- There are three kinds of yogas: the yoga of knowledge, the yoga of action and the yoga of love and devotion.
- The fact is that unless your mind is steady, there can be no yoga, whatever path you may take. The mind of a yogi is under his control. The yogi is not controlled by the mind.
- Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. In Raja Yoga one unites with God through the mind. One communes with God by means of love and reason. It is a good path of union with God. Hatha Yoga is not well-suited for the age of Kali in which life depends on food.
- One can attain nothing unless one concentrates the mind to a point. The Bhagavata mentions that Shukadeva would walk around looking like a soldier with a bayonet. He would see neither this way nor that – his eyes were glued to his goal, Bhagavan. This is called yoga.
- ‘Lust and greed’ are the obstacles to yoga. They make one deviate from yoga and fall into worldliness – if there is still any desire for sense enjoyment. When this desire is fulfilled, the person will again turn toward the Lord – he will again attain the state of yoga.
- If the mind is restless, yoga is not possible. The wind of the world always distracts the flame of the mind. When the flame does not waver, one attains a perfect state of yoga.
Bhakti Yoga
- In the Kaliyuga one should practice Bhakti Yoga, chanting the Lord’s name and His glories, and prayer. Indeed, Bhakti Yoga is the law of this age.
- In the Kaliyuga life depends on food. With the conviction that I am the body, ‘I-ness,’ does not disappear. So the path of devotion is enjoined for the Kaliyuga. It is an easy path. If you sing His names and glories and pray to Him longingly from the core of your heart, you will attain God.
- You may cut down an ashwattha tree and think its roots are dead, but the very next morning you will see that a new sprout has appeared. The feeling of the body does not go away. Thus the path of devotion is a good and easy path in this age.
- I don’t want to become sugar, I want to taste it. I never feel like saying, ‘I am Brahman.’ I say, ‘You are my Lord and I am Your servant.’ It is good to play between the fifth and sixth planes. After crossing the sixth plane, I have no desire to stay on the seventh plane for long.
- For the Kaliyuga, Bhakti Yoga is best suited – the path of love and devotion enjoined by Narada: chanting the name and glories of God and praying with a longing heart, ‘O Lord, grant me knowledge and devotion, reveal Yourself to me.’ Karma Yoga is very difficult.
- Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion, Bhakti Yoga, is in fixing the mind on God by repeating His name and singing His glories. Bhakti Yoga is the easy path for the Kaliyuga. It is indeed the path for the present age.
- The path of love and devotion is best. One can approach God more easily through it than by any other path.
- Bhakti Yoga is the religion for this age. This does not mean that a lover of God reaches one goal and the followers of the path of knowledge and action reach another.
- You can attain Him by the path of devotion too. If you once develop love for the lotus feet of God, if you begin to enjoy chanting His name and glories, you don’t have to try to control your passions any more. They are subjugated automatically.
- When the Kundalini power awakens, one experiences bhava, bhakti and prema. This is called Bhakti Yoga.
- Bhakti yoga and Jnana Yoga are both paths to realize God. You may take any path and you will reach Him. The path of bhakti is an easy path. The path of jnana and discrimination, however, is difficult.
Jnana Yoga
- The path of knowledge is very difficult. Knowledge can’t be attained without ridding yourself of the conviction that you are the body.
- Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge, the jnani wants to know Brahman, the Absolute. He says to himself, ‘Not this, not this.’ He reasons, ‘Only Brahman is real and the world unreal.’
- The path of knowledge is also very difficult in this age. In the first place, human life is dependent on food. Second, life is short. Third, it is not possible to rid oneself of body consciousness.
Karma Yoga
- Karma yoga is very hard indeed. The rituals laid down in the sacred books are very hard to practice in the Kaliyuga. Life is dependent on food.
- Working unattached in this way is called Karma Yoga. But it is very difficult. Thus, it is only possible for those who have seen God to be completely unattached.
- If householders attend to their duties in life in an unattached manner with devotion for Him and surrender the result of their work to Him, it, too, is Karma Yoga.
- To perform worship, repetition of God’s name, and other such actions, surrendering the result to God, is also the path of action. The goal of this path is also God-realization.
- Karma Yoga is an extremely difficult path. By practicing Karma Yoga, one gains many occult powers – power to perform miracles.
- Do you understand the meaning of Karma Yoga? It is to surrender the fruit of all actions to God.
Hatha Yoga
- The body, money and so on are all ephemeral. Why worry so much about them? Look at the hatha yogis. Their only concern is how to add years to their lives. They don’t aim at realizing God.
Yogi
- The mind of a yogi is always fixed on the Lord, ever absorbed in the Atman. You know it as soon as you see his eyes; they gaze in wonder. They look like the eyes of a bird hatching her eggs. Her entire mind is centered on the eggs. She sees outwardly only in name.
- There are two classes of yogis: the vahudakas and the kutichakas. The sadhu who visits many places of pilgrimage and hasn’t yet attained peace of mind is a vahudaka. But the yogi who has stilled his mind after visiting several places, who has found peace of mind, fixes an asana for himself and doesn’t move from it. He feels joy only when he sits at that same place. He doesn’t feel the need to go on pilgrimage. If he goes to holy places at all, it is to get inspiration.
- Only a few attain the knowledge of God in family life. Two kinds of yogis are mentioned: the hidden yogi and the visible yogi. Those who have renounced the world are visible yogis; everyone can recognize them. The hidden yogi cannot be recognized.