The Difference Between Devotion and Emotion

By Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya

"Of all Yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental
devotional service, is most intimately united with Me in Yoga and is the highest Yogi of all."

- Bhagavan Sri Krishna, Bhagavad Gita, 6:47

The central message of the Bhagavad Gita, the most important scripture in all of Sanatana
Dharma, is that bhakti, or devotion to the Absolute, constitutes the most effective and highly
recommended path in all of the Yoga tradition. It is truly unfortunate, however, that despite the
almost universally held importance of bhakti in the history of Yoga, there seems to have always
been a good deal of misunderstanding on the part of many about what the terms "bhakti" and
"Bhakti Yoga" actually mean. I've read even many supposedly knowledgeable authors write that
bhakti is the Yoga of "emotion", or that it somehow precludes any involvement with jnana
(knowledge, or intellectualism), philosophy, or serious Yogic sadhana (practice). Nothing could
be further from the truth.

The word “bhakti” is derived from the Sanskrit verb root `bhaj', meaning "to share in, resort to,
experience, partake of, cultivate, worship, go to", etc. The object of this “experiencing” or
“partaking in” is, of course, God. In this definition, we can begin to recognize in seed form what
the foundational basis of Bhakti Yoga consists of.

Bhakti is a trans-emotional state of consciousness that we are meant to cultivate and uncover as
the natural essence of our soul, and Bhakti Yoga is a complex and rigorous system of Yoga
designed to bring its adherent to a progressively deeper state of meditative absorption (samadhi)
in the Divine. Thus, the term “bhakti” denotes both a state of trans-empirical perceptual
awareness and phenomenological experience, as well as a philosophical system and praxis
designed to bring about such a higher state of awareness of the Divine.

Bhakti is meditation in its fullest and deepest manifestation. Bhakti actually denotes devotional
meditative absorption. Unlike any other system of Yoga, bhakti stands apart from all other
systems in that it actually constitutes both a means (upaya) toward the goal of God-realization
(and thus it is a Yoga), as well as the end (artha) of Yoga itself in the form of a spiritual state of
pure egolessness and God-consciousness. Bhakti is not only the most effective and most highly
recommended means of enlightenment, but bhakti IS enlightenment.

"Devotion" in this correctly understood bhakti sense is radically different from "emotion".
Bhakti is a state of consciousness that is transcendent in essence and which reflects the
innermost, latent nature of the atman (true self) as being functionally contingent and
ontologically sustained by the Absolute. Bhakti, or devotion in this more phenomenological
sense, represents the true functional nature of our soul. There is nothing material, or emotional,
or sentimental about bhakti at all.

Emotion, on the other hand, is held universally by all the schools of Yoga and Dharmic
spirituality, to be a purely material-originated phenomenon that arises from manas (mind), chitta
(psyche), desire (kama) and anger (krodha). Thus, materially-inspired emotions are unreal,
temporary and negative in the truest, spiritual sense. Emotions that stem from materialistic likes
and dislikes are akin to phantasms that – while certainly experienced in a very real way when we
have them – are nonetheless not of lasting importance. This is especially true of negative
emotions that arise from our illusion of being separate from God.

Material emotions, for the yogi, are to be transcended. Devotion, for the yogi, is to be cultivated.

This being said, Sanatana Dharma does not teach that emotions are inherently an evil or
unwanted instrument. Emotions in and of themselves are actually a neutral tool. They are a tool
that can be used for either good or for self-bondage. The emotive mechanism is just as much a
neutral tool as is our mind, body, intellect, etc. Just as is true of our mind, body, and intellect, it
isn't that any of these tools are inherently either good or bad. Rather, they're good if they are
under our control, and bad if they're not under our control.

When a person has an uncontrolled mind, they're considered to be mentally disturbed. When a
person has an uncontrollable body, then they're experiencing some sort of physical illness. In the
same way, when a person has emotions that are uncontrolled, they tend to be emotionally
unstable and thus unpeaceful. And peace is the direct manifest symptom of spiritual
transcendence.

To have normal, reactive emotions toward things that happen in our lives is natural. Emotions
arise as a result of external things that affect us, which we then perceive as either good or bad.
Just like if someone hits us, we feel physical pain, in the same way if someone hurts us
emotionally, we then feel emotional pain. Emotions are a natural effect to external stimuli – or at
least to our perceptions of such stimuli.

But if we were to cry for the next week because we gently stubbed our toe, then we would be
overreacting to a very miniscule amount of physical pain, and we wouldn't really be in control of
our physical reactions. In the same way, if we overreact and give in to a sea of uncontrollable
emotion with every incident that happens to us, big and small, then we are not serving ourselves,
but rather being slaves of our uncontrolled emotions.
So the idea that is espoused in Yoga spirituality is not to artificially repress, ignore, or stifle our
emotions, mind, intellect, ego, body, etc., but to see them in their proper place in relation to
spirit, our true self, and to then control and thus transcend their power over us. It is a simple
matter of having control over our emotions, rather than allowing our emotions to have control
over us.

A prevalent misconception that many have is that God-realized, or enlightened, people are
necessarily emotionless people because they have learned to transcend emotion. Nothing could
be further from the truth. God-realized people are certainly not emotionless. On the contrary!
They can be the most fun people to be with. God-realized sages can laugh, can cry, and can even
exhibit anger when appropriate. God-realized people can be emotional; but such emotions tend to
be positive emotions that are used in God’s service, as well as spiritual bhava, or transcendent
states of consciousness that the unwise might mistakenly confuse with material emotions. God-
realized persons: 1) try not to be ruled by their emotions; 2) tend to focus on more positive
emotions (love, compassion, pity, joy, etc.); 3) and ultimately the emotive states that they
experience most deeply are the transcendental mellows of love between themselves and God, and
not the lower, reactive emotions that arise from sense perception.

In the highest state of Self-realization and God-realization, our material emotions are keenly
surpassed and are subsequently replaced by devotional ecstasy and states of rapturous spiritual
elations the likes of which nothing in our present perceptual state can comprehend. To
experience such bliss, we must practice Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of devotion. The greatest
textbook on Bhakti Yoga is the Bhagavad Gita. Beginning with devoted study of the Bhagavad
Gita, coupled with daily meditation upon the Absolute under the expert guidance of an authentic
spiritual teacher (guru), we can know the bliss of love of God.

About the Author

Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.) has been practicing and teaching
Dharma for over 35 years. With a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he is the
Director of the Center for Dharma Studies.

Sri Acharyaji is currently recognized as one of the world's foremost scholars on the Yoga
tradition, Dharma and meditation, as well as being a truly authentic spiritual teacher. He is the
Founder-Acharya of the International Sanatana Dharma Society.

With a very large international following, Sri Acharyaji is especially renowned for his highly
authentic approach to spirituality, his authoritative and scholarly method of teaching, and his
clear emphasis on serious spiritual practice and direct experience of self-realization. He has
lectured on Dharma at dozens of top universities, such as Harvard, Columbia, Rutgers, Cornell,
and Northwestern. He has also served as a consultant for such Fortune 500 companies as Ford
Motor Corporation and Lucent Technology.

Sri Acharyaji's teachings stress the achievement of enlightenment through the practice of
meditation, Yoga, and directly experiencing the presence of the Divine. Another overarching
aspect of Sri Acharyaji's teachings focuses on the importance of love, compassion and service
toward all living beings.

Whether speaking to an audience of thousands, or having a heart-felt discussion with only one
person, Sri Acharyaji vividly conveys a deeply moving sense of compassion, peace, humility,
and spiritual insight that has endeared him to thousands of students and admirers throughout the
world.

For more information: www.dharmacentral.com

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