This is an exerpt from a conversation with Prabhbu Kriyaban Yogi Ji.
"One who succeeds in either of these paths, O Arjuna, acheives the results of both." ( sadhana/raganuga bhakti and astanga yoga)
Both, however, require bhakti. Indeed, there are many instances of children and demons and simple persons, non yogis per se, acheiving Vaikuntha, but none of those entering there without the qualification of pure bhakti in devotional service. Thus, by power of Sri Caitanya's ecstasy and Divine Mercy, extensive qualifications in yoga are not necessarily required to acheive the higest goals in this Kaliyuga.
Harinama, Harinama, Harinama eva kevalam ... repeated thrice in sastra just to convince us Kali-yuga-ites.
The bhaktas and the yogis travel by inner transcendental airplane powerd by devotional exchange, as if upon wings of purely vibrated Vaisnava mantra. They also sometimes travel by mystic yoga process, or by visible Vaikuntha Airplanes.
Considering the severe penances and acquiring personal mystic instructions required for each student in the path of Kriya / Rajah yoga to be practically unobtainable for the masses of common men, as well as too difficult for children and those in heavy maya, stressed out, or less fit, Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the Yugavatara, incarnation of Sri Vishnu in a mood of ultimate Mercy, as appropriate for this dark age, has given us a sublime and easy process of congregationally singing the Holy Names, Maha mantra, Hare Krsna. Hare Rama. So it is by His Divine Grace that drops of nectar drip and sometimes pour from the inner wells of our devotional lives.
Devotional absorbtion is powerful in achieving trance naturally. Radha and Krsna are very attractive, even when the soul is buried under illusion, and possibly not even otherwise interested, but captured rather by Their All-attractive Beauty.
By serving the Shaktiman, as all shaktis are under His sway, He may choose to bestow pure bhakti, prema bhakti or pure intense love of Godhead, upon the sincere servants of the servants, thus linking one directly to the flow of the most intoxicating spiritual being of pure ecstatically emotional service in love. Like a flow of cooling water, purifying watesr. After all, the goal of our yogas is purification somehow, and achieving natural eternal pure life. Sri Krsna Caitanya can immediately bestow everything desirable, that is our experience as bhaktas, and our passion!
Many of us first read Sri Yogananada's "Autobiography of a Yogi', and were favorably influenced ; I first chanted Aum after reading this book. We were thus preprepared for the majesty and elaborate coherence of Bhagavad Gita As It Is. Srila Prabhupada's purports convinced me enough, of the essential character of the teachings of Krsna, to take up the Hare Krsna chanting,who are the personal purport of Aum, and to thus seek for devotional service.
Lord Sri Krsna claims that either path, if determinedly and successfully followed, bestows the blessings of both yogas. I am sure it is not at all idle! But both require bhakti, so we have taken that ball and ran with it. !
>; ) HK.
Comments
-----------------------
►740421SB.HYD Lectures
... By love of Godhead you can see God every moment.
Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva. Sadaiva means
twenty-four hours. People ask, "Whether you have seen God?...
drinking... Nobody can forget. But even intentionally you forget. So
how you can check not seeing the sunshine and the moonshine? How it is
possible. They say that "Have you seen ... "I am the sunshine." So
who has not seen sunshine? So you have to begin seeing like that. Then
if you remember Krsna, that is also seeing. Seeing, spiritual seeing,
does not mean simply to see by the eyes. Spiritual seeing means by
chanting you can see, by describing you can see. Because Krsna is
Absolute. Absolute. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam. In
either of these items, either you hear of Krsna, then you are seeing
Krsna. When you chant about Krsna, then you are seeing Krsna. When you
are thinking of Krsna, you are seeing Krsna. This is the process. This
is called bhakti-yoga.