bhakti revealed

Verse 4.3: That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcendental mystery of this science.

As with most things of value, there is a price to pay for getting the "real deal". For material things, that price is often money. However, to truly understand bhakti, the price is something a little different - it's the price of faith and relationship.

That's what we hear Krsna say to Arjuna today. Krsna is saying, "I am revealing this science of bhakti yoga to you because you are my friend."

That in essence sums up the secret to successfully practicing bhakti yoga - staying in the association of and developing real and genuine friendships with bhakti yogis.

Often we've described how bhakti yoga is not something that can be learned from books and texts alone. That's because....

Bhakti requires guidance because it is a transformation of heart and attitude.

Such a transformation occurs more quickly when one is in the company of those whose hearts and attitudes have changed. However, it requires that we make an investment of time and faith in developing relationships with such persons. The hearts of the great bhakti yogis are soft as butter since they are actively trying to live a life of compassion, gratitude and service. However, as with any treasure, they guard that bhakti with great attention and care.

For most of us, our best friends are those that we have spent a lot of time with since it is only then that both sides start trusting each other and start to speak from the heart. Similarly, the heart of the bhakti yogi is revealed when a relationship based on respect and affection is established.

For anyone who wants to get to the heart of bhakti, the best way to do so is by securing a place in the heart of a bhakti yogi.

if you don't know where you're going...

Verse 2.42-43: Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.

Not only is goal setting important, but in any practice or activity we perform, it's just as important to know what the top-most achievable goal actually is. Take for example school. I don't know about you, but one of the reasons why I found University so challenging was largely due to the fact that I didn't have an end goal in mind. I only had an intermediate goal which was to graduate with a degree in Biochemistry, hoping that somehow in the process I would figure out what I would want to do.

I chose to major in Biochemistry mainly because those were the subjects that I got the highest marks in in high school. When I entered first year University and my grades took a nose-dive, I remember feeling so stressed out. Not only did I realize that I had to learn how to learn, but I felt that the majority of the courses I had to take were uninteresting and useless. As second year and third year rolled around, I learned how to teach myself, but still felt unsatisfied. For years I didn't understand why. It's only know that I understand it's because all that knowledge and information was just that - knowledge and information. I couldn't put it into context of a larger picture of how and when I was going to apply it. Because of that University was more about grades as opposed to understanding the application of the subjects I was studying.

Here, Krsna is saying something very similar about the process of yoga. He's saying, "Don't just get attached to the external results of what yoga can give you that will simply help to gratify your senses. Understand that there is a higher purpose, a higher goal and strive towards that." Just like I was short-sighted in simply striving for a degree, here the student of yoga is being advised to see beyond the short-term benefits of what yoga has to offer.

So what is the top-most goal one can achieve in practicing yoga? Bhakti. The ability to truly tap into our loving propensity by realizing who we are (the soul) and reviving our eternal and increasingly joyful relationship with the Supreme. Now practically speaking, that may seem a little bit difficult to conceptualize for one who just wants to apply principles of yoga in their life or is just starting their yoga practice, but that's ok. The point is that everyone should be aware that there is an ultimate goal in yoga.

In the meantime, go on and set your intermediary goals. Whether that goal is to simply make it to your yoga class on a weekly basis, to engage in mantra meditation daily or to offer everything you do in a spirit of gratitude, that's wonderful. We all need to take the first step. But from time to time, check and in and see where you're at. That highest goal is only achievable if you know where you're going. Otherwise, if don't know where you're going, as the saying goes, any road will take you there.

don't try to pretend to be something that you are not

Verse 2.11: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.

As soon as Arjuna seeks shelter from Krsna as his student, the relationship changes. Although the love and affection is still there, Krsna immediately takes on the role of teacher and spiritual guide. And what is his first words? A chastisement.

Krsna immediately identifies the root of Arjuna's confusion and anxiety- his identification with the material body and not the eternal spirit soul. Note how Krsna does not waste any time. Interestingly, Krsna is also subtly scolding Arjuna. Arjuna is posing himself as a learned man spouting off all kinds of philosophy and Krsna is saying, "Why are you posing yourself as someone who is learned when you yourself are in anxiety? A learned person is one who knows the difference between matter and spirit."

This is actually a very important point, not just for anyone who wants to share spiritual knowledge but for one who is looking for guidance and a teacher to learn under. In this day and age it is very easy to propound oneself as an expert or guru. All you need to do is a little research, have some charisma and boom! You're revered.

Krsna is warning Arjuna of that here: don't try to pretend to be something that you are not. This requires some introspection and a warning that you may not like what you find. Most of us would like to think that we are honest and genuine. However, as aspiring bhakti yogis, it is not sufficient to just assume that we are filled with good qualities. The path of bhakti is one that actually reveals to us our shortcomings and gives us the process by which we can overcome them.

Upon introspection, one may find that sometimes the tendency does come up to embellish one's own qualities. I mean, who doesn't like to be asked for their opinion? There's nothing wrong with giving an opinion or advice in and of itself. It's the mood and consciousness that really matters. If anyone is in any position to give spiritual guidance, it is always the most important thing to give credit where it is due.

Although I try to write something on the Gita everyday, I always try to do so in the mood of an instrument. On my really good days, I'm overwhelmed with the feeling of feeling very tiny and incompetent. It's wonderful because I finally can realize the import of a beautiful prayer that is oftentimes spoken before a speaker gives a discourse on bhakti yoga:

mukam karoti vachalam
pangum langhayate girim
yat-kripa tam aham vande
shri-gurum dina-taranam

The translation to this verse is as follows: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual teacher, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains."

This attitude helps to put one in their rightful place. That of an instrument. Any spiritual understanding or realization we may experience only comes from the blessings of one's spiritual teachers' and Krsna. We ourselves can't do anything, but with the power of blessings we can do anything.

Similarly, the sincere student should always look for the appropriate qualities in a teacher. Don't let yourself be fooled by a vibrant and eloquent speaker who glorifies their own self. A true lover of God will always look upon themselves as a recipient of God's grace and feel themselves to be very low. Despite their humility, their actions will always reflect their true dependence on God and his empowerment. Practically, the manifestation of that empowerment will be felt by how they inspire and empower you.

That is a real bhakti yogi and a true teacher who can help us to not only love God but teach others to love God as well.