We have previously defined bhakti yoga here. Here we examine how bhakti yoga is the solution to the suffering of the world. We quote Babaji’s commentary from the Bhakti Sandarbha below:
Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī begins Bhakti Sandarbha by pinpointing the root cause of the living being’s suffering in this world. He says that although by nature a jīva is conscious and thus superior to matter, yet it is marred by ignorance in regard to the Absolute Reality. This ignorance has no beginning, and thus it is not initiated by any action or intent either of the jīva or Bhagavān. It is the basis of the turning of regard away from Bhagavān and bhakti , technically known as the state of bhagavad-vaimukhya . This non-recognition of one’s authentic identity leads to misidentification with the body as the self. This further results in attachment to objects that are pleasing to the mind and senses and aversion to objects that are displeasing. These two — attachment ( rāga ) and aversion ( dveṣa ) — are the fundamental affects of the human mind, and they give rise to further emotions, such as anger, fear, greed, grief, and depression. The end result of all these is suffering and bondage to material life.
Since the root cause of suffering is ignorance of Bhagavān, naturally the solution is awareness of Him. This awareness ensues from bhakti , which begins by turning one’s regard toward Bhagavān ( bhagavad-sāmmukhya ). In this manner, bhakti eradicates the root cause of all suffering. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī shows that the import of all scriptures is in bhakti . This is certainly true for Bhāgavata Purāṇa , which was composed specifically for this purpose. He undertakes a lengthy analysis to show that the topic of discussion between all the primary teachers and students in Bhāgavata Purāṇa is bhakti.
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