Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga

These are progressive levels of advancement:

Karma yoga in of itself is the process of acting and being detached from the results. Lord Krishna says in Gita (2.47) "You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action."

So we work but without attachment to the result, that is karma yoga.

Then we have the stage of jnana yoga, where someone realises, hang on, why am I working so hard. The animals and the birds and the plants all get their food, so why am I working so hard? So this person begins searching for the truth through knowledge, esp by speculating, and forming their own conclusions, and they try to achieve liberation, generally to the Brahman stage, the nirvana stage, where they merge into the oneness of God.

Bhakti yoga is the art of doing everything for Krishna. In Bhakti we do Karma (action) and we seek jnana (knowledge), but the difference is that everything we do is for Krishna, and all the knowledge we attain is about Krishna, or for serving Krishna and His devotees. Everything is dovetailed for Krishna.

Bhakti is the only thing that attracts Lord Krishna. Therefore, if we want to go back to Godhead, only the process of Bhakti Yoga will work, and this is why Lord Krishna says again and again in the Gita, perform Bhakti yoga.

Ys.

Replies

Nitai Kirtan das July 22, 2015 at 10:14pm

These are progressive levels of advancement:

Karma yoga in of itself is the process of acting and being detached from the results. Lord Krishna says in Gita (2.47) "You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action."

So we work but without attachment to the result, that is karma yoga.

Then we have the stage of jnana yoga, where someone realises, hang on, why am I working so hard. The animals and the birds and the plants all get their food, so why am I working so hard? So this person begins searching for the truth through knowledge, esp by speculating, and forming their own conclusions, and they try to achieve liberation, generally to the Brahman stage, the nirvana stage, where they merge into the oneness of God.

Bhakti yoga is the art of doing everything for Krishna. In Bhakti we do Karma (action) and we seek jnana (knowledge), but the difference is that everything we do is for Krishna, and all the knowledge we attain is about Krishna, or for serving Krishna and His devotees. Everything is dovetailed for Krishna.

Bhakti is the only thing that attracts Lord Krishna. Therefore, if we want to go back to Godhead, only the process of Bhakti Yoga will work, and this is why Lord Krishna says again and again in the Gita, perform Bhakti yoga.

Ys.
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Dhaval Krishna Das November 26, 2011 at 5:19pm

Karma Yoga : Offer the results of all our work to Krishna.

Jnana Yoga : Dedicating our intelligence to understand knowledge about Krishna.

Bhakti Yoga : Totally dedicating all our mind, words and actions to the service of Krishna and His devotees.

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