Category: Swami Rama

There are two laws, the law of contraction and the law of expansion. Hate others, you are going through the law of contraction. Love all, you are going through the law of expansion. Learn to love, that is the law of expansion. What does love mean? It means to give, without any expectation, to your own people. This is a school where you learn to give unconditionally. Then you will learn that nothing is difficult for you, nothing is difficult. First thing you should learn is to just give. Instead of arguing with your wife, just give her what she wants. Just give your children what they want. Slowly, you will discover that they have started loving you so much and they have become so very consider-ate. They will never exploit your generosity. Learning to give is one of the greatest of arts. Give selflessly, to those at home, to those with whom you live. Start doing it there. Love will completely transform you, for love alone has that power, even death does not have the power to transform you. So if you love, then there is only love, there is no space for you. At present you have likes and dislikes; but with love, there is a sense of equality, you love all, you can never hate anyone. There is that underlying understanding that I will love all and exclude none. You are free. It is a joy that leads to bliss. There is so much expansion of your mind that anything that is hidden, that is unconscious, comes forward as a part of the conscious mind. Why should you be unhappy? You know who is unhappy? One who is selfish. Who is happy? One who is selfless. It’s that simple. I am not telling you to go crazy, giving away all your wealth to strangers, becoming uselessly charitable, no! I am telling you to do experiments at home, with those who live with you. Transforming your personality is the simple way to attainment. Let us not make it difficult.

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Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Conscious Living by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in 2002, Pg 87-88

Self-surrender is considered to be the highest of all yogas. In this path the yogic exercises and other techniques like concentration and meditation are not involved. The yoga of self-surrender has been explained by Lord Krishna in the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. According to this method of attainment, the aspirant surrenders all that he has-his body, mind, intellect, and ego-entirely to the Lord of life in order to establish truth and supreme bliss. Two qualities of action lead the aspirant to self-surrender: faithfulness and sincerity. Faithfulness is to admit and to manifest no movement other than that which is promoted by the innermost conscious-ness. Sincerity requires the lifting of all movements of mind, body, and action to the level of the highest consciousness where the thought of individuality or duality ceases. Sincerity is one of the qualities that aspirants should cultivate with all efforts. Those who surrender without reserve, to them Atman reveals itself. Desire for self-surrender and mere assumptions of mental attitude do not help much in this path. When total surrender is accomplished, the entire personality is transformed. Without complete self-surrender, it is not possible to attain the Divinity. In the process of self-surrender, the student opens himself to the divine force and allows it to work through his mind, action, and speech. Divine grace and bliss are ever-present, but the human ego creates a wall and resists this force because of the ignorance he develops with the association of the mind, which flows to the external world with the help of the senses. Mind has its own ideas and always clings to them. It has its habits and always flows to the grooves of its habits. The ego controls the life of the ignorant: he lives in the world that is ruled by ego. Unless there is a burning desire to go beyond, self-surrender is impossible. Self-surrender should be unconditional. Self-surrender is the way of accepting the divine with the whole heart and mind. It is the shortest of all paths, yet very difficult and very easy also. The Ishopanisad declares, “Tena tyaktena“; that is, the way of practicing self-surrender is to “offer all the fruits of thy actions and then enjoy.”

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Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Choosing a Path by Swami Rama, published in 1996, The Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of USA, pp. 129-130

Doing all of one’s actions for others that is the way to liberation. The great people of the world have tried to go with the law of karma by doing their actions skillfully, selflessly, and lovingly, and by surrendering the fruits of their actions to others so that the fruits would not create bondage for them. But ordinary people do not do that. They get attached to the fruits and create a whirlpool for themselves.

The whirlpool of karma, which is created by our own ignorance, wants to annihilate our inborn desire for freedom, and many in this world are swept away by the glittering nature of the objects of the world. The Upanishads say, “Tene tyaktena bhunjitha“—”Therefore enjoy the objects of the world with renunciation.” That is the difference between the ordinary person and the great person. Great is he who does all deeds selflessly for others. Petty and ignorant is he who does deeds for himself and gets attached and creates a whirlpool of misery for himself. When one applies the formula: “All the things of the world are for me, and I should learn to enjoy them and to use them, but they do not belong to me,” then doing one’s duty will not become an obstacle in the path of liberation. In such a case, the objects of the world do not create obstacles; they become means.

