Reflection Questions:
- What is the Difference between Mukti and Bhakti?
- Why should Souls Aim for Bhakti instead of Mukti?
- How can we Practice Sadhan Bhakti with our Material Tools?
If you randomly identify a cluster of people from any part of the world and ask them about their goal in life, it is very likely that their goal may fit into one of these broad categories – seeking material pleasures (i.e., bhukti), liberation from the cycle of life and death (i.e., mukti), or attaining the divine love of God (i.e., bhakti). A vast majority of the people tend to choose material pleasures defined by accumulation of wealth as a means to a lavish lifestyle. A minority of the population inclined toward spirituality, may choose either liberation or divine love. The purpose of this issue is to delve into these goals, briefly addressing bhukti, focusing more specifically on mukti (moksha) and bhakti.
The goal of bhukti has to do with one’s desire to find enjoyment from material or worldly things. Such pleasures are derived by accessing objects that satisfy the five senses – sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell. Everything in the material world is subject to becoming the object of sensory pleasures. Possession and accumulation of such objects is often motivated by the desire for immediate access when one wants. People spend endless lifetimes in the pursuit of material wealth and objects of sensory pleasure, but the reality is that the desire for bhukti is insatiable. In fact, there is no end in sight because the pursuit of material goals does not lead to everlasting contentment. Yet, under the illusion of finding eternal happiness, people chase worldly pleasures, making bhukti the goal of life.
In the evolutionary cycle of life and death, when souls realize that Bhukti is just a mirage, they are motivated toward Mukti or Bhakti.
What is the Difference Between Mukti and Bhakti?
The five kinds of Mukti (or liberation) can be classified into two main categories: The first is associated with dualism where the individual soul remains separate from God, whereas the second is associated with non-dualism (i.e., sayujya, ekatva, kaivalya or moksha) where the individual soul becomes one with God. For the purpose of this article, we will use the term mukti to refer to the second kind of liberation noted above.
The goal of a spiritual aspirant desiring Mukti is to achieve the state of liberation where all thoughts are steady and perfectly aligned with the self as Brahm (i.e., Aham Brahmasmi) or the impersonal form of God. Typically associated with the Gyan Yog Marg, the followers desire freedom from sorrows of the world, and therefore, wish to get liberated from Maya. Upon attainment of mukti, their soul merges into Brahm eternally.
Bhakti or Divine Love is the highest power of God. Jagadguru Shri Kripalu ji Maharaj reveals that “Love is the quintessential shakti of God.†The word 'Bhakti' comes from the root word, Bhaj, which means to serve. Thus, the noblest expression of love is the desire to serve God for His happiness. The path of Bhakti is associated with the philosophy where God and individual souls (i.e., jeev shakti) exist as independent and distinct realities.
The goal of a spiritual aspirant desiring Bhakti is to attain God-realization through exclusive (i.e., ananya), constant (i.e., nirantar), and selfless (i.e., nishkam) love for God. Narad ji reveals, “True love is for the happiness of the Beloved.â€
तत सà¥à¤– सूखीतà¥à¤µà¤‚
tat sukha sukhitvam
(NÄrad Bhakti DarÅ›han, SÅ«tra 24)
The aspirant practices sadhan bhakti so that all thoughts and actions are performed for the pleasure of God and all types of outcomes (e.g., joyous or sorrowful) are perceived as His divine grace for the elevation of the soul. The question that arises is whether a spiritual aspirant should choose Mukti or Bhakti.
Why should Souls Aim for Bhakti instead of Mukti?
The soul is a tiny fragment of the divine energy of God. God Himself is Bliss and therefore, being a part of God, aiming for divine bliss is the constitutional nature of the soul. The soul will keep searching for infinite bliss until it finds permanent satiation. There are several reasons for pursuing Bhakti over Mukti.
1. Bhakti Provides the Highest Bliss of God-realization. The path of Bhakti Yog (i.e., Vishuddha or Raganuga Bhakti) leads to Premanand, while the path of Gyan Yog leads to Brahmanand. One of the qualities of Bhakti is that it is moká¹£halaghutÄká¹›ita, meaning, it makes the happiness attained from liberation seem insignificant and not something worth pursuing.
Narad ji states in the Narad Pancharatra:
hari bhakti mahÄdevyÄḥ sarvÄmuktyÄdi siddhayaḥ
bhuktayaÅ›hchÄdbhutÄstasya chetikÄ vadanuvratÄḥ
The bliss of bhakti is such that even when the five types of liberation come and stand in front of the devotee, he does not acknowledge or accept them.
