Hare Krishna ,
In Bhagavat Gita in many places Buddhi Yoga is referred to as devotional service by Srila Prabhupada.
Though i am aware yoga means linking with supreme still the word Buddhi yoga is confusing me.
Buddhi means intelligence and Buddhi yoga means connecting with lord by using intelligence.It looks to me more like aquiring knowledge rather than devotional service. please enlighten me.I am confussed.
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What to do Vaishnav sees only good in others and his heart is full for gratitude for even a small things!
All glories to Guru and Gauranga!
Your servant,
Hare Krishna Rahul Prabhuji, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Srila Prabhupada says many know God as great. But they do not know how great He is. So he says to study and know how great God is.
So in order to come to the path of bhakti one had done all austerities, studied all Vedas...it is not simple thing. Living entities differ from each other by the amount of intelligence. Animals have not enough good intelligence to understand karma and come out from that but human beings have.
So Devotees gain knowledge about Krishna not to use this material world but to understand Krishna and His desires. His qualities. His pastimes.
Without knowing someone is it possible to love someone?
Not so sure.
For example, Devahuti heard and learned about good qualities of sage Kardama Muni and gave her heart to him. Wives of brahmanas only heard about pastimes of Krishna and gave their hearts to Him.
Arjuna heard that Subhadra is the embodiment of beauty and good qualities so went to approach her hand.
Rukmini heard from Narada Muni about the glories of Vasudeva Krishna and fell in love with Him...
so in this way this type of knowledge is needed. Devotees should not ignorant.
Ignorance means darkness.
We should know why we wake up in brahma muhurta, eat sattvik food, wear clean cloth...speak particular things...in this way it is the stage of goodness and only after goodness one comes to the stage of pure goodness.
So goodness means knowledge. Why and what one should know.
Not fanatic following something.
And believe me when one has knowledge it is easy to follow strict rules and live pure life. we can not live in the mode of goodness and lack desire to chant only because we do not have knowledge about the importance of Krishna Consciousness.
Lack of knowledge of how Krishna is. Of who Krishna is.
So that type of knowledge is called vigyana and that is needed.
Your servant,
one more thing:
religion without knowledge is sental mental
and knowledge without religion is only speculation.
So HH Sivaram Swami says in his lecture that every Devotee should have knowledge of Vishnu Tattva.
Time, karma, God, soul, prakriti
So without this we will be only sahajiyas. We have to know who is Krishna, how great He is.
Also Srila Prabhupada told that Devotees should study in order to preach.
Also in the beginning stages there will be so much in bliss in chanting and hearing. And that is not our deserved portion but Krishna's free gift in order to catch us and keep us with Him. But when we reach upper stage that taste goes away. One loose taste for chanting. On becomes sad.
Second verse of Shikshashtakam: durdaivam idrisham...
i do not have taste :(
So in that stage many leave chanting. They can not tolerate and leave chanting but remain only those who have causeless mercy of Devotees and those who have knowledge about this world, time, karma, and spiritual world. So that time knowledge will help and knowing these things one will continue to chant out of duty.
even if no taste.
Your servant,