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Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Choosing a Path by Swami Rama, published in 1996, The Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of USA, pp. 100

To be loved means to love. Love means giving, giving, giving, where there is no thought of any return or reward. To give wholeheartedly and unconditionally is called love. One should learn to love without expectation, or if one cannot live without it, he should expect less and love more. One should not expect any reward from the beloved one. In the path of bhakti, one doesn’t expect any rewards. He surrenders; he gives completely. When one gives completely, he has given up everything, and he gives everything. That is called love, self-surrender. And self-surrender is the highest of all yogas. As long as one has not surrendered his mere self to the highest Self, he cannot learn to love. One has to surrender himself. The principle is to give and to feel delight in giving.

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Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Choosing a Path by Swami Rama, published in 1996, The Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of USA, pp. 74

The mantra helps one to go beyond this process, creating a new groove in the mind, and the mind then begins to spontaneously flow into the groove created by the mantra. Finally, when the mind becomes concentrated, one-pointed, and inward, it peers into the latent part of the unconscious, and there, sooner or later, it finds a glittering light. The great ones like to keep their eyes partially closed, looking into the innermost light that shines within this frame of life. Mantra is the means. Meditation is the method.

My way of using the mantra is different from yours, however, because I do not want to fool around with the process. In my own practice I sit down and observe my whole being listening to the mantra. I do not remember the mantra or repeat the mantra mentally. Instead, I make my whole being an ear to hear the mantra, and the mantra is coming from everywhere. This will not happen to you immediately in meditation, but when you have attained or accomplished something, it will happen to you. Then, even if you do not want to do your mantra, it is not possible to avoid it. Even if you decide that you do not want to remember the mantra, it will not be possible. Finally, even the mantra does not exist; only the purpose for which you repeat the mantra is there; you are there. The mantra might still be there, but it exists as an experience that overwhelms your whole being, and is not separate from you.

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Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Art of Joyful Living by Swami Rama, published in 1989, Himalayan Institute India, pp. 169-170

Do the following experiment for just a day or two: Use that great power that is your inherent power—the power called love. Learn to express yourself in such a way that you don’t hurt, injure, or harm others. Learn to give. Often you hurt others merely for the sake of your own selfish ego. Yoga science makes the true meaning of love clear when it describes the practice of ahimsa (not harming, hurting, or injuring others). If you learn to practice ahimsa, then you are practicing love in your daily life, and the practice of love does not mean being selfish. How many times a day do you have the desire to give the wealth and bounty you have to others—even to those who are related to you? The ability to give to outsiders develops later on. Ahimsa should be practiced first with those close to you, and when you have learned to enjoy giving, a time will come when you can give without any reservation.

All the great men and women who have lived on this earth have been selfless and desireless; they lived to serve and help others. They knew that the only way to freedom is to learn to give. This is the law of life. So you should continue to do the experiment with yourself, and every time you do, you will find that you are growing and growing. Eventually your growth will lead you to a state and a height in which you are free from all desires that are selfish. The desire to help others, to serve others, to serve the nation and humanity— these are great desires. When all your small desires are swallowed by the great desires, then your life will be like that of a saint, and you will find that you have become entirely different.

A good person really lives. One who is not healthy or helpful for himself cannot be healthy and helpful to others. One who suffers from himself cannot love others, and cannot perform actions that are selfless. These people create a whirlpool for themselves; they cannot cross the mire of delusion that arises in their own mind or go beyond. They cannot rise. But in all the great cultures of the world there have been extraordinary men who can be examples for you. Sometimes they were crucified, killed, rebuked, or stoned, but always it was for the sake of others —never for themselves. Petty men die for themselves and for their own petty desires; great men die because they want to serve humanity. Both die, but there is a difference in their dying and their living.

