Bhakti-yoga or Krishna Consciousness is the highest form of all Yoga!

‘When we speak of Himalayas, we refer to the world's highest mountains, of which the highest peak, Mount Everest, is considered to be the culmination. Similarly, becoming Krishna conscious or a Bhakti-yogi is considered as the highest stage of yoga.’

1.  We will first analyze the short comings of other yoga systems to ascertain why Bhakti-yoga is superior:

a. Karma-yoga:
- It is impractical for a worker to give up proprietorship over results of his activities without being Krishna Conscious. ‘Only by Krishna Consciousness can one give up the sense of proprietorship.’ (BG 2.48 purport). Secondly, Karma-yoga devoid of Krishna Consciousness provides Brahman realization of the Lord, padam gacchanti anamayam, ‘attaining the position where there are no miseries.’ Therefore it is incomplete. (BG 2.51)

b. Jnana-yoga:
- Knowledge that one is not this material body but spirit soul is not sufficient for liberation. One has to act in the status of spirit soul; otherwise there is no escape from material bondage. Secondly, artificial renunciation of things related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thinking them to be material, is imperfect. (BG 5.2 Purport)

c. Dhyana-yoga:
- In this age of Kali, it is impractical to leave home and practice meditation in the jungles without any fear, giving up material desires and practicing celibacy. This yoga system which regulates mode of living, eating, sleeping is inconceivable for modern man. (BG 6.10-14). Arjuna who belonged to the royal patronage, with greater longevity & knowledge, rejected this system of yoga due to its impracticality as the mind is restless and unsteady. If such a system was impractical for Arjuna, so how will it be practical for the common man in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy? (BG 6.33)

2.  ‘To go to the hundredth floor, some may use the staircase and some may take an elevator. Similarly, one can go on following all the yoga systems or one can take Krishna Consciousness from the very beginning & take up bhakti-yoga directly.’ (BG 6.46-47, Prabhupad Lecture).
Let’s analyze how bhakti-yoga covers all the components of other yoga systems:

a. Bhakti-yoga contains Karma-yoga:
- ‘Service for the cause of the Lord is called karma-yoga.’ (BG 2.51 Purport). When all our activities, austerities and charities are tad kurusva mad arpanam, ‘offered to the Lord’ then it is perfect Karma-yoga. By acting in this way, a devotee is free from bondage of work and he achieves complete perfection by attaining the Lord, mam upaisyasi. (BG 9.28-29)

b. Bhakti-yoga contains Jnana Yoga:
- A Krishna Conscious person knows fully well that Krishna is the whole and that he is part and parcel of Krishna. Such knowledge is perfect because it is qualitatively and quantitatively correct. He is truly renounced because he employs everything in the service of Krishna knowing well about the different energies of Krishna. (BG Purport 5.2-3). Due to his perfection of knowledge; he is protected from all material contaminations on strength of his devotional service. Therefore he is visiyate, special and the best of all the jnanis. (BG 7.17)

c. Bhakti-yoga contains Dhyana-yoga:
- Samadhi is easily attained by a Krsna Consciousness devotee as his mind and senses are controlled and always fixed on Krishna by following the nine processes of devotional service like hearing, chanting etc. (BG Purport 5.7; 6.34). The best example of such a devotee is Ambarisa Maharaja. (BG 2.61 Purport). Secondly, Ananyas cintayanto mam, meditating on the transcendental form of the Lord/Deity worship also includes unflinching dhyana. (BG 9.22)
Therefore, “Out of all the yogis desiring self-realization, the topmost is one who is constantly devoted to the Lord.” (BG 6.47)

3.  Bhakti-yoga is not dependant on any other yoga process.
‘A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing philosophical and fruitive activities. Simply by performing devotional service, he attains all these, and at the end he reaches the supreme eternal abode.’ (BG 8.28) The only qualification is mercy of devotees coming in the form of instructions.

Conclusion: The steady concentration of the mind upon Krishna, or Krishna consciousness, is the highest form of all yoga. (BG Purport 7.1)

Is God responsible for our Sufferings?

“God is responsible for the sufferings of the living entities.” This is the commonly perceived idea. However, let’s analyze the validity of this perception from the eyes of scriptures.

Lord Krishna says Na mam karmani limpanti, “No work affects Him” and Na me karma phale sprha, “nor does He aspire for the fruits of His work.” This statement helps us to understand the transcendental nature of Lord Krishna, who is the Creator but has no connection with the material activities performed, just like a King is immune to the Laws of the State. (BG 4.14)

When we further contemplate, we can understand that if the Lord is aloof from material actions and reactions, then how can He be made responsible for the distresses faced by the living entities? For instance, the rains are not responsible for the kind of vegetative growth on land but without such rains there is no possibility of any vegetation. Similarly, the Lord provides all facilities to the living entities for fulfilling their desires, but He is not responsible for the consequences of the activities of the conditioned living entities, just as the proprietor of an establishment is not responsible for the activities of the workers but the workers are themselves responsible. (BG 4.14 purport)

The Anu or atomic living entity has the minute capacity to desire and the Supreme Lord being the constant companion of the living entity as Paramatma can understand those desires just as one can smell the flavor of a flower by being near it. Being the upadrsta (overseer) and anumanta (permitter), the Lord fulfills the desires of the living entity but He never interferes with those desires. The Supreme Lord, who is Vibhu, never accepts anyone’s sukrtim (pious activities) or papam (sinful activities) but ajnanenavrtam jnanam tena muhyanti jantavah, “the embodied beings are bewildered as ignorance covers their real knowledge.” (BG 5.15 Purport)

Srila Prabhupada further explains that due to this ignorance, the living entities that actually belong to the Superior nature of the Lord are now exploiting the inferior nature, namely matter. In actuality, the pure living entity who is encaged in the material body “never creates activities or induces people to act”, Na karmani lokasya srjati and it has no connection with the karma-phala, “results of activities.”(BG 5.14 purport)

The living entity is also transcendental being the eternal part and parcel of the transcendental Supreme Lord, but because it belongs to the marginal energy, he has the minute independence to remain either in spiritual nature or material nature. This misuse of our independence causes the living entity to engage in material existence. (BG 13.23 Purport)

In the material world, the conditioned living entities are trying to enjoy their own different sense pleasures separate from the Lord. The opportunity to fulfill those desires of the living entity is offered by material nature, karya-karana-kartrtve hetuh prakrtir ucyate, and therefore come the different forms of body and senses.  Once placed in a particular body, the living entity is captured under the stringent laws of material nature and becomes responsible to enjoy or suffer the results of his activities, sukha dukhanam bhoktrtve between sad-asad yonisu, “good and bad species of life.” (BG 13.21-22 Purport)

How the living entity rotates in different bodies is the immediate question. The answer to which is karanam guna-sangah ‘sya, “due to the pure living entities association with the three modes of material nature.” (BG 13.22)

Therefore one has to rise above these modes of material nature which is possible through practicing Krishna Consciousness by hearing from authorities, just like Arjuna did by hearing the instructions of Bhagavad-Gita from Krishna. (BG 13.23 Purport)

Conclusion: The result of turning the faith towards instructions of Lord Krishna is that the root cause of our suffering which is “desire to dominate” becomes transformed into “desire to serve” the Supreme Lord and this change of desire becomes the cause of the living entity’s eternal spiritual happiness.