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What is Bhakti Yoga? Contrary to popular belief, yoga is not all about postures, breathing and meditation techniques. In fact it is hatha yoga that focuses on these practices, of which many styles have developed. The term “yoga” actually refers to several diverse practices that lead us to knowing the Self and the Divine. Bhakti yoga, widely acknowledged to be the recommended way to the ultimate goal of life in this modern age, is the path which focuses on love and devotion. Bhakti yoga practice focuses primarily on redirecting all thought, speech and activities towards the Supreme. Therefore we could say that bhakti yoga aims to develop constant meditation on the Supreme through a mood of devotional service. Bhakti yoga philosophy states that divine realisation will be revealed in the heart of the devotee through the power of love. Rather than an ascending process depending on individual effort and achievement, it is viewed as a descending process depending on the degree of surrender. Ultimately, development of Krishna consciousness manifests as complete knowledge, selfless action, renunciation, surrender, devotion, and Prema – Divine Love. Adjusting our Angle of Vision The devotees’ internal angle of vision is what distinguishes their activities as spiritual, although externally they may appear mundane. Whether at school or in the office, at home or in the Temple, anyone, any time, can practise Krishna consciousness – it is simply a revolution of ‘consciousness’. Our experience in this world is that society is trying to exploit to the utmost; everywhere there is the attempt to live at the cost of others. Some people are trying to get out of this entanglement and take a position of renunciation, where there is no action or reaction. Others seek beyond that: those with higher vision aspire for the positive plane, that of dedication. In the plane of dedication, every unit wants to serve. We are living in an organic whole and we all have our special duties in connection with that whole. Our energy should be directed towards the Absolute Centre, just as watering the root of a tree nourishes all its leaves and branches. Earnest contribution to the Centre naturally creates perfect harmony. The Path of Love and Devotion Prema, divine love, is considered the ultimate goal of human life, prayojana. Meanwhile importance is given to sambandha-jnana, knowledge as a tool to attain that goal, and abhideya, the recommended process. Due to the logical philosophical truths exposed and its practical, effective process, the way to divine love is far from having a frivolous emotional connotation. Rather, it is often called the Science of Self-Realisation. A higher consciousness makes us aware of our relationship with the Absolute. Just as a dance and the dancer are inseparable, the individual souls born of divine energy are part and parcel of the Divine. However the dancer is not the dance, nor is the dance the dancer – they have their own identities and are in relationship with each other. Since relationships are based on deepening degrees of love and intimacy, higher consciousness allows us greatest capacity for pure, selfless and unconditional love. The Use of Mantra One of the principle practices of bhakti yoga is chanting a mantra. In Sanskrit, man refers to the outer mind, while tra means tool, therefore a mantra is a tool for bringing the fickle mind under control. Furthermore a mantra is viewed as a sacred verbal formula possessing transcendental potency. According to the timeless knowledge of the Veda, the origin of creation was sound vibration (AUM), and a mantra has the capacity to purify the soul and revive its transcendental nature. The Mahamantra, or Great Mantra, is considered to contain all other mantras within it. It may be compared to the rainbow emerging from the original white light which is Om (AUM). Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare refers to the power and pleasure-giving potency of the Supreme. Krishna is the all-attractive Divine Source, the Cause of all causes. Rama is his aspect as the Reservoir of all Pleasure. There are no rules and regulations regarding time and place for chanting the Mahamantra, therefore it can be chanted even while doing the dishes or waiting for the bus! However any mantra should be uttered with a mood of service. Harinam Sankirttan Harinam Sankirttan is the congregational chanting of holy names in the form of mantras, or more specifically, the mahamantra. Chanting in congregation magnifies the potency of the mantra. However let us also consider that everybody conceives of divinity according to their own level of consciousness and mood (rasa). Philosophical discussion is bound to bring about division amongst men, whereas even among those of diverging opinion congregational chanting has a unifying effect, not only with the Absolute but also with each other. Harinam Sankirttan is the way of Absolute Harmony. Sriman Mahaprabhu, who appeared in this world in 1486, is considered to be the Golden Avatar, the divine incarnation whose purpose it was to demonstrate the most sublime sentiments and natural disposition of one who has attained Prema, pure love of God, through the process of bhakti yoga. Together with his associates, Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Sri Advaita Acharyya, Sri Gadadhara, Sri Vas Acharyya – collectively known as the Pancha Tattva – he propagated the yuga-dharma (recommended process for this age), namely Harinam Sankirttan. The Vedas It is the ultimate goal of our lives to search for the Absolute Truth. We are duty-bound to avoid blind faith and enquire after the truth, wherever any clues may be found. It is not a matter that this knowledge belongs to India or that knowledge belongs to the Middle-East. The transcendental Truth is not bound by place or time, and is coming down to this plane by the infinite mercy of the Supreme. It is said that a great portion of transcendental knowledge was revealed by