Chapter XXXVII
On Bhakti Yoga
Page 1
The Himālayās said:--"O Mother! Now describe your Bhaki Yoga, by which ordinary men who have no dispassion get the knowledge of Brahma easily.
The Devī said:--"O Chief of Mountains! There are three paths, widely known, leading to the final liberation (Moksa). These are Karma Yoga, Jńāna Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Of these three, Bhakti Yoga is the easiest in all respects; people can do it very well without incurring any suffering to the body, and bringing the mind to a perfect concentration. This Bhakti (devotion) again is of three kinds as the Gunas are three. His Bhakti is Tāmasī who worships Me, to pain others, being filled with vanity and jealousy and anger. That Bhakti is Rājāsic, when one worships Me for one's own welfare and does not intend to do harm to others. He has got some desire or end in view, some fame or to attain some objects of enjoyments and ignorantly, and thinking himself different from Me, worships Me with greatest devotion. Again that Bhakti is Sāttvikī when anybody worships Me to purify his sins, and offers to Me the result of all his Karmas, thinking that Jīva and Īs'vara are separate and knoxing that this action of his is authorized in the Vedas and therefore must be observed. This Sāttvikī Bhakti is different from the Supreme Bhakti as the worshippers think Me separate; but it leads to the Supreme Bhakti. The other two Bhaktis do not lead to Parā Bhakti (the Supreme Bhakti or the Highest unselfish Love.)
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