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Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Art of Joyful Living by Swami Rama, published in 1989, Himalayan Institute India, pp. 40-41 

Love is learning to maintain respect for others. Love is not that spontaneous thing you feel for someone that is merely sensual. That feeling is not love; it dies in only a few days’ time. Love is understanding; it is giving. When you love, you give and give and don’t expect anything in return. And when you learn to give, when you understand that the real law of life is giving, and that the more you give, the more you receive, then you will know that love is giving sincerely, not expecting things from the other person all the time. Your expectations are the mother of all your problems in life: you expect too much from each other; you fantasize about relationships and expect too much of them—and you are then disappointed. Once you realize this, you can adjust your expectations and create harmony in the relationship.

Those who cannot love are actually selfish. But the more selfless you become, the more you will find that you have a kind of freedom that cannot be imagined by your mere mind. In the modern world you learn to live only for yourself, and you learn to value the things that you have or want to acquire for yourself. This is one approach to living. But if you understand that you are meant for others, and if you want to serve others and live for others, that is an entirely different way of living. The first way contracts your personality; the other expands your personality—that is the difference. So far, you’ve formed the habit of being selfish, and you see only your own viewpoint and desires.

All the great people of the different traditions in the world have been selfless. Christ, the Buddha, and Krishna all attained the highest wisdom because they were selfless—but still they remained themselves. Selfishness is not needed; it will get in your way. If you are selfless, your outer individual shell will remain exactly the same, but your inner light will expand to universal consciousness. That individual flame of love will become a conflagration that will burn up the weed of your selfishness. Truth will automatically come to you if you learn how to love.

But don’t approach love in a merely external or superficial way; offering your body to somebody is not love; it is merely lust. I am talking of that kind of love in which you are completely selfless. In such love you want to give, and you feel great joy in giving, and you feel that this is something great for you to do as a human being. You need to learn to give and truly love.

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Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Art of Joyful Living by Swami Rama, published in 1989, Himalayan Institute India, pp. 138-139

यदा विनियतं चित्तमात्मन्येवावतिष्ठते ।
निःस्पृहः सर्वकामेभ्यो युक्त इत्युच्यते तदा ॥ ६-१८॥

यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता ।
योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः ॥ ६-१९॥

यत्रोपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया ।
यत्र चैवात्मनात्मानं पश्यन्नात्मनि तुष्यति ॥ ६-२०॥

yadā viniyataṁ cittamātmanyēvāvatiṣṭhatē .
niḥspr̥haḥ sarvakāmēbhyō yukta ityucyatē tadā .. 6-18..

yathā dīpō nivātasthō nēṅgatē sōpamā smr̥tā .
yōginō yatacittasya yuñjatō yōgamātmanaḥ .. 6-19..

yatrōparamatē cittaṁ niruddhaṁ yōgasēvayā .
yatra caivātmanātmānaṁ paśyannātmani tuṣyati .. 6-20..

18. When a very well controlled mind remains stable in the Self alone, detached from all desires, then one is called joined in yoga.

19. As a lamp in a place without breeze does not tremble—this is the simile of a yogi whose mind is controlled practicing the yoga of the Self.

20. Where the mind ceases, withdrawn through the observance of yoga, where one sees the self in the Self, one is satiated in the Self.

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In most great meditative traditions of the world, the breath is the center for focusing the mind. Only those teachers who do not have direct experience with the path of meditation and who have lost the sensitivity for the well being of their students prescribe a gross object as a focal point. With the breath as an object, the student is first led toward concentration, which gradually becomes more subtle. Following this fine thread of breath, he attains inwardness. The mind then acquires the capacity of subtlety, and one develops a penetrating sense of internal observation.

Concentration and meditation should ultimately lead one to Atman alone. One-pointedness of mind is an important requisite to help one accomplish that. When one learns to concentrate on the breath and removes all the defects that he finds in his breathing patterns, he tries to understand who it is that is inhaling and exhaling. There are traditions that believe in the coordination of mantra with the breath at this stage. Mantra is a Sanskrit word, sound, syllable, or set of words. It is a means to remove all the impurities of mind. There are a few mantras that are used while inhaling and exhaling that do not disturb the flow of the breath. The sadhaka reaches a point in his practice where he not only breathes the air but constantly remembers the mantra with each inhalation and exhalation. That leads the mind to constant awareness of the mantra. When the consciousness of the mantra is deepened, the mantra is able to guide the mind in the inner world.

