The Gita Sastra shows how yoga or union with God is attained only through bhakti. Among the yogis, the greatest is the bhakta, says Krishna, pointed out Sri M.V. Anantapadmanabhachariar in a discourse. The Lord states: “And of all the yogis, he who worships Me with full of faith, with his inner self abiding in Me, him I hold to be the most attuned to Me in yoga.”
Attaining perfection in this yoga is a slow process and it takes one through many births. Scriptural knowledge, arduous penance, or observing the rites and rituals prescribed in the sastras do not make one fully eligible to become realised. The process starts when the basic jnana about the dichotomy between the perishable body and the immortal atma begins to shape the individual’s attitude and approach to life. Along with this, one sees the same co-existence of the gross and the subtle also in the entire creation or Prakriti.
To be conscious of this truth at all times gives a sense of equanimity and this state of mind is better than that of a tapasvi who retires to the forest to do penance. It is also superior to that of a jnani who tries to get release and also that of a karma yogi who engages in action prescribed by the sastras. This yoga which surpasses tapas, jnana and karma has the best of all these and includes devotion also. This yogi is filled with devotion to the Lord and worships Him seated in the lotus of his heart and in the hearts of all; his way of life is selfless service under the guidance of divine grace.
Tapas, jnana and karma have to be transcended and only when one gains the awareness of the overwhelming supremacy of the Lord that instils the desire to worship Him with selfless love and devotion does he become a true yogi.
Bhakti is most effective to break the bond of samsara.
