Addresses On Bhakti Yoga

Swami Vivekananda was a great social reformer and a very inspiring personality of India. Vivekananda was called by the name Narendranath Datta.. He was born in Kolkata on 12 January 1863 to Vishwanath Datta and Bhuvaneshwari Devi. His father was a successful attorney. He used to practice meditation even from his boyhood, and was associated with Brahmo Movement for some time. At the threshold of youth Narendra had to pass through a period of spiritual crisis when he was assailed by doubts about the existence of God. In November 1881, Narendra went to meet Sri Ramakrishna who was staying at the Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar. Narendra became a frequent visitor to Dakshineshwar and under the guidance of the Sri Ramakrishna, he made rapid strides on the spiritual path.

In the realm of spiritual exploration, Swami Vivekananda's profound insights into Bhakti-Yoga unveiled the celestial dance of devotion, revealing a path paved with love, surrender, and unbreakable bonds with the Divine. Through his eloquent addresses, he unraveled the essence of this ancient practice, igniting hearts with a fervor that transcended the boundaries of time. With the grace of a mystic poet, Swami Vivekananda painted a vibrant portrait of Bhakti-Yoga as a divine romance, a sacred union between the seeker and the Divine Beloved. He urged souls to abandon the shackles of formalities and embrace a pure, heartfelt connection, where every breath and every heartbeat became an offering of love. His words flowed like honeyed melodies, captivating listeners with tales of saints and devotees who danced with divinity, their hearts ablaze with fervent adoration. In the realm of Bhakti-Yoga, Swami Vivekananda's words become a luminous beacon, guiding seekers toward a profound and intimate communion with the Divine.

Bhakti-Yoga is a real, genuine search after the Lord, a search beginning, continuing, and ending in love. One single moment of the madness of extreme love to God brings us eternal freedom. This love cannot be reduced to any earthly benefit, because so long as worldly desires last, that kind of love does not come. Bhakti is greater than karma, greater than Yoga, because these are intended for an object in view, while Bhakti is its own fruition, its own means and its own end. This edition includes the Swami's ten lectures on Bhakti Yoga, plus ten more on the Supreme Devotion called Para-Bhakti.

Bhakti yoga is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on the cultivation of love and devotion toward God. It has been defined as a practice of devotion toward God, solely motivated by the sincere, loving desire to please God, rather than the hope of divine reward or the fear of divine punishment. It is a means toward a state of spiritual liberation or enlightenment through the "realisation", or the attainment of "oneness" with God. Bhakti yoga is often considered by Hindus to be the easiest way for ordinary people to attain such a spiritually liberated state, because although it is a form of yoga, its practice is not as rigorous as most other yogic schools, and it is possible to practice bhakti yoga without needing to become a full-time yogi. The origins of Bhakti can be seen in the upanishads, specifically the Shvetashvatara Upanishad. The Bhagavad Gita, and the Puranas are important scriptures that expound the philosophy of bhakti yoga. Hindu movements in which bhakti yoga is the main practice are called bhakti movements – the major schools of which are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism.

This is the fourth volume of the collection of the books, lectures, letters, and poetry of Swami Vivekananda. This Special Master Edition has been crafted with great care in a 7.5" x 9.5" two-columns format. Contents Addresses on Bhakti-Yoga The Preparation, The First Steps, The Teacher of Spirituality, The Need of Symbols, The Chief Symbols, The Ishta Lectures and Discourses The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, Thoughts on the Gita, The Story of Jada Bharata, The Story of Prahlada, The Great Teachers of the World, On Lord Buddha, Christ, the Messenger, My Master, Indian Religious Thought, The Basis for Psychic or Spiritual Research, On Art in India, Is India a Benighted Country?, The Claims of Religion, Concentration, Meditation, The Practice of Religion Writings: Prose Is the Soul Immortal?, Reincarnation, On Dr. Paul Deussen, On Professor Max Müller, Sketch of the Life of Pavhari Baba, Aryans and Tamilians, The Social Conference Address, India's Message to the World, Stray Remarks on Theosophy, Reply to the Address of the Maharaja of Khetri, Reply to the Madras address, A Message of Sympathy to a Friend, What we Believe in, Our Duty to the Masses, Reply to the Calcutta Address, To my Brave Boys, A Plan of Work for India, Fundamentals of Religion Writings: Poems The Problem of Modern India and its Solution, Ramakrishna, his Life and Sayings, The Paris Congress of the History of Religions, Knowledge: Its Source and Acquirement, Modern India, The Education that India needs, Our Present Social Problems Reports in American Newspapers India: Her Religion and Customs, Hindus at the Fair, At the Parliament of Religions, Personal Traits, Reincarnation, Hindu Civilisation, An Interesting Lecture, The Hindoo Religion, The Hindoo Monk, Plea for Tolerance, Manners and Customs in India, Hindoo Philosophy, Miracles, The Divinity of Man, The Love of God, The Women of India Translations: Poems To a Friend, The Hymn of Creation, The Hymn of Samadhi, A Hymn to the Divine Mother, A Hymn to Shiva, A Hymn to the Divinity of Shri Ramakrishna, "And let Shyama Dance there," A Song I Sing to Thee Editor's Note: This Special Master Edition has been crafted with great care. In order to be more enjoyable during reading and research, it has been set in a 7.5" x 9.5" two-columns format. All our publications are carefully crafted, both in terms of typography as well as design.

Bhakti-Yoga is a real, honest search for the Lord that begins, continues, and ends with love. We are free forever because of one crazy moment of crazy love for God. This love can't be reduced to anything on earth, because this love won't come as long as people want things on earth. Bhakti is better than both karma and yoga because karma and yoga are supposed to get you somewhere, but Bhakti is its own goal, its own means, and its own end. Swami Vivekananda talked about Bhakti-Yoga like a spiritual poet, describing it as a symphony of the soul and a dance of devotion in which the seeker gives in to their overwhelming love for the Divine. He stressed that this path was not limited to any one religion. Instead, it was a universal language of the heart that gave people a direct link to the divine part of themselves and the world around them.