Karma-Yoga and Bhakti-Yoga

By Vivekananda

Bhakti-Yoga is a spiritual disciple devoted to a search for God that ends in complete love bereft of any remaining earthly desires. By comparison of paths, Bhakti-Yoga is "greater than karma, greater than jnana, and greater than yoga, because these have in view the attainment of an object, which bhakti is its own fruition, its own means, and its own end.” Readers will find exploration of the need for a guru, qualification of aspirant and teacher, the incarnations, the mantra om, and more. Bhakti-Yoga is part of the foundation of Kundalini Maha Yoga.*

Those who follow the path of Karma-Yoga adhere to a spiritual discipline based on unselfish performance of duty without attachment to results, which are offered to God.  Readers will find exploration of karma and its effect on character, work, duty, and non-attachment, among other topics.

But whether one follows Bhakti-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, or any other path, Vivekananda declares, “All religions and all spiritual disciplines lead to one and the same goal. These divisions are made in accordance with the type or tendency that may be seen to prevail in a man.”

The text ends with lectures on the definition of religion, Buddha’s message to the world, great teachers of the world, The Ramayana  and The Mahabharata. This revised edition is taken from Vivekananda: The Yogas and Other Works (1953) and includes new content in the form of additional lectures.  This text, along with Jnana-Yoga and Raja-Yoga, makes a full set of this edition.

Paper bound 301 pages with Glossary and Index.

* Kundalini Maha Yoga is the path to self-realization (enlightenment) through the awakening of the Kundalini Shakti, the divine energy that resides in all of us. Awakened it creates the conditions for spiritual progress and ultimately samadhi. The full potential of the body and mind may then be realized, inner peace attained, and the sublime truth of unity in diversity experienced—the fact that all life is one seamless fabric.