Jai Maa Sadasya’s,
During Tuesday’s Bhakti Yoga session Acharya Shunya ji asked the Sadasya’s present how the Bhakti Yoga teachings have shown up in their lives after many months of teachings and Bhakti wisdom being infused in our sangha!
I’ve been sitting with this question all week as my mama dharma is very high right now and I feel a very full level of responsibilities to care for others, my family, myself and my extended community. Previously I would have felt “stressed out” or put myself in a victim mode, and would have been operating with an irritated and agitated mind.
I realized that the Bhakti Yoga teachings have soothed my excess thoughts and provided me with such a strong conviction in the divine orchestration, and rather than waste my time questioning things or feeling overwhelmed, I SERVE. My heart knows the truth that our our oneness, our divine interconnection is the ultimate truth. When I use proper viveka/discrimination and allow the authentic love that resides in my heart and in my desire to be of service, I then trust in my Swadharma knowing that Ishvara and Brahman’s divine intelligence is leading the way. I simply follow my responsibilities with one main focus-to be intimate with divinity. I can then have a greater acceptance for whatever comes my way, as difficult as it is. My mind takes a back seat and my heart leads the way and gives me strength.
As my trust and connection to Ishvara grows in my daily life, I end up surrendering more and more and as Acharya Shunya ji said my ego dissolves more and more and I tune into my Self, my inner bright Atma that has never left me and that is always there as a forever temple, supporting, protecting and illuminating the Truth! I chose to trust in Ishvara’s love, Brahmans tender conscious and loving connection of us all, and it feels so deeply peaceful and calming.
There is so much more I can say, but I wanted to share what’s been in my consciousness this week since our last session.
Please share your personal experiences with the Bhakti Yoga teachings, what is alive for you?
Thank you for your beautiful share Soumya and your encouragement to share our Bhaki experience as I’ve been meaning to post a reflection in response to Acharya Shunya ji’s question to us.
As I’m sure most of us do, I share your experience of the settling of the ego. After a deep dive into Sovereign Self and the SSP a couple of years ago I was deftly lead by our beloved teacher to my first conscious experiences of the Self and after a few months even found some ground, a foothold there, however my ego was alive and well and I realize now, in retrospect, swelled with this new experience. The Bhakti teachings, contemplation and practices have brought an unquestionably necessary and considerable humbling and I well know there is much more work to do. I believe Acharya Shunya has pointed to this, that Jnana needs Bhakti and I definitely experienced this. I’m not sure I understand or can articulate but I’m surmising that without a Bhakti context at that time and because I didn’t come from a religious background it left only my ego assuming credit for experiences it wasn’t responsible for.
I will share that it feels so counterintuitive to me to divulge details of this inward journey, what are such intimate experiences, but I hold with high regard the shares in this community and of our teacher and I appreciate them so much to affirm and guide my own journey so I know this is the place to do it. That said, as you mentioned Soumya, there’s so much to share but I will limit my share to one notable Bhakti experience where I crumbled before the Divine, in tears of gratitude and relief after forgetting (again) and the angst of separation was relieved by finding my way back and remembering (again). I could only profess, ‘I am yours. You are everything and I am nothing without you’. This was a visceral and heartfelt expression of devotion, reverence and surrender to the Divine and has become a mantra I now use often.
May we all remember until we never forget 🙏🏻
Jai Maa and thank you Soumya, my fellow seekers and our dear teacher 💗