The student is then taught to be aware of the inner light that already burns without flickering. When the mind experiences that light, it elevates itself to a state of joy that it did not experience before. That light which is within us is the finest and best form upon which to meditate. Without that light we would not be able to see, observe, verify, and discriminate anything in the external world. It is the light of consciousness that is experienced in a concentrated form. The mind then begins to see clearly; it is no longer clouded. Then the light of consciousness and mantra become one, because at that stage the mantra is not actually remembered, but its meaning and feeling are revealed. At first one remembers and repeats the mantra in a gross way, but gradually it is experienced in a more subtle way. When one develops the feeling of constant awareness of the mantra, it unites with the mainstream of consciousness where light and sound are inseparably mingled. That is a perfect state of concentration. One has then attained profound control of the mind, and he experiences a constant closeness and union with the Self-illumined Atman. When the sadhaka has mastered the art of concentration, his mind is fixed on the Self only. The mind of an ordinary person is dissipated, disturbed, and fickle, but the mind of the sadhaka attains steadiness. Such a sadhaka has mastered and controlled the usual flow of mental energy that goes out to the external world. From the very beginning the object of concentration must be carefully chosen. At first it should be the breath and later breath with mantra well coordinated and united. In a higher stage sound and light are united, and in the highest state pure Consciousness alone exists.

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Editor’s Note:

This article has been shared as part of the ‘Book of the Month’ study in honour of Gurudeva Swami Rama’s Birth Centenary Celebrations. We will study the Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Rama during April 2025.

योऽन्तःसुखोऽन्तरारामस्तथान्तर्ज्योतिरेव यः ।
स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति ॥ ५-२४॥

लभन्ते ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृषयः क्षीणकल्मषाः ।
छिन्नद्वैधा यतात्मानः सर्वभूतहिते रताः ॥ ५-२५॥

कामक्रोधवियुक्तानां यतीनां यतचेतसाम् ।
अभितो ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं वर्तते विदितात्मनाम् ॥ ५-२६॥

yō’ntaḥsukhō’ntarārāmastathāntarjyōtirēva yaḥ .
sa yōgī brahmanirvāṇaṁ brahmabhūtō’dhigacchati .. 5-24..

labhantē brahmanirvāṇamr̥ṣayaḥ kṣīṇakalmaṣāḥ .
chinnadvaidhā yatātmānaḥ sarvabhūtahitē ratāḥ .. 5-25..

kāmakrōdhaviyuktānāṁ yatīnāṁ yatacētasām .
abhitō brahmanirvāṇaṁ vartatē viditātmanām .. 5-26..

24. He who finds comfort within himself, who finds zest and delight within himself, and whose light is within himself such a yogi, having become Brahman, attains absorption into Brahman.

25. The sages, with their stains dissolved, attain absorption into Brahman; their doubts sundered, their selves controlled, they delight in benefitting all beings.

26. Absorption into Brahman is close to those ascetics whose minds are controlled, who are devoid of desire and anger, and who have come to know the Self.

Seeking happiness in the external world is like chasing a mirage: no matter how fast one may rush toward it, he never finds anything even when he reaches the place where he thought his goal lay. It is impossible to attain happiness in the external world, for happiness is only found deep in the innermost chamber of one’s being. The Self is the center of happiness. Those who are realized are always filled with the happiness of the Self, and they alone find real peace in their hearts. With the light of knowledge, such illumined beings are able to remove all doubts from the mind. When the doubts are removed there is clarity of mind, and then one is able to see things as they are. This happens only when the knowledge of Atman is attained. That knowledge is all-encompassing, eternal, and everlasting. But those who become a victim of sense pleasures have no clarity of mind, are full of doubts, and are unable to see things in perspective. Their sufferings are countless, and they constantly create obstacles for themselves instead of removing them.

According to the message of the Bhagavad Gita, Brahmanirvana (absorption in Brahman) is a state of highest bliss. That blissful state is attained by those great ones who have sense control and whose doubts have been removed by the knowledge of discrimination. Such great ones live on the earth, serving all creatures selflessly. Those who have purified their hearts and minds, removing desire and anger, and who have perfect control over their minds find peace within and without.