It is better to target a higher goal (i.e., Bhakti) even if difficult, than to target a lower goal (i.e., Mukti). When a soul attains Mukti, it eternally robs the soul of its loving relationship with God and the opportunity to serve Him for His pleasure. Thus, the wise devotee rejects liberation.
Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu reveals:
… तारो मधà¥à¤¯à¥‡ मोकà¥à¤· वांछा कैतव पà¥à¤°à¤§à¤¾à¤¨
taaro madhye moksh vaanchha kaitav pradhaan
“... of all the deceptions mukti is the greatestâ€
Mukti deprives humans from their prime goal of attaining divine love for eternity. Therefore, spiritual aspirants must love Shree Krishna as their beloved and attain the highest bliss forever. Various types of devotion may provide different kinds of rasas or bliss, but we must aspire for the highest form of bliss which is obtained from total selfless, exclusive and constant love as characterized by the Gopis of Braj.
2. Mukti is Self-Serving but Bhakti is in Service of God. Mukti is based on self-serving desires – to escape from the miseries of the material world for one’s own pleasure. Even though Mukti is not a material goal, pursuing it can become an obstacle on the path of divine love. This is because divine love is characterized by pure, selfless and loving devotion in the service of God for His pleasure.
At the very beginning itself, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.2 states
dharmaḥ projhita kaitavaḥ....
What is the true dharma of an individual? That which is free from all selfishness. Thus, all acts that are free from the four desires related to dharm, arth, kaam, and moksha—that alone is the true dharma of an individual.
Jagadguru Shri Kripaluji Maharaj has very beautifully stated:
बà¥à¤°à¤¹à¥à¤® लोक परà¥à¤¯à¤‚त सà¥à¤–, अरॠमà¥à¤•à¥à¤¤à¤¿à¤¹à¥à¤ सà¥à¤– तà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤—,
तबै धरहॠपग पà¥à¤°à¥‡à¤® पथ, नहीं लगी जइहें दाग
brahma lok paryanta sukh, aru muktihuñ sukh tyag,
tabai dharahu paga prema patha, nahin lagi jaihen dÄg
(Bhakti Åšhatak verse 45)
Give up the desires for worldly pleasures and that of liberation if you wish to walk the path of devotion. Else the pure waters of divine love will get tainted with selfishness.
3. The path of Gyan Yog is almost impossible to follow in Kaliyug. In order to be capable of even stepping into the Gyan Yog Marg, Jagadguru Adi Sankaracharya has laid several conditions:
vivekino viraktasya samÄdiguṇaÅ›hÄlinaḥ |
mumuká¹£horeva hi brahma jijñÄsÄ yogyatÄ matÄ ||
Gyan marg is for the one who has a great intellect, is completely detached from the world, has reconciled the mind in meditation, and has a curiosity to attain God.
jñÄn ke pañth ká¹›ipÄṇ kÄ« dhÄrÄ |
parat khageÅ›h hohiá¹ nahÄ«á¹ bÄrÄ || (Ramayan)
Gyan marg is the same as walking on the edges of a sword....Click here to read more.
How can we Practice Sadhan Bhakti with our Material Tools?
We must practice sadhan bhakti to purify the vessel of the heart. When the heart is completely purified, by the grace of the Guru, Bhakti (i.e., God's power of Divine Love) is revealed from within the heart. This shakti makes the devotee's senses, mind, and intellect also divine. The devotee is then able to interact with and serve God, and experiences infinite and indescribable bliss.
Here are some ways to practice sadhan bhakti:
- Association with a Guru. Absorb the true knowledge of the scriptures through the association and teachings of a Brahmanishta and Kshotriya Guru. As true knowledge increases, so will the faith and love for God and Guru. As one progresses forward, God will shower His grace on the soul which helps to increase the mind's attachment to the divine realm and simultaneous detachment from the material world.
- Weekly Satsang. Participate in Satsangs in-person or virtually to hear, chant, and contemplate on God. This form of Tridha Bhakti creates avenues for spiritual aspirants to focus on the names, forms, virtues, leelas (or pastimes), abodes, and saints of God with like-minded fellow aspirants.
- Sadhana in Isolation. Develop a routine for sadhan bhakti (i.e., preparatory practice of devotion) in isolation for at least 1 hour daily until it becomes an irrevocable habit and the mind begins to relish the bliss of practicing devotion. This is critical for developing a personal relationship with God through guided meditations or Roop-Dhyan in ways that nurture loving and devotional sentiments.
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