What are the differences between Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga?

Answer 1

The difference between the two would be that While Karma Yoga is offering self less work to God, Bhakti Yoga is offering exclusive devotion.

Karma Yoga-- Work is worship.

Do your duty towards society, family, world at large yourself sincerly and good will. That is Karma Yoga.

A life based on moral values and selfless deeds are Karma yoga.

Following Rituals is not important. Dedication to your work is the best offering to god.

Karma Yoga - is the way of selfless work.

To exist is to act. Karma yoga means the discipline of action or integration through activity. Karma Yoga is the Yoga of self-surrendered action. Even an inanimate object such as a rock has movement. And the building blocks of matter, the atoms, are in fact not building blocks at all but incredibly complex patterns of energy in constant motion. Thus, the universe is a vast vibratory expanse. Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity. Karma Yoga is the Yoga of action which purifies the heart and prepares the heart and mind for the reception of Divine Light or the attainment of Knowledge of the Self. But this has to be done without attachment or egoism.

The karma yoga of The Gita is a unique philosophy of action and it declares that nature has given the right of action to man only and the right of the result of action is under the authority of nature. But the action is a duty of man; therefore he should perform actions without the desire of fruit. Lord Krishna says: "Not by abstention from actions does a man enjoy action-transcendence, nor by renunciation alone does he approach perfection." (III, 4). Then God Krishna, who communicates these teachings to his pupil Arjuna, points to himself, as the archetypal model of the active person: "For Me, O son of Pritha, there is nothing to be done in the three worlds, nothing ungained to be gained - and yet I engage in action." (III.22).


Bhakti Yoga--Bhakti Yoga is the supreme devotion to the Lord.

Bhakti is intense attachment to God who is the Indweller in all beings, who is the support, solace for all beings. Bhakti yoga is integration through love or devotion. It teaches the rules of love, for it is the science of the higher love; it teaches how to direct and use love and how to give it a new object, how to obtain from it the highest and most glorious result, which is the acquisition of spiritual felicity. The Bhakti Yoga, does not say "abandon" but only love, love the Most High".

Following rituals to feel connected to God, Making offerings to Him, like flowers reciting His name and devoting one's life to his name like a hermit all are ways to practice Bhakti. It simply means devotion.

You can be a Karma Yogi and a Bhakt.

All branches of yoga have one thing in common, they are concerned with a state of being, or consciousness. "Yoga is ecstasy" says Vyasa's Yoga-bhashya (1.1).

Answer 2

Karma Yoga And Bhakti Yoga

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

Karma Yoga is consecration of all actions and their fruits unto the Lord. Karma Yoga is performance of actions dwelling in union with the Divine, removing attachment and remaining balanced ever in success and failure.

Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity. Karma Yoga is the Yoga of action which purifies the heart and prepares the Antahkarana (the heart and the mind) for the reception of Divine Light or attainment if Knowledge of the Self. The important point is that you will have to serve humanity without any attachment or egoism.




The term Bhakti comes from the root 'Bhaj', which means 'to be attached to God'. Bhajan, worship, Bhakti, Anurag, Prem, Priti are synonymous terms. Bhakti is love for love's sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here. There is no fear also. Therefore it is called 'Parama Prem Rupa'. The devotee feels, believes, conceives and imagines that his Ishtam (tutelary deity) is an Ocean of Love or Prem.

Bhakti is the slender thread of Prem or love that binds the heart of a devotee with the lotus feet of the Lord. Bhakti is intense devotion and supreme attachment to God. Bhakti is supreme love for God. It is the spontaneous out-pouring of Prem towards the Beloved. It is pure, unselfish, divine love or Suddha Prem. There is not a bit of bargaining or expectation of anything here. This higher feeling is indescribable in words. It has to be sincerely experienced by the devotee. Bhakti is a sacred, higher emotion with sublime sentiments that unites the devotees with the Lord.

Answer 5

Karma Yoga means service trough action. The highest way to perform karma yoga is trough mind. Karma yoga is basically meant as action yoga. In the practical manner means to actually do some good action for others without get any reward. In the first stages Karma yoga will be done with goal to produce some good karma for this or/and future lives. Karma yoga is inadequate for true salvation (from creation/time and space/duality, ...). In the last stages it can be done for the pure sake for love for another creature without any thought for reward. On the penultimate stage it is done for any human and even living being with no concern of like or dislike. At the last stage it is done for the sake of true Guru or god himself, again with no concern of regard.

In this stage Karma Yoga becomes very similar to the Bhakti yoga. In India it is well known Guru Bhakti yoga. Guru can be true or false in one or another way. Only the Guru that is able to take a soul out of time and space and is free to travel such a path at any time by will is meant to be a True Guru.
Bhakti yoga is very difficult because nobody have a switch to turn love, for somebody or for god, ON or OFF. We in fact do not know really god. We only have a concept of him, but ve truly do not know HIM. For this reason Bhakti yoga is a gift from (call him) Lord, God, ....

All Yogas in the latest stages become more and more similar to Bhakti Yoga for the Lord.

Answer 6

The BAGAWATH GITA contains the elaborate meaning of these TWO yogas as well as so many other yogas. Your very question reveals that you are a beginner to the Hindu philosophy and as such it would really be an eye opener for you to read Bagawat Gita .Please do read atleast half a dozen translations and the treatise on it.
DO THY DUTY FRUIT IS NOT YOUR CONCERN is the meaning of KARMA YOGA. No need for prayers, meditation, going to temples etc just go on doing /performing your duty and to its perfection you would attain same salvation which any other orthodox religious person would reach/reap.Dont run away or shrug from performing your duty to the world, the society, family etc.
BHAKTHI YOGA: Forget about all other things. Surrender everything to ME Simply be attached to me. Repeat my name,
Love Me. Leave all the rest to me.I dont let down my devotees who repose ABSOLUTE FAITH, LOVE, AFFECTION in ME.

In additon to the above two there are other yogas each preaching that that is the way to attain salvation, eternal bliss .Each one would appear to contradict one another.But what ever path you follow, which ever GOD/LORD you worship/ believe in all roads lead to him like the water(rain)which falls on earth reaches finall y the sea , all religious teachings finally reach MY FEET.

Answer 7

There are six branches of yoga. They are
Hatha Yoga Bhakti YogaRaja YogaGhana YogaKarma Yoga andTantra Yoga
u can find out about them in
http://www.article-submission.net/article35.html
and here
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/bhaktiyoga.htm

Answer 8

Maharshi Patanjali teachings are for Sankhya Yogi and the Lord Sri Krishna have been a Karam Yogi Hare Krishna ,Hare Krishna , Krishna Krishna , Hare Hare , Hare Rama , Hare Rama , Rama Rama ,Hare Hare

Answer 9

One is like natural and the other is peach flavoured.
Or is it the other way around.

Answer 10

what r these?