Those who dedicate their lives to the service of mankind do not have selfish motivations and desires. It is easy for them to have control over their desires and anger, whereas selfish people have no self-control. They are uncontrolled, full of desire, and remain under the grip of anger. Anger is an outcome of unfulfilled desire. It is an evil that shatters the nervous system by imbalancing the body, breath, and mind. Those who are out to fulfill their selfish desires can never be happy, for such desire if fulfilled gives birth to many more desires and finally creates a whirlpool that makes one miserable. But those who are conscious of Brahman and find delight in having control over their minds are the great ones, enjoying peace within from the perennial source of peace and happiness, the Self.

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Editor’s Note:

This article has been shared as part of the ‘Book of the Month’ study in honour of Gurudeva Swami Rama’s Birth Centenary Celebrations. We will study the Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Rama during April 2025.

 

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च ।
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥ १२-१३॥

सन्तुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः ।
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२-१४॥

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ।
हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥ १२-१५॥

अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः ।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२-१६॥

यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।
शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्यः स मे प्रियः ॥ १२-१७॥

समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः ।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः ॥ १२-१८॥

तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् ।
अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ॥ १२-१९॥

ये तु धर्म्यामृतमिदं यथोक्तं पर्युपासते ।
श्रद्दधाना मत्परमा भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः ॥ १२-२०॥

advēṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa ēva ca .
nirmamō nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī .. 12-13..

santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yōgī yatātmā dr̥ḍhaniścayaḥ .
mayyarpitamanōbuddhiryō madbhaktaḥ sa mē priyaḥ .. 12-14..

yasmānnōdvijatē lōkō lōkānnōdvijatē ca yaḥ .
harṣāmarṣabhayōdvēgairmuktō yaḥ sa ca mē priyaḥ .. 12-15..

anapēkṣaḥ śucirdakṣa udāsīnō gatavyathaḥ .
sarvārambhaparityāgī yō madbhaktaḥ sa mē priyaḥ .. 12-16..

yō na hr̥ṣyati na dvēṣṭi na śōcati na kāṅkṣati .
śubhāśubhaparityāgī bhaktimānyaḥ sa mē priyaḥ .. 12-17..

samaḥ śatrau ca mitrē ca tathā mānāpamānayōḥ .
śītōṣṇasukhaduḥkhēṣu samaḥ saṅgavivarjitaḥ .. 12-18..

tulyanindāstutirmaunī santuṣṭō yēna kēnacit .
anikētaḥ sthiramatirbhaktimānmē priyō naraḥ .. 12-19..

yē tu dharmyāmr̥tamidaṁ yathōktaṁ paryupāsatē .
śraddadhānā matparamā bhaktāstē’tīva mē priyāḥ .. 12-20..

13. Bearing no animosity toward any being, amiable as well as compassionate, free of ‘I’, free of ‘mine’, holding pain and pleasure as equal, forgiving,

14. Always satisfied, with a controlled nature, of firm resolve, a yogi who has surrendered his mind and intelligence unto Me, who is My devotee, he is My beloved.

15. He from whom the world does not become excited, and he who does not become excited from the world, liberated from the agitations or exhilaration, intolerance, and fear, he is My beloved.

16. Free of expectation, pure, dextrous, neutral, free of insecurities, he who renounces expectations of fruits from all acts that he initiates, who is My devotee, he is My beloved.

17. He who neither rejoices nor hates, neither grieves nor desires, he who renounces all that is attractive or unattractive, whosoever is endowed with devotion, he is My beloved.

18. A like toward foe or friend, similarly toward honor or dishonor, alike toward cold and heat as well as pain and pleasure, devoid of attachment,

19. Equal to praise and censure, maintaining silence, satisfied with whatever; homeless, with stable intelligence, whosoever is endowed with devotion, that man is My beloved.

20. Those who follow this virtuous nectar of immortality that I have taught, maintaining faith, holding Me supreme, those devotees are My deeply beloved.

