Rituals and devotion
THE YOGAS: PATHS TO LIBERATION
•The various types of yoga are methods
that can be used to help people live
spiritually, according to their own
needs/personalities.
•The word yoga means “union”
•Yogas are called margas meaning
“paths”
•A yoga is a way for people to perfect
their union with the divine,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Jnana yoga
(knowledge yoga)
Karma yoga (action
yoga)
Bhakti yoga (devotion
yoga)
Raja yoga (royal yoga)
Hatha yoga (force
yoga)
 takes years of
meditation and study
 Study of the
Upanishads and the
Gita
 Usually practiced by
Brahmin caste
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 The Vendata school has one main focus:
 Monism vs. dualism

The greatest teacher of Vendata,
Shankara (780-820 CE) taught that:
1. All reality is essentially One:
Brahman
2. Brahman=atman: eternal deep self
3. “the waves of the ocean and the
drops of water in the waves may be
considered separate entities; but the
larger truth is that they are all just
the same ocean in varied, changing
forms.
4. In the same way, a person who
perceives thins as being separate and
different from Brahman is mistaken.
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 This yoga states that any
work done unselfishly can
be a way to perfection
 Karma here is used as
“activity”
 Deeds performed without
a desire for reward are the
heart of this yoga
 Gita: “desire for the fruits
of work must never be
your motive in working”
 “Works as worship”
 “living in accordance
with dharma” or ethical
duty
 “Right Action” (without
desire for recognition)
 Example: carry out caste
laws, perform rituals,
give back to community
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 Ritual dimension: Bhakti yoga
(devotion yoga)
 Devotion to gods through rituals
 Devotion before shrines,
bathing rituals, chants,
songs, food offerings, and the
anointing of statues of
gods/goddesses
 People usually worship the
way they want- no
congregation
 The Gita: Krishna says to Arjuna
“Regard me as your dearest loved
one. Know me to be your only
refuge.”
 Places
 Puja
 Guru
 Animals
 (Sati)
 Holy (devotion) places:
 Ganges
 Purifies all sins
 Emerges out of Shiva
 Other rivers
 A devotional ritual performed at an altar- usually at
home.
 It involves the offering of flowers, food, fire, and incense
to images of a god or gods, as well as the singing of
hymns.
 Devotion (bhakti) to a guru

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


(spiritual leader) is a large and
ancient component of Hindu
spirituality.
Guru means “the one who removes
darkness”
Anyone from any caste may seek a
guru for spiritual growth
The seeker visits regularly the guru
for advice
Gurus who have taken vows of
silence can offer advice and insight
to their disciples by writing on
tablets or simply by looking at
them with love
The majority of gurus are men very
few are women
 Gurus are recognized as persons of
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holiness- a saint and a living
embodiment of the divine
They are surrounded by students and
devotees
Gurus may set up an ashram- a
religious community for disciples
 A community of people living in a
single compound apart from society
but some may be establish in towns
Most gurus stay with their
communities but others travel- even
outside India
It is common to touch and kiss the feet
of a guru- an act of reverence,
performed at times for parents and
grandparents
Bhakti: Devotion to
animals
•A devout Hindu does not kill or
eat animals
•Cows wonder along Indian streets
and cars and taxis take care to drive
around them
•Remember that the gods of the
Trimurti have a companion animal
•Every animal is a future human
being
HOLY COW
•Cows receive special
veneration
•A symbol of fertility
and economic value
•To have a cow is to have
milk and butter and the
warm and comfort
associated with
household pets
•Gau mata: mother cow
•To kill a cow is a capital
offense
•Muslims vs. Hindus
due to cows
Other ritual: Sati
 In sati, a woman whose husband
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had died, could volunteer to be
burnt alive on her husband’s
funeral pyre as an act of
devotion
This practice was performed by
women whose husband died
leaving them without children
Widow women without children
sleep on the floor, wear simple
clothes, and serve their
husband’s family
This practice was made illegal in
the early nineteenth century
Instances of sati still happen
today, but are rare
 Raja yoga (royal yoga)
 Promotes meditation
 The Gita describes basic
meditation as:
 Sitting quietly, turning
inward, and calming
the mind.
 Meditation done for short
periods of time on a
regular basis lowers stress
and brings a sense of
peace.
 Meditation done for
longer periods of time can
induce new states of
consciousness.
 Emptying the mind of though
 Focusing on physical or mental object
 With one’s eyes closed or open
 Focusing on a point a short distance in front of face
 Repeating complicated sacred phrases
 Meditating in silence or listening to gentle music
 Meditation can be done while gazing at a candle, at the moon, or at moving
water
 Meditating on a symbol or image of a deity
 Repeating a word
or phrase called a
mantra
 The mantra Om
is frequently
used
 Om is the sound
of creation
 It is often recited
with each breath
to help clear the
mind of thought
 Hatha yoga (force yoga)
 Physical exercise
 Involves stretching and
balancing
 Breathing exercises are
sometimes considered a
part of hatha yoga