Yay, I was finally able to access this forum! I seemed to have missed a step when I first joined the VSC, but after a few trials & errors, was able to complete the steps and join the forum.
I’ve been a student of Acharya Shunya for several years and consider her to be my Guru. I can’t imagine my life without daily sadhana and being in this supportive community. Continuing to learn and more deeply integrate the teachings I’ve received so far has fueled my growth and blessed my life.
It occurred to me in a recent session that the “hammer” of Bhaja Govindam is a particularly helpful teaching when it comes to preparing for the path of Karma Yoga, because when all attachments are hammered away, all delusions broken through, all that remains for us to do with this human life is to turn inward to Ishwara and then to act and serve outwardly in the world with the only worthy goal/agenda/orientation being to serve That, to be more aligned with That. When our minds are sattvic, clear of attachments, aversions and delusions, it seems it is easier to recall and apply the teachings of Jnana Yoga, and in turn, Karma Yoga will also be easier, more natural - one feeding into the other, reinforcing it. Bhakti Yoga seems to be a natural extension of and support to both these paths. Very grateful for this teaching! Thank you Acharya Shunya, for bringing the Bhagavad Gita verses into the explanation of Bhaja Govindam verse 8, which helped connect the dots so beautifully. 🙏🏻
Thank you for this insight about Bhaja Govindam being helpful before Karma Yoga. I am very new here, have read a bit of Sovereign Self, watched some YouTube videos of Acharya Shunya, read much of her websites, have some other exposure to Vedic teachings and have generally been drawn, as a westerner, to eastern approaches ever since being a teenager (I'm now in my 60s). Your post inspires me to hold off on Karma Yoga and go through the whole of Bhaja Govindam first, along with the Bakti series. I like the idea of clearing the decks more before helping my ship set sail into service. Better roll up my sleeves ...