Talk:The Path of Bhakti Yog has its Fruit Available along the Entire Journey

By Vishal Agarwal

"Bhakti is its fruit, i.e., it is not the result of jñāna, etc., so say the sons of Brahmā.Nārada Bhakti Sūtra 30" "Of all the other paths, that of bhakti is the most easily attainable because it does not depend upon any other proof (means) and is self-evident because it is of the nature of peace and the nature of supreme joy.Nārada Bhakti Sūtra 58–60"

Another perspective often presented to highlight the distinctiveness of bhakti is that its benefits can be experienced during one’s lifetime, unlike some other paths where the results are generally attained later, often after death. For instance, when a bhakta remembers and worships their iṣṭa-devatā with love and sincerity, they may experience a sense of inner joy and peace. This emotional connection provides a glimpse of the ultimate goal of bhakti, which is a loving and harmonious relationship with the Divine. Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭatiri (1588–1646), in his Nārāyaṇīyaṃ, describes bhakti as offering sweetness throughout its practice and culminating in ultimate bliss.

On the other hand, most schools of Vedānta and Sāṅkhya that advocate the path of jñāna promise the fruit only after the physical body’s dissolution. In the path of karma, there is a time lag between the performance of the act and the receipt of the result. One may go to heaven after death or experience the results later in this life or a future life. Likewise, in dhyāna-yoga, it takes years of effort, perhaps even several lifetimes of effort, to attain the final result. As a modern teacher explains:

"Everyone is capable of love. So everyone can have a love for God. In all other paths, there is the fear of a fall, but in bhakti, no such fear exists... The other paths of yoga are only means of practice and are needed only so long as one has not realized the Supreme. They only help the aspirants on their way to the goal. Parā-bhakti is, on the other hand, the goal itself. Bhakti is the sādhanā, the means, and the sādhya, the end. Parā-bhakti and God-realization are identical."

"The supremacy of parā-bhakti over other forms of yoga is also because its means is the same as its end (Nārada Bhakti Sūtra 26). Karma-yoga is the means to purify the mind. Purification of the mind is also the means to focus on meditation. Jñāna-yoga is the means for the unfoldment of intuition and the removal of ignorance. But in the advanced state of devotion, a devotee loves God for the sake of love itself. Supreme devotion is God-realization. So it is the goal of all forms of yoga."

"Love is its proof and does not require any other. It is self-evident. It is directly felt and experienced in one's own heart. That itself is its validity. Its nature is peace and supreme bliss. Therefore, by following the others..."