Bhakti or bhaktiYoga

The terms bhakti and bhaktiYoga are sometimes used interchangeable. However, bhakti is not necessarily bhaktiYoga. In fact, bhakti or devotional affection for a deity or spiritual master, is just that. It is devotional affection applied.

Yoga is defined by Patanjali as having eight parts with samyama or deep focused meditation as the highest three parts.

A person who has bhakti for a deity or guru may not require to practice yoga to increase the efficacy of the devotion. Bhakti can be so powerful where it does not require the assistance of yoga. In that case it is like a super-sharp blade which can cut efficiently without being sharpened by a stone, while if someone has bhakti but it is not intense enough and suitable enough, he/she may require yoga to intensity and purify the bhakti.

Think of it in this way:

• bhakti = bhakti
• bhaktiYoga = bhakti + yoga

Understand that unless the devotee just cannot intensity and purify the devotion to the deity or guru, there is no need to underwrite or intensity bhakti with yoga,.

The gopis of Vrindavan are perhaps the ideal example of persons using bhakti. In fact, when Uddhava was sent to inform them about the value of yoga, they ignored him, even though he was sent by the object of their affections who is Krishna. They had no need for yoga, no need to be trained in the application of yoga to their affections or bhakti.