A few years ago, I completed the 300-hour Sri Sri Yoga Teacher Training Course. One of the prerequisites to graduating was writing a short thesis on any theme of Yoga. I decided to write on Bhakti Yoga.
Bhakti, loosely translated as devotion or unconditional love, is an experience that every sentient being in this Universe has experienced. It is surprising, therefore, that Bhakti Yoga is perhaps one of the least known and most misunderstood paths of Yoga, at least in the Western world. In the Eastern hemisphere, however, we are raised in a way that is culturally more familiar with the feeling of Bhakti. It is perhaps for this reason that we not only experience Bhakti Yoga, but also recognize that experience as such. I say this because if you are reading this post, whether you were born and raised in the Eastern or Western hemisphere, you have experienced Bhakti in your life. However, you may not have recognized that you are experiencing Bhakti.
In this new blogpost series, I share with you my experiences with Bhakti Yoga, or how I have seen it manifest in my life. Perhaps in these outpourings, you might get a glimpse of how seeped you yourself have been, knowingly or unknowingly, in devotion or unconditional love.
To give you an idea of how common an emotion devotion truly is, think of your mom :) Every mother is devoted to her child - she loves her child unconditionally - through sleepless nights, through the loud relentless crying of a baby, to the tantrums and heartbreaks of teenage, a mother unwaveringly guides, protects, and loves the child. Devotion, Bhakti, manifests as the willingness to repeatedly sacrifice ones own comfort for the sake of someone else's growth and wellbeing.
Or think of your favorite teacher :) Every teacher is devoted to bringing the light of knowledge to her/his students' life. The painstaking effort in carefully commenting on each essay, in correcting every written word, in taking time to speak to the parents; the devotion of a teacher manifests as her commitment to win the fight over ignorence by instilling interest in the acquisition of knowledge in her students. The Bhakti of a teacher is seen in her pride in seeing her students grow to new heights, in their accomplishments and successes; she doesnt care for her own glory or fame.
Or think of the soldier fighfing for the freedom of her/his land or to protect it from invaders. The valour, the fearlessness of a warrior is evidence of her Bhakti towards her nation. In Hindi we call them Deshbhakt (a devotee of the Nation)
If you have spent sleepless nights, without complaint or regret, taking care of any person or task you embrace as your responsibility, you have experienced or lived at least a small quantity of Bhakti - devotion, unconditional love. And this devotion brings a radience, a totality, a sense of deep contentment and joy.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, for one who is seeped in love, liberation has no relevance. As I look at my life, I cant help realize the depth and truth in this statement.
The intersting thing is that while we might all reject the stereotypical Bhakta or devotee clad in a loin cloth or Dhoti, singing songs of devotion to an unseen God, the fact is that we are all devotees in one way or another. In fact, we also like and have the greatest respect for people who live devotion - in one flavour or another. Think about it - who is your favorite person in the world and why? Who is your favorite student or teacher - what quality about them do you love and admire most? Who is your favorite employee? You will see that in each of your answers, at least one common aspect is that these people are devoted - to you, to their work, or to some meaningful cause.
Devotion or unconditional love is a pre-requisite for and manifests in our lives as commitment, courage, valour, fearlessness, willingness to work hard, and even brilliance!
When devotion grows or expands to cover larger and larger segments of our life and existence, we start experiencing the pinnacle of unconditional love - Bhakti Yoga.
Through this blog series, I hope we can be inspired to grow from an experience of devotion to small or limited things, to an experience of unconditional love for the supreme, towards living Bhakti Yoga.
Today's Simply Love Recipe: Pasta with Almond-Zucchini Sauce (Optional gluten-free and Vegan Versions possible)
Ingredients
1 medium-sized zucchini - chopped into cubes
1.5 Tablespoon Almond butter
1 heaped teaspoon vegetable broth powder (don't dilute in water)
2/3 cup water
1 +1 Tablespoon Olive Oil or Coconut Oil (I prefer the Coconut Oil)
1/2 teaspoon spice mix of your choice (I like to use a Chinese or Thai spice mix or Maggie masala)
250 grams pasta of your choice (I like to use gluten-free pasta)
1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese (optional; skip if you want a vegan version)
Preparation time: 10-15 mins
Serves: 2
Method
Put your pasta to boil following the instructions on the pasta package.
In the meantime, make the Almond-Zucchini sauce: In a high-speed blender, beat up the Zucchini, almond butter, vegetable broth powder and water - if you like your sauce to be less thick, you can add some more water; increase the almond butter and vegetable broth amount accordingly.
In a frying pan, heat 1 tbs of the olive/coconut oil and add the spice mix of your choice. Pour in the Almond-Zucchini sauce and let it cook on medium heat for 4-5 mins. Add the raisins and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water, and add to it 1 tbs of the olive/coconut oil. Distribute the cooked pasta equally on to two plates. Pour the Almond-Zucchini sauce on top (do not mix). Add the crumbled feta on top as garnish (optional). Serve immediately.
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