For the sincere seeker who has walked many spiritual roads yet still feels an unfulfilled longing, this episode invites a gentle but radical reorientation. Here, Bhakti is revealed not as a belief system or institution, but as a living pilgrimage of the heart—one that integrates philosophy, daily life, and an intimate relationship with the Divine. Through the metaphor of sacred travel, we explore how knowledge, practice, and loving association guide the soul home, offering clarity, meaning, and a path that is both deeply rational and profoundly tender.
The Real You Is Waiting: Bhakti and Inner Transformation
“Every pilgrim needs a map, a guide, and a heart ready for the journey. In Bhakti, this pilgrimage doesn’t take us outward—but inward, to our true self and our Divine Friend.”
Bhakti practices are designed to help us make a journey and arrive at an ultimate destination. There are many correlations between ordinary travel and the spiritual travel inward, so I use the journey metaphor to describe the experience of one who takes up a Bhakti sadhana, or a Bhakti practice. The inner pilgrimage is undertaken to find the self and our Source, which are currently hidden from our immediate view. But both are ultimate sources of meaning and purpose; both have more value than anything in this world, and therefore searching after them is the only worthy pursuit.
In the West, we often separate the spiritual search from our daily lives. But Bhakti asks us to make our whole life a pilgrimage, in which every choice, thought, and relationship becomes sacred and connected with our Divine Friend. Human beings are specially equipped for this unique search and journey. Vedanta tells us that a human body is very rare and so implores us: Now is the time to inquire!
If we use the human body wisely, we become eligible for transfer to a permanent destination, a trans-local place where perfected souls and the Source Soul of all eternity reside. To reach our destination, which is beyond the celestial vault, we must travel great cosmic distances by turning inward. To move untold distances, we become committed everyday pilgrims and embrace a daily sadhana, or practice. Be assured, those who sincerely take up a practice following the guidelines provided in the ancient texts will have a powerful, direct experience of their true self and the Supreme, the ultimate treasure.
The Inner Pilgrimage: Living Bhakti as a Sacred Journey
A pilgrim wants to move to a sacred space in a sacred manner. Those who have made inner pilgrimages know that what they think influences their behavior. They know that how they walk in the world is inextricably linked to their eligibility to receive the spiritual gifts they seek. In other words, our practice asks us to think and behave differently, and Bhakti provides the philosophical framework to reorient ourselves and the practical tools to enact change.
Astute pilgrims desire to align their intentions and attitudes with their higher purpose. Our state of mind – in other words, our motives, intentions, and subsequent behaviors – is an important aspect of any pilgrim’s journey. And the inner journey requires a greater degree of self-reflection and self-mastery. Knowing that we’re currently illusioned about what is real and beneficial, we’ll be aware of our inner landscape and remove whatever obstructs our spiritual path. We’ll be alert to remove material desire, false values, and false loves from our minds and hearts. We want to change lust to love; envy to generosity; apathy to compassion; greed to unselfishness; lamentation to celebration; hypocrisy to honesty.
As you might imagine, this takes introspection and determination. But there is no self-realization without self-examination, so it’s an essential aspect of a sadhana and can – and should – become an automatic part of our lives. Otherwise, we can sincerely engage in a spiritual program, but if we’re not simultaneously removing obstacles and going inward to claim the self by dismantling the nonself, our spiritual progress will proceed slowly or can even come to a halt.
These days, we are accustomed to hopping on a plane to arrive at a destination within hours, but before jet travel, pilgrims traditionally traveled on foot for days, weeks, or months. In India, pilgrims oftentimes walk without shoes. But either on foot or in the air, travel always presents challenges and discomfort.
In contrast – though it requires sincere, focused effort – the pilgrim’s journey into the heart of Bhakti is joyful, filled with singing, dancing, wholesome food, good company, and enriching activities. I’ve found, and thousands of pilgrims concur, that the only difficulty in a Bhakti practice is the resistance we encounter from our minds.
The Role of Mind, Community, and Guidance on the Bhakti Path
As we’ve heard, the self is distinct from and superior to the mind and thus is quite capable of controlling it – though it takes concerted effort. Achieving success in any worthwhile undertaking means we’ll have to exert our influence over the unruly mind. Controlling the mind or undergoing inconveniences on the spiritual path offers opportunities for us to develop as human beings. Therefore, pilgrimages make us better people while simultaneously facilitating our spiritual growth.
Pilgrims have traditionally traveled in groups. Such journeys are favorable ways to bond with family and friends and to meet new acquaintances. And in the past, sharing the quest with others could mean the difference between life and death —finding food and shelter—or not.
In the context of Bhakti practice, hearing from others matures our understanding and enlivens our practice. Fellow sojourners lend moral support as we wade through the muck of a dirty heart, and they cheer us on as we do the sometimes unpleasant work of clearing and cleaning. And those who have progressed further along on the path become our confidantes and guides. Though we may be able to begin a Bhakti practice without the association of others, the longevity and ultimate success of our practice are very closely tied to finding like-minded souls who take their Bhakti practice seriously and understand the subtleties of progressing on the path.
