Bakthi is needed for Salvation

Something for us to think about:

"As you know, hatha yoga is a process of purifying one's body so that we prepare it for dhyana. In ashtanga yoga 'asana' is defined as 'yoga yogya sarira sthiti' - body posture which enables meditation. Sri Krishna in Gita establishes the following ladder for salvation:

1. fundamental atma gnana - that the atma is different and superior to the body.

2. Practice of karma yoga ( one of the many constituents of karma yoga is pranayama - which formed the basis of the later hatha yoga)

3. Chitta suddhi - blemishes in our mind gets cleaned

4. Practice of gyana yoga

5. Atma sakshatkara - Realise the true nature of atma ie the atman is essentially full of gyana and bliss, and it is in absolute servitude to paramatma. But it is bound by it's karma in this samsara. It has to get released of this bondage and the only way is bhakti towards paramatma

6. Practice of karma and gyana yoga removes anaadi kaala paapa which are obstacles to start bhakti yoga (they are bhakti arambha virodhi paapa)

7. Then we begin bhakti yoga, which is so sweet as our body speech and mind are absorbed in Sri Krishna

8. Continued practice of bhakti yoga removes all other sins that are obstacles in attaining salvation.

9. When our prarabdha karmas get exhausted, we renounce this body for ever and reach His lotus feet.

So gyana matures to be bhakti (bhakti:ca gyana visesha:). Bhakti is defined as - snehapurvam anudhyanam bhaktiriti abhidheeyate - prolonged mediation embellished by love is bhakti. Sri Krishna says that there is no means other than the path of devotion to know, see and reach Him. Quote " bhaktya tu ananyaya sakya: ahamedvam vidhorjuna - gyatum drashtum ca tatvena praveshtum ca parantapa". Moreover Sri Krishna says in the last verse of 6th chapter

"yoginaamapi sarvesham madgatena antaratmana sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yukta tamo mata:"

Bhakti yoga, where the devotee's mind is absorbed in Me, is superior to all other yogas. One who earnestly practices bhakti yoga is intimate to Me.

The last three angas of ashtanga yoga - dhaarana ( subhasraye manasa: pratishthapanam - focus the mind on the divine form of Bhagavan): dhyana and samadhi ( isvara vasikaranam Or Darsanam / sakshatkaram)-

all these three constituents, are about paramatma.

From all the above it is very clear, that asana or pranayama or hatha yoga are at at a much lower level. These are a few of the many procedures that purify and prepare us for meditation and devotion. Eventually, bhakti is the only means for salvation"- Sri Vellukuddi Krishnan