Yoga of devotion (Bhakti Yoga)

When I read the holy Quran for the first time, what drew my attention the most was the concept of total unquestioning surrender. Surrender to God or some supreme power is something you can find in almost every religion. Even the supposedly atheist Buddhism stipulates surrender to Buddha as a prerequisite to accepting Buddhism (“Buddham saranam gachchami”).

In Bhagavad Geetha, Krishna says

“Always think about me. Always be my devotee. Always surrender to me. If you do that, I will take care of your welfare and safety. 

I don’t expect anything from you other than total surrender. Whatever you offer to me – be it a flower or a fruit or even a leaf or mere drop of water – I accept it as long as it is offered with purity of mind and total surrender. 

So, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you practice, offer all that to me (i.e. do them for my pleasure). Even if you abandon all other paths, I will protect you from all miseries. Do not be afraid”

Here, Krishna can be replaced by any other God or Supreme Being.

PS: For those of you who probably find it difficult to accept the concept of God, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that many a times the results of faith do not necessarily depend on the existence or otherwise of the object of faith. Besides, Krishna never said, “don’t do anything but just depend on me”. He said “keep doing what you need to, but offer that to me and take solace that I will take care of you”.

(Selected verses from chapter 9 and 18 of Bhagavad Geetha adapted suitably)