Taking up a spiritual life and launching an inner journey is exciting, gratifying, and important, even essential – and for some, scary. In many spiritual traditions, the hero’s journey is marked by a crisis, a call to leave the familiar behind. Bhakti’s journey is also heroic, but its victory lies in tenderness—choosing love over fear, service over selfishness. Self-realization is the most noble and necessary journey.
But few take up a spiritual life because they feel that there are still prospects on the horizon for a happier life, or, in the moment, things are going relatively well. For them, a spiritual undertaking seems unattractive, a nuisance, or a diversion. Often, we are pressed into a spiritual life either through suffering or loss or sudden shock to our consciousness, deep inquisitiveness, a dire need, dissatisfaction, a search for knowledge, or perhaps some abiding inclination that seems to have followed us from a previous birth. Such people are compelled to take up a spiritual path. But in whatever way we’re called to spirituality, it’s a great fortune, and we want to take full advantage and increase the likelihood of our success.
Knowledge, Faith, and the Map of the Soul’s Return Home
Therefore, to begin, we need to stand on the solid ground of knowledge. Knowledge gives power, security, and sometimes wealth. But knowledge can give something more valuable. It can empower us with an agency of choice. Currently, we’re controlled by the mind and senses, cultural conditioning, and an ego that leads us to wrongly identify the mind-body as the self. Compounding this confusion, we don’t understand the nature of the world and the subtle, unseen laws that govern it and thus govern us. Not knowing ourselves or the hidden secrets about our environment, our choices are not informed by true knowledge. Instead, we’re cycling in a prolonged dream through many lifetimes that often morphs into nightmares.
The knowledge of Bhakti received through Bhakti texts and seers awakens us from the illusion of the dream and invests us with the capacity to see and choose. We can then leave the service of a temporary mind-body and a world that restricts us to a constant lockdown. The transphenomenal knowledge of Bhakti is real freedom. Knowledge of Bhakti will steady us when we encounter the multitude of ways that the world – and our egoic self and mind – tries to stop our noble transit from the temporary to the eternal. Such knowledge will give us the ability to discriminate between what is valuable and what is worthless; what to do and what not to do; what will make us happy and what causes misery; what awakens knowledge and what fosters illusion.
And knowledge that satisfies our intellect with reason and logic will nurture faith, or trust. Rupa Goswami, a Bhakti author-saint of the sixteenth century, explains that the first step in Bhakti is faith, or trust in the process. Faith is a necessary element in any endeavor. If I don’t trust, I won’t invest myself or my time and energy. I trust the ground is solid and I can take my next step. I trust that if I get such-and-such a job, I will make enough income to support my family. I trust that if I study this, I’ll become proficient and capable in that. I trust the sun will rise tomorrow. There are so many aspects of ourselves, the environment, and our lives that I trust, which makes it possible for me to move forward.
By learning about Bhakti, a Bhakti practice, and the metaphysics on which it is based, we can build confidence and trust. The Sanskrit word sraddha, or faith, implies a dynamic act. Srad means “trust”, and dha means “to place.” We choose to place trust in something reasonable, attested to by reliable people, or something we have experienced ourselves.
Sacred Texts, Association, and Returning to the Homeland of the Heart
An important part of the spiritual journey is to read and study Bhakti texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Bhagavata, and other wisdom texts.
Continuing with the journey metaphor, these knowledge texts are like maps we use to make the pilgrimage. As with any journey, we need to consult a map. A map of the United States, Italy, or South Africa is useless if I want to go to Greece. So we need a map of our destination, but we also need a map of where we are to know how to travel there. Perhaps you are familiar with being at a state park or a mall. There’s a map at the entry that says, “You are here.” With this information, you can trace out the steps required to navigate to your destination. You know what arrangements and resources you require, and what you need to take with you.
So we first orient ourselves in Bhakti: Where do I stand now? Where do I want to go? In the Gita, we find a description of an imperishable banyan tree that has its roots upward and its branches downward. Such a tree actually exists. A tree at the edge of a lake, reflected in the water, appears upside down and distorted. This is a metaphor for the material world and is an important hint about the terrain of the map we’ll be looking at. The mundane world is a reflection of the original plane of existence. The original branches, fruits, blossoms, and leaves distort in the reflection seen on the water, but they’re real parts of a real tree.
Spiritual land and variety exist. Eternal people exist. Individuality exists, real ego exists, real spiritual senses exist, and spiritual emotions exist. And the queen of them all is divine love. Everything exists in its pure, unadulterated state in the uncreated realm – the place where we want to travel to. The reflected tree of the material world is a temporary place of uncertainty and suffering.
