Ramanuja has propounded the path of Saranagati and
Prapatti as most efficacious in the attainment of salvation.
When one seeks surrender at the Lord’s feet with a heart
full of love and devotion to the Lord, one automatically
becomes a practitioner of the bhakti yoga explained by
Krishna in the Gita, pointed out Velukkudi Sri Krishnan in
a discourse.
Bhakti yoga is shown as the higher path to salvation
through the paths of karma and jnana. The paths may seem
different but are not mutually exclusive and the end they
seek is the vision of the atma and of the Paramatma. Jnana
in a jivatma begins with the understanding that one’s
identity is the atma and not the body-mind consciousness.
This leads to the recognition of the supremacy of Lord to
whom the individual atma owes eternal allegiance.
From this stage, there is no obstruction to attain the state
of devotion to the Lord at all times. All azhwars exemplify
this kind of bhakti that is seen as the highest Purushartha
for the jivatma. In one who has surrendered to God, there
is no ill will towards anyone or anything and only good will
to all. Fully aware of his inadequacies and helplessness, he
offers his entire existence, body and soul inclusive, to the
Lord. He reposes absolute faith in the protecting power of
the Lord and this frees him from any worry or anxiety.
There is only continuous flow of thought towards the
Lord, just as of oil that is poured from one vessel to
another.
This kind of unrestricted flow of bhakti and consciousness towards the Lord is the essence of the bhakti yoga explained in the Gita. Jnana, karma and bhakti are blended for the harmonious flowering of bhakti when one surrenders to God with total faith and devotion.
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