Bhakti is the extreme love for attaining god for self realisation. But everyone is not so endowed with the feeling of bhakti. To invoke bhakti and to enrich the same, the formalities of Puja was initiated by our sages. So, puja is the formality for initiation of that effervescent bhakti. When Puja ends, Bhakti begins. And when that bhakti is inculcated in its purest form, its intoxicating effect leads us to the highest form of salvation.

Hare Krishna.

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Jay Krishnan Ramasawmy April 23, 2011 at 10:23am

Hare Krsna,

His divine grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has given explanations on this topic in several books including the Srimad Bhagavatam. I will try to extract some quotes that should enable you to understand the difference between bhakti and puja.

From the Srimad Bhagavatam, 2nd Canto, Chapter Four, Text 20:

" In the Vedic rituals there are recommendations for performing different types of sacrifice in order to achieve the greatest benefit in life. Such benedictions as the results of performing great sacrifices are, after all, favors given by the goddess of fortune, and the Lord, being the husband or lover of the goddess of fortune, is factually the
Lord of all sacrifices also. He is the final enjoyer of all kinds of yajna; therefore Yajna-pati is another name of Lord Visnu.

It is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita that everything be done for the Yajnapati
(yajnartat karmanah), for otherwise one's acts will be the cause of conditioning by the law of material nature. Those who are not freed from all misconceptions (vyalikam) perform sacrifices to please the minor
demigods, but the devotees of the Lord know very well that Lord Sri Krsna is the supreme enjoyer of all performances of sacrifice; therefore they perform the sankirtana-yajna (sravanam kirtanam visnoh), which is
especially recommended in this age of Kali. In Kali-yuga, performance of other types of sacrifice is not feasible due to insufficient arrangements and inexpert priesthood."

"The process of meditation recommended herein is bhakti-yoga, or the process of devotional service after one is liberated from the material conditions. Jnana-yoga is the process of liberation from the material
conditions. After one is liberated from the conditions of material existence, i.e., when one is nivrtta, as previously stated herein, or when one is freed from all material necessities, one becomes qualified to discharge the process of bhakti-yoga. Therefore bhakti-yoga includes jnana-yoga, or, in other words, the process of pure devotional service
simultaneously serves the purpose of jnana-yoga; liberation from material conditions is automatically achieved by the gradual development of pure devotional service. These effects of bhakti-yoga are called anarthanivrtti.
Things which are artificially acquired gradually disappear along with the progress of bhakti-yoga."

This process of Bhakti-yoga is discussed in more depth in Srimad-Bhagavatam and other devotional scriptures.

If you want to know more to better understand, let me know.

Hari Bol,

pranathi rao April 11, 2011 at 6:27pm

Hare Krishna! all glories to Srila Prabhupada.

please accept my obeisances, prabhuji.

the essence of all knowledge and education, all puja and yagna is to know the supreme Lord Sri Krishna. vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo.(BG ch 15 text 15)

puja is ordered by our vedas so that we may serve Him nicely and develop love for Him. Pure unalloyed love for Krishna is called bhakti -yoga. The end result of all our endeavors, all our pujas and human birth itself, is to develop love for Krishna.

"So this bhakti, devotional path, is meant for satisfying the master of the senses, Hrishikesha.Hrishikena Hrishikesha-sevanam Bhaktir uchyate [Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 19.170]. Hrishikena, by your senses, when you serve the Hrishikesha, the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. This is the definition of bhakti. Hrishikena hrishikesha-sevanam bhaktir uchyate (Narada-pañcharatra). So that is our business."

Hare KRISHNA!

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