These verses explain the characteristics of the best of devotees. Such a one hates none and loves all, is kind to all and treats everyone alike. For him there is no attachment to any particular person. He has no pride, regards misery and pleasure alike, forgives all, and practices spiritual sadhana regularly. Through his spiritual discipline he is able to control his senses. It is important to control the senses, for they distract and dissipate the mind. Without control over the mind and senses, sadhana is not possible. One who is not motivated by desire for sense enjoyment, who performs his duty with full determination, and who dedicates his skills to the Lord’s work is dear to the Lord. He who does not despise anyone and whom no one despises is not affected by success or failure, anger or fear. He who is single-mindedly devoted to his duty and remains equally non-attached to gain and loss is dear to the Lord. One who is able to attain the state of tranquility, not caring for honor or dishonor, who is free from the pairs of opposites, who maintains silence, does not have any home for himself, whose mind is always one-pointed, and whose heart is full of faith regards the Lord as his own Self. Such a one who has secured the highest of knowledge is a blessed one.

To be perfect is to remove all the imperfections in mind, action, and speech. Verses 13 through 20 describe the following virtues, which an aspirant should acquire on the path of perfection: (1) Hatred is the root cause of all misery, for by hating others one isolates himself from the whole; therefore learn to love and give. (2) One should be a friend to all; he should not feel animosity toward anyone. (3) Kindness teaches one to be merciful and is a practical way of expressing one’s love; therefore be kind and give. (4) “Mine and thine” are traps of maya that bind one with strong chains of attachment; do not become attached. (5) Do not possess anything, even a house of your own; preoccupation with accumulating wealth is hoarding and is a reflection of greed. (6) Egoism and pride reduce one to nothingness, for the ego makes one petty and separates him from the whole; full effort should be made to purify the ego. (7) When reaping the fruits of his actions, one should learn to be content; contentment is the highest of all wealth, and without it one remains unsatisfied and frustrated. (8) Expectation is a longing for enjoyment, and whether it is fulfilled or not, it creates dependency and robs the human dignity; expectation should be abandoned. (9) One should practice self-control, without which the mind cannot be made one-pointed and the energies cannot be concentrated. (10) A tranquil mind is undisturbed in all situations, favorable or unfavorable; one who has developed tranquility never grieves and is never deluded. (11) Determination builds courage and will power and leads to success in all spheres of life. (12) Firmness is a virtue that leads to fearlessness and self-reliance. (13) Non-attachment helps one to attain spiritual heights; it is the total absence of the desire for enjoyment. (14) Negative emotions lead one to extremes; positive emotions can be substituted, for example love in place of hate. (15) Giving up the fruits of one’s actions brings great joy, freedom, and peace; one who gives up everything is the greatest lover of mankind. (16) One should remain a witness, a seer, not identifying himself with the seen. (17) With mind, action, and speech, one should be pure, free from stains and faults. (18) One should be vigilant, for carelessness becomes a stumbling block. (19) The desire for fruits is a hindrance in the path of skillful actions; give up that desire. (20) One who loves all receives love from all; the expression of love should be practiced in daily behavior by giving the best one has. (21) One who has totally dedicated his mind, heart, and intellect is a true yogi. (22) One who is courageous can face any calamity of life; he remains even in all conditions. (23) Faith is the greatest of all virtues provided it is based on pure reason and not mere belief. All of these virtues are the signs and symptoms of the great devotees of the Lord. Blessed are they who work hard to acquire these virtues and attain perfection.

This chapter is devoted to the path of bhakti yoga, the path of love and devotion. Many students think that this is the easiest path, and many consider it to be a path of emotionalism, but that is not the case. To love and to be in love is not easy. The path of devotion and love is as difficult as the paths of jnana and karma yoga. In fact it is more difficult because it requires single-pointed devotion toward the Lord alone, with purity of mind and heart. It is a conscious dissolution of one’s individuality in the love of God. The path of love is full of giving without any expectation of reward whatsoever. It is not mere emotionalism but the height of ecstasy where the lover and beloved become one and inseparable. In this path there is no duality; there is no place for two. As the river meets the ocean, they become inseparably one. So it is in the path of devotion. Fortunate are those who are in love with the mighty Lord and remember His name in every breath. They remain free from the pangs of death. They are free from the rounds of births and deaths, for they remain wedded with the Eternal.

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Editor’s Note:

This article has been shared as part of the ‘Book of the Month’ study in honour of Gurudeva Swami Rama’s Birth Centenary Celebrations. We will study the Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Rama during April 2025.