Immersing Oneself in Bhakti 24/7

[LightofOm]

Hari Om Tat Sat

Namaste, I give my humble and respectful obeisances to all who may read this post.

Lately I have been meditating more and more, setting aside a greater portion of my day to practicing the art of mantra, as well as silent meditation and personal kirtan with my mrdanga drum. The results have been astounding. Truly I am attaining freedom even in this life.

What I have noticed is that the mindset I have during meditation is starting to carry over into my day-to-day activities. My work, my interactions with other individuals, my eating habits, even the most mundane things like travelling in a car from one place to another...it is all being used to glorify the Most High. And so now everything is being made sacred because everything is being used to serve the Supreme. What a wonderful journey it has been and I feel like I have only just begun!

At this point, there is no turning back. I cannot go back to serving myself even if I wanted to (not that I would want to)...I have simply learned too much. I am not claiming to be anything special, I'm just a man trying to learn more about myself and the nature of reality. However, what I am claiming is that bhakti works. In my opinion, it is one of the highest and most potent forms of yoga, and yet it is so simple.

Has anyone else noticed the subtle, yet powerful wonders of bhakti? I would love to hear of others' experiences.

Do anyone of you disagree that this is the highest form of yoga? If so, I would like to know what you have found to be better.

Again, I am just a humble and curious man looking to connect with the community of Sanatana Dharma as much as possible. I would love to hear about everyone else's experiences!

Om Namah Shivaya,

Light Of Om

[Believer]

Namaste,

Thank you for validating the divine qualities of bhakti. I am so happy for you that you are carrying the mindset of your meditation and personal kirtan into your personal life consisting of mundane activity. That is the most joyful and peaceful state to be in for an average person. I am just glad to see someone in that mode. Being immersed in bhakti is the essence of and practical side of all divine knowledge. Without experiencing the joy of that stage, it is all academic research. Please keep posting about your experiences and realizations. May the Lord be with you 24/7.

Pranam.

[saswathy]

Dear friend ,
You are really a blessed soul to enter in to such state .I do understand the joy of ecstacy , a person experiences when he reaches that state .He or she becomes literally impersonal in all things and with all people. Of all the yogas , bhakthi yoga is the supreme as far as the ordinary mortals are concerned.

[brahma jijnasa]

Namaste

It was confirmed in the Isha Upanishad, mantra 15, that a person who is a devotee of the Supreme Lord, who develops bhakti for the Supreme Lord, is a true (and pure) knower of Vedic dharma:

... satya-dharmāya dṛṣṭaye

"O Lord kindly exhibit Yourself to me who am Your pure devotee (and/or a true knower of Vedic dharma - dharmāya)."

-------------
Words:

- satya -- true, real, genuine, faithful, pure
- dharmāya -- Dharma or the principle of religion; one who knows the best of all religion, ie the devotee of the Supreme Lord
- dṛṣṭaye -- for exhibiting


regards

[Mana]

Namaste LightofOm,

How wonderfully you describe the indescribable, yes I have known such; most exhilarating.
I have found these phases of life to be key moments in my direction, turning points, which in turn have led me to knowledge; thus my bhakti has led me to karma which has in turn created a knowledge in its wake, a diminution of sorts ...

Knowledge being of an understanding of bhakti and bhakti the flame of that knowledge; all of which reduces again to bhakti.

Have you noticed any rhythm within the flow and timing of events?
I always enjoy this aspect of that.

Warm regards.

[Mana]

Namaste LightofOm,

Some other thoughts that you have inspired in me.

I would be thrilled to play my guitar and join in your kirta; those of musical inclination in my place of abode can be quite obsessed in them selves; thus they do not seem to hear any other than either rajas or tamas; all fame and material success or the depths of despair, with no go between; I find that in consequence the music lacks the clean energy and direction of sattva, which you have obviously found and are enjoying, rather a tool of the divine and not the goal.

Kind regards, enjoy.

[sunyata07]

Namaste LightofOm,

How beautifully you describe the path of bhakti. It is surely the universal path to God because anyone, householder or renunciate, amateur or seasoned yogi, can connect to the Self by the simple act of outward, devotional, selfless love. It is open to everyone. I think for the majority in the world the physical act of worship to Godhead, or that concept of something greater than our sense of self, is an essential psychological component to our sense of peace. Coupled with the sometimes intense emotions that come through prayerful singing and services for God, it is little wonder that bhakti yoga has been extolled by many of the great spiritual teachers. Even God Himself in the Bhagavad Gita has explained that the only way to see Him is through one-pointed devotion.

Om namah Shivaya

[LightofOm]

Namaste LightofOm,

How beautifully you describe the path of bhakti. It is surely the universal path to God because anyone, householder or renunciate, amateur or seasoned yogi, can connect to the Self by the simple act of outward, devotional, selfless love. It is open to everyone. I think for the majority in the world the physical act of worship to Godhead, or that concept of something greater than our sense of self, is an essential psychological component to our sense of peace. Coupled with the sometimes intense emotions that come through prayerful singing and services for God, it is little wonder that bhakti yoga has been extolled by many of the great spiritual teachers. Even God Himself in the Bhagavad Gita has explained that the only way to see Him is through one-pointed devotion.

Om namah Shivaya

Hari Om Tat Sat

Namaste sunyata-ji,

I really like what you said about the mood of bhakti. That outward, devotional, selfless love, as you've described it, is so essential on the path to enlightenment. I find that this mood is what carries us to greater and greater heights. It is what leads us to the transcendence of the three modes and finally to sat-cid-ananda. What a beautiful mystery...so subtle, yet unbelievably powerful.

And to everyone else who has responded to the original post so far, thank you for your response! To you I give boundless joy and love and light for eons upon eons.

Om Namah Shivaya,

Light Of Om

[timetraveler]

Very nice posts.