The Yoga of Love & Devotion
A Letter from the Editor
Dear Tarka Readers,
Bhakti, the yoga of devotion, differs from the usual orientation of postural yoga practice. The focus enacted in most yoga classes is physical movement, breath control, and often, a general goal of health and wellness. By contrast, bhakti is love or devotion to a supreme being, often with a goal of union with the divine. According to the Yogasūtras, focusing on the divine can lead to samādhi (YS1.23), the ultimate state of absorbed consciousness. Bhakti is also an essential ingredient in Tarka, the practice of logic or reasoning that is central to Tantric yoga practices.
The inaugural issue of Tarka (vol 1) includes the article, “Bhakti in Tarka,” by Kavitha Chinnaiyan in which she details how the rigorous logic and sound inference of Tarka discernment can be augmented through the practice of bhakti such that the practitioner experiences “sat-tarka.” According to Chinnaiyan, this elevated level of discernment is “laced with sweetness and wonder for the process.” It is the focused mind, purified through devotion, and thereby able to experience absolute clarity. Although Chinnaiyan is a scholar-practitioner in the Saiva tantra tradition, she navigates most of the article in non-sectarian terms. Much like the Upanisadic writing that inspires and details Self-inquiry, core philosophical and esoteric teachings often promote universal values and practices that transcend the particular context from which they emerge.
Sat-tarka, as a practice of discernment that can be cultivated through the combined practices of logic, discernment, and bhakti, opens the possibility for a deep consideration of how and when spiritual practice becomes most efficacious. What elevates your yoga practice? If yoga is a [spiritual] discipline aimed at enhancing human potential, then bhakti might be understood as a kind of premium fuel that improves the process. In both Hindu and Christian terms, bhakti invites grace - that invisible working of the divine in and through the words and deeds of the devotee. In modern scientific, atheistic, or even Buddhist terms, that same grace might be understood as the activity of the unrestricted consciousness, enhanced awareness, or the process of seeing things as they truly are (as opposed to seeing them through the tainted lens of the individual’s biased experiences). In a world that often limits its understanding of devotion to the radically religious, this appreciation of bhakti as a practical tool is intriguing and challenging. Devotional practice can be poetic, mystical, and simultaneously grounded in an unwavering commitment to observation and strategic engagement with the world we share.
To read the full article, “Bhakti in Tarka,” or any of the other deep dives into the topic of bhakti, we invite you to explore Issue 1 of Tarka, “On Bhakti.”
~ Stephanie Corigliano