The four types of yoga are covered in length in the current book, along with its philosophy, psychology, and practise techniques. It provides a comparison of the four yogas, outlining their similarities and distinctions. By destroying the ego, karma yoga, also known as the yoga of selfless action, aims to address the issue of ignorance. We are tethered to this world by attachment because of the ego, which was born out of ignorance. The practise of bhakti yoga involves inward purification. Bhakti-central yoga's thesis is that love is the most fundamental human emotion. Love is cosmocentric and divinely inspired in its most pure form. Raja-yoga ignites the flame of awareness of the self within in order to reach the Divine.

From ancient times, people of India have practiced spiritual disciplines designed to clear the mind and support a state of serene, detached awareness. The practices for developing this desired state of balance, purity, wisdom, and peacefulness of mind are known collectively as "yoga." "Yoga" means "yoke" or "union" - referring to union with the true Self, the goal described in the Upanishads. The sages distinguished four basic types of people and developed practices that are particularly suitable for each type, in order that each man can attain the desired union with the Self. For rational people, there is the path of Knowledge. For meditative people, there is the path of Self-Knowledge. For naturally active people, there is the path of Selfless Action. For emotional people, there is the Path of Devotion. Editor's Note: In order to be more enjoyable during reading, this book is in 6" x 9" format. In the same spirit, the paper is cream-colored, which causes less fatigue to the eyes than white paper. All our publications are carefully handled both in terms of typography and design.

The goal of life is really knowledge, of the reality of things. We are apt to think that it is pleasure, and seeking pleasure in sense-gratification, we meet with so many disappointments and sorrows that we sometimes almost despair and are led to believe that all life is a vain dream with no sure foundation anywhere. It is an endless chain of cause and effect in which we are involved, and from which only knowledge of how to act without producing reaction can ever free us. Karma Yoga is meant to teach us exactly this, to make clear to us first the causes of our bondage, and secondly the method of getting rid of the causes and to avoid the effects.

Bhakti and Karma Yoga - The Science of Devotion and Liberation Through Action covers the systematic application of the essential principles of desire and devotion to aid us in achieving our goals and spiritual aspirations. Through inspired action we can transform our life experience to one of ecstatic bliss and outpouring divine love. In combination with an effective daily routine of yoga practices, the applied principles of bhakti and karma yoga elevate the relationship of our desires and actions to divine expression, greatly hastening our progress toward enlightenment. Yogani is the author of two landmark books on the world's most effective spiritual practices: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, a comprehensive user-friendly textbook, and The Secrets of Wilder, a powerful spiritual novel. The AYP Enlightenment Series makes these profound practices available for the first time in a series of concise instruction books. Bhakti and Karma Yoga is the eighth book in the series, preceded by Self-Inquiry, Diet, Shatkarmas and Amaroli, Samyama, Asanas, Mudras and Bandhas, Tantra, Spinal Breathing Pranayama, and Deep Meditation.

2012 Reprint of 1933 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This is a set of lectures by Swami Vivekananda on the subject of Karma Yoga, one of the several yogic paths to enlightenment. Karma Yoga is a mental discipline which allows one to carry out one's duties as a service to the entire world, as a path to enlightenment. By working in the real world, but giving up attachment to work, we can obtain spiritual liberation. Vivekananda discusses the concept of Karma in the Bhagavada-Gita, and singles out the Buddha as a primary example of this form of yoga. Chapters include: Chapter I. Karma In Its Effect On Character Chapter II. Each Is Great In His Own Place Chapter III. The Secret of Work Chapter IV. What is Duty? Chapter V. We Help Ourselves, Not the World Chapter VI. Non-Attachment Is Complete Self-Abnegation Chapter VII. Freedom Chapter VIII. The Ideal of Karma-Yoga