hetuka Bhakti (or Sakamya Bhakti) – Bhakti with desire. Saints and seers consider this Bhakti to be of lower order.
Hindu Saints say that this sort of Hetuka Bhakti, though of a lower order, is still welcome; A Bhakta (God lover) of this category is far more superior to an atheist or an agnostic because this Bhakta at least knows his limitations and is willing to surrender to the higher force for help and succor, even though his prayers are tied with selfish motives.
Loving God for God’s Sake
Blessed are they, who, having understood the futility of chasing worldly enjoyment only to end up in pain, develop the love for the creator. With no motivation other than to love Him, to have His vision and to attain the Supreme state of merger with Him to conquer the cycles of births and deaths once for all, they surrender themselves totally to God discarding all their worldly pursuits way behind.
Such a Bhakti is known as Ahetuka Bhakti (or Nishkamya Bhakti) – Bhakti without any desire. People may ask “Isn’t there a desire in this Bhakti too for seeking the liberation or the union?” Sri Ramakrishna says that this desire of supreme goal can never be equated with desires for worldly pleasures. He says sugar candy can’t be equated with other sweets. Other sweets increase acidity in the stomach whereas sugar candy annuls it. Ahetuka Bhakti is the Bhakti of the highest order.
Sri Ramakrishna
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