Bhakti Yoga by Richa Tilokani is a book for the modern generation. Richa interprets holy texts in easy-to-understand language and makes it accessible to the layperson.
With an introduction and seven chapters, plus a conclusion, this book is brief at 130 pages. Published by Rupa, the cover page depicts a lotus with golden petals unfolded on a white background. The cover looks lovely! The cover design is by Madhu Bhaskar.
In the introduction, Richa takes us through the definitions of Bhakti Yoga by Swami Vivekananda, Adi Shankaracharya, Sage Shandilya, and Mirabai.
“Woven into Vedic hymns, enmeshed in Puranic legends, engraved in medieval poetry, bhakti is alive in art, architecture, regional literature, and nurtured through culture, memory, and language,” she writes.
Broadly, bhakti can be divided into two stages: para bhakti and apara bhakti. The bhakti movement took place in South India around the 6th and 7th centuries. The movement began with the Tamil Alvar(Vaishnavite) and the Nayanar (Shaivite) saints. From around the 15th century, the movement became popular in North and East India, too.
The seven tenets of bhakti yoga are the following, which she explains in seven chapters.
- Sharanagati as the Path and Fruit
- Faith in finite/infinite forms
- Do the duty
- Ego is the foe
- Oneness and love show the way
- Befriend the gunas
- Knowledge meets faith
“Sharanagati is the process of seeking refuge in the Higher Power, and the act of self-surrender, which is also its fruit.”
The Gita describes the four types of devotees, and this is explained in Chapter 1. The Bhagavata Purana describes nine expressions of bhakti, known as navadha bhakti, which are also covered here.
Richa then talks about applying bhakti to choiceless situations and goes on to describe her personal experiences during the pandemic. She also gives an example of workplace situations and even competitive sports, such as football and cricket.
There are two forms of worship: Saguna and Nirguna. Here, too, Richa gives examples of Saguna worship from her own life. She also describes the qualities of a true devotee.
Being action-oriented is glorified in the Gita and listed as the path to self-actualization. Richa also explains the concept of detachment.
Richa shares little stories from sacred texts to illustrate certain principles. She talks about egocentric people in our lives. She even covers arrogant leaders who we might have come across in our workplaces and how we can apply bhakti yoga to deal with them.
Richa tells us how to adopt a sattvic mindset. She also describes the mindset of an intellectual devotee.
Throughout the book, she makes several present-day references to things like social media, which we all need to detox from, and she uses examples of physicists, sportspersons, and managers in corporate setups, apart from the saints and sages of ancient times, to convey her ideas. She has also included a few of her poems in the book.
Those who want to start their spiritual journey and those who want to deepen their knowledge of how the scriptures are relevant in the present day will benefit from reading this book.
About the author
Richa Tilokani is an author and poet who began her career as a marketing and advertising professional. Bhakti Yoga is her fifth book.
Here are some posts about the author and her books.
The Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita by Richa Tilokani
Pic taken on my mobile
Thanks, Richa, for arranging a review copy.
