Bhakti Yoga for Beginners

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Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion which unites the practitioners finally with God Almighty. Unless bhakti is practiced, karma and jnana will lead only to unfruitful knowledge – knowledge without joy.

This book presents clearly and concisely the principles of Bhakti yoga and the practical formulas needed to practice it.

The path of devotion, called Bhakti yoga, is said to be the best when compared to Karma yoga and Jnana yoga, and is the final stage of union with God. Karma yoga (the path of selfless action) creates a balanced mind in the practitioner, Jnana yoga (the path of knowledge) brings the knowledge of the existence of God, and Bhakti yoga (the path of devotion) unites the practitioner finally with God Absolute. Lord Krishna declared in the Bhagavad Gita that He is the personification of bhakti/love Himself.

This book is an attempt to bring the principles of Bhakti yoga to the knowledge of the common reader. Practical formulas, based on the age-old experiences of the saints, are given, which can be followed by the practitioner to become one with God Almighty.

The methods are based on my personal experiences over the years, and there is nothing which has not been tested by me personally. Therefore, I can safely recommend the methods presented here. These methods are the foundations of the Academy of Kundalini Yoga and Quantum Soul, and a good number of people are engaged in practising them at the centres in Florida, Copenhagen and London. Recently, a centre has been established in New Delhi. Nevertheless, India is known as the land of austerity (tapo-bhumi) and over the years, a large number of practitioners have achieved self realisation. Consequently, there are several centres in the country and many gurus are available for help. It is important to have a guru of one’s own liking. As no two people can have the same fingerprints, similarly no two people can have the same path. Even the disciples of the same guru are found to have fine differences themselves.

As mentioned earlier, Bhakti yoga is the final stage of union with God. But to reach this state one needs to follow the other yoga’s first. Karma yoga is the path of selfless action in which one acts without expecting the fruits of one’s actions. When the practice is successful, the practitioner achieves a balanced mind. This state of mind helps the practitioner to follow Jnana yoga, which is the path of knowledge, and which ultimately leads him to the knowledge of the Supreme Being or God. And then it is Bhakti yoga, the path of devotion, which unites the person with God Almighty. Although the path of ‘selfless action’ or the path of ‘knowledge’ is itself sufficient to bring self/God realisation, yet the natural sequence is karma, jnana and bhakti, in that very order. If you combine the three paths simultaneously, you have greater chances of success in a single lifetime, with fewer obstacles on the way.

Unless bhakti (devotion) is practised, karma and jnana will lead to dry knowledge, which does not give full satisfaction. You miss the rasa (joy) which comes only through bhakti (devotion), which induces love, and love is God. This is the importance of bhakti, which has also been emphasised by Lord Krishna. This book systematically presents the elements of Bhakti yoga and the practical formulas at each stage for a beginner to develop devotion and love. It is based on the practice followed at the centres of the Academy of Kundalini Yoga and Quantum Soul. My original subject has been mathematics (PhD, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi 1968), which I have taught in eight countries for about thirty years. With a sustained practice of yoga, meditation and mantras for years, I was lucky enough to experience the awakening of kundalini in 1987, while at the University of Zimbabwe.

Nothing happens without the grace of God, and this is one single factor, which is irreplaceable. However, with this awakening, my interest began to shift from mathematics to religion and psychology. I eventually resigned my position as professor of mathematics at Dares-Salaam University, Tanzania. I also worked as professor of Comparative Religion at Belk Research Foundation, Charlotte, NC, USA and as professor of yoga, philosophy and meditation at Hindu University, Florida, USA. I have been writing articles based on my experiences in the Journal of Religion and Psychical Research, USA. Books On numerology, spiritual awakening, and kundalini have also appeared. I have also endeavoured to write several mini books like this one to present the elements of different kinds of yogas for the use of the average reader. It is advisable to use practical formulas for Karma, Jnana and Bhakti yogas simultaneously. I have also presented an integral path in the book on Hatha yoga, which gives a balanced combination of different kinds of yogas, and it is more effective than any single path of yoga. With the grace of God, one can awaken one’s kundalini in a single lifetime.

To impart knowledge on various ways of self-realisation, I established AKYQS, with centres in different parts of the world. It is my cherished dream to establish a centre of learning somewhere outside the busy life of a city, with a library, a hall for yoga and lectures, and rooms to stay. Those interested in knowing one’s true self can certainly help in the mission in various ways.