The Yogas of Love, Work and Wisdom

Most Hindus believe in God. If you are one who does, and want to love Him, you must think of Him as your own mother or father, or best friend. Then you are following the yoga of devotion. This is the most popular form of yoga, in every religion. Shrines, temples, churches and mosques are all places where we can easily think of God. In images or ikons or bibles or other symbols, people see an expression of God, and bow down or offer their worship. The follower of the path of love is called a devotee. Hindu devotees use music and dance and ritual worship to help them to love God. You will read the lives of saints, and go on pilgrimages to sacred places. You are taught to look upon your parents, brothers and sisters and friends, and even the animals as forms of God. No one is a stranger. God dwells in all. "He who sees himself in all beings and all beings in himself, sees truly".

If you practise karma yoga, the yoga of action, you are doing all your work with full attention, unspoiled by selfish interest. See how Mother is tirelessly busy about the house with only the good of her family in mind and no thought for herself. Are you aware that Father, a business executive, is passing on all earnings beyond his needs to charity? Perhaps you yourself do the shopping for a lame woman of the village. All are karma-yogis, offering their labour as service, as taught in the Bhagavad-Gita, the favourite Hindu holy book.

The yoga of knowledge or wisdom is the most difficult one. It is for those with sharp mind and strong will. Like the scientists', their ideal is Truth for Truth's sake. They analyse the universe, and their own mind and body too. They say, "Your Self and the Self of the universe are really the same. Behind this body and mind of yours, hiding like the seed of an apple, is your true Self, invisible, but very real. Experience it. Try to find out who you really are." This is one of the stories they tell: a lioness who lived in the jungle was about to give birth. One day in hunger she crept out and jumped upon a flock of sheep. In this exertion a cub was born, but the lioness lost her life. The lion cub grew up with the sheep, who cared for it and gave it milk. It grazed on grass, wandering and bleating like a sheep. One day a great lion came in search of prey and saw the strange affair -- a young lion acting like a sheep. He tried to go near it, but it ran away in fright. Finally he found it asleep, and waking it told it, "You are not a sheep; you are a lion!" "No, I am a sheep," bleated the cub. "Look," said the lion, "you are just like me," and he dragged it off to a pond where it could see both faces in the water. Then the cub knew what it was and roared. So, says the wisdom-yogi, you are a soul. You must know this, and stop thinking of yourself as a poor, weak miserable thing.