divine agency to the rishis (seers of Truth), sages and saints of ancient India and passed on by oral tradition before being recorded in written form around 5,000 years ago. Thus the Vedas (Sanskrit: knowledge) are called shruti – what is heard. Today the Vedas exist as a large body of texts composed in Vedic Sanskrit verses and constitute the oldest scriptures known to mankind. The Vedic texts are: 1. the Rigveda 2. the Yajurveda 3. the Samaveda 4. the Atharvaveda These four principle books are further supported by other scriptures contributed at later dates, such as the Upanishads, the Puranas and the Srimad Bhagavad Gita (from the fifth chapter of the Mahabharata) as well as many others, which are considered equally authoritative. Vedanta Different Vedantas, or schools of thought, have emerged depending on varying interpretations of the Vedas. The main ones are: Advaita Vedanta (non-dual philosophy) by Shankara Acharya, whereby the soul is non-distinct from the Absolute which is abstract and formless; Dvaita Vedanta (monotheistic philosophy) by Madhava Acharya, which holds that God has personality and is distinct from the human soul; and Vishishtadvaita Vedanta by Ramanuja Acharya, which has aspects in common with both. Furthermore, Bhedaabheda Vedanta schools emerged, taking a position that the individual self (jivaatman) is both different and non-different from the ultimate reality known as Brahman. Bhedaabheda Vedantic ideas can traced to some of the very oldest texts and had an enormous influence on the devotional (bhakti) schools of India’s medieval period. The most prominent medieval Bhedaabheda thinkers were: Nimbarka (13th Century), founder of the Nimbarka Sampradaya (spiritual lineage); Vallabha (1479-1531), founder of the Pustimarga Sampradaya; and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1533), the founder of the Gaudya Vaisnava Sampradaya. The bhakti yoga sambandha-jnana (philosophy) studied at the Lotus Room is as represented by Sriman Mahaprabhu of the Gaudya Vaisnava Sampradaya, who is considered by many contemporary saints to be an Avatar descended in order to reconcile all existing spiritual philosophies and freely distribute love of God. Degrees of Consciousness ’Just as in this world the primary schools are filled with students, as well as the colleges, universities and post-graduate colleges. There are those in the primary stage, the middle stage and the highest stage. So it is with the progress of the soul in his conception of God. There are so many souls occupying different levels of awakenment.’ ~ Excerpt from Divine Aspiration by Swami BR Sridhar ‘Krsna – the Supreme Personality of Godhead – appears differently to those who view him according to their respective rasa (mood). In this way, the differentiated character of the Absolute is revealed according the soul's subjective qualifications.’ ~ Excerpt from Subjective Evolution of Consciousness by Swami BR Sridhar Thus it is told that the Absolute Truth can be realised in three phases: Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. Brahman is the all-encompassing, non-differentiated and impersonal aspect of Divinity; Paramatma is the all-pervading Supersoul; the manifestation of the Divine within every being; Bhagavan is the personal aspect of Divinity. Bhaga means opulence, and van means one who possesses, indicating the personal feature possessing wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge and detachment to the extreme degree – aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah – Vishnu Purana 6.5.47. Thus all souls are irresistably attracted to Him, Krsna, who is inseparable from His female portion, Radha, as power is to the powerful. In Srimad Bhagavad Gita (18:66) it is stated: sarva-dharman parityajya, mam ekam saranam vraja—Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. Sanatana Dharma – the eternal constitution of the soul – does not mean to be Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Buddhist, but rather to accept and surrender unto the Absolute, independent of relative truths. Guardian of Devotion Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math knows its beginnings in 1941 as a simple thatched hut on the banks of the Ganges in Nabadwip, West Bengal. It was founded by Swami BR Sridhar, whose name means ‘the guardian of devotion.’ He was named thus by his own Guru, the eminent Swami BS Saraswati, who recognised in him a remarkable ability to convey deep spiritual conclusions, even in the English language. The distinction of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math has always been its quality of substance and original wealth. The Gaudya Vaisnava perception of reality, given by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and passed on by a pure lineage of saints, is revealed here from an angle of vision and in a form of expression that is unique. Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math has expanded to its magnificent present-day form by the untiring service of Swami BR Sridhar's most intimate disciple, Swami BS Govinda. His own mood has inspired the hearts of his disciples such that they have translated the profound teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu into more than twenty languages, and established more than 100 centres and Ashrams internationally, thus fueling the continuation of the Sankirttan movement worldwide. The Lotus Room is affiliated with Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math as its centre in Malta for cultivating the spirit according to the teachings of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Malini dd, Jahnavi dd (Jenny) and Indurekha dd (Bella) are direct disciples of Swami BS Govinda. Sriman Mahaprabhu’s followers in the line of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math can be distinguished by their high spiritual ideals and blossoming hearts. Humility, tolerance, giving honour to others and a deep service mood – these are the robes of the sincere practitioners of this line.