In contrast, the original world is eternal, full of knowledge, and bliss. Though we find ourselves in the material world, our inherent nature matches that of the original world. In other words, we’re in the wrong place, and that’s why we feel like foreigners here! And, of course, we need a compelling reason to set out on any pilgrimage. It takes effort to work, save money, secure a passport and visa, pack, and make preparations to leave work and home. The Gita locates us on the cosmic map, which enables us to know where we want to navigate: we are foreigners in a world of matter who belong in the spiritual dimension. We’re bound up in an impoverished reflection of reality, struggling for freedom. We want to be free!
In the first canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami writes,
“The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill his desire for complete freedom. He wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead.”
The metaphor of the reflected tree has many clues. When we contemplate it, we gain insights about why we have a universal need for meaning and purpose. As the body needs food, the soul needs meaning. And our search for meaning indicates that real meaning does exist. If it had no existence, the concept wouldn’t even come to our minds. In fact, the soul itself is a unit of meaning! The temporary meanings we find on the upside-down tree of this material world lack substance for the soul, and therefore, we continue searching until we happen upon the Source of the reflection: divine love, Bhakti, and the land of spirit. When we do, we find home.
The Gita is a good map to focus on because it reveals a rational, universal, and ageless concept of the atma, or our inner self, and how to locate it. It contains comprehensive knowledge of the world, time, karma, and the invisible cosmic gears called the gunas that control us. I spoke at length about this in Episode 7, and I will include a link here in the description. It also describes all the yoga systems – or the paths to freedom — and highlights which one is best. The Gita is a reliable map that has been used for millennia by sages and seers to transcend the mundane. And we can repeatedly refer to the Gita while we’re traveling. Now viewing the map before we leave is a way of getting our bearings and helps us to prepare for the journey mentally. If we’re traveling 3,000 miles on foot, we can expect it to take about a month and a half. That alone will require a mental adjustment if we’re not accustomed to walking every day.
Also, to be clear, the map is not the journey. One time, I was traveling with my mother and two brothers in Mexico – decades before GPS. We looked at a map and plotted our journey from Zihuatanejo to Cuernavaca, but we neglected to pay attention to the fact that our map didn’t show driving conditions or terrain. We didn’t realize that we were about to cross the Grand Sierra Madre Mountain range with elevations between 6,000 and 10,000 feet. Had we spoken Spanish and asked about the trip, we would have had a very different journey.
The trip on the two-lane switchback road was slow, our jeep and the 24′ trailer we were hauling inched along. We arrived hours later than expected, which meant we were traveling at night. That would have been fine, except we were traveling in pitch-black countryside on a dark moon night on a narrow mountain pass that was without guard rails, and the headlights on our jeep kept going out unexpectedly and randomly every few seconds, making the trip truly harrowing!
So, we need the right map, we need to read it carefully, and, importantly, we need to confer with others who have already made the trip or are further along on the road than we are to understand what we’re factually undertaking. Sangha means “contact with,” “relation to,” or “intimate association with.” Within yoga and Buddhist circles, sangha refers to the spiritual community that has gathered around a shared worldview and goals. It’s a well-known principle that we become like the company we keep; our consciousness is elevated or degraded by those we share intimately with. Therefore, we are advised to choose our friends wisely. In Bhakti, sangha takes on additional importance because Bhakti is the path of grace, and we receive it from those who are imbued with pure Bhakti. And relationships with other sadhakas nurture and steady our progress.
At some point in our practice, we meet someone who speaks the language of our heart most perfectly. We will seek their guidance and shelter for the journey and accept them as a spiritual master. I’ve seen many sincere seekers attempt a spiritual practice but find that they stall along the way. Usually, it’s because they don’t have a teacher who is not only knowledgeable about the theory but also experienced in the practice and has a good grasp of human psychology. This is to say, yoga systems are sophisticated. We need a spiritual master to take them up, and that person has to have qualifications. With the practical application of their knowledge of the terrain and the information on the map, we can arrive peacefully, quickly, and safely. This is another reason why sangha – or keeping company — with a Bhakti map-bearer, or guide, and other sadhakas, or practitioners, is a necessary component of the pilgrimage.
On a pilgrimage, we stay focused on the destination and remain turning inward, not outward. Of course, family and career and other matters will call our attention, but we will learn how to interact with the world from an inward-facing perspective. This inward facing gives us the strength required to cut down this false tree with the sword of knowledge and travel to the homeland of the heart. And Bhakti’s power and mercy will help us.
In closing, I’d like to bring to your attention once again the fact that the Gita is a practical guide. Arjuna faced the largest challenge of his life. Krishna spoke the Gita to him just as an epic war was about to begin. Arjuna was a powerful, competent warrior who had proved his strength of mind and character many times in battles. But he collapsed in a full-blown panic attack when he saw the warriors assembled on the opposite side of the battlefield. Against his wishes, he was called to kill family and friends standing on the other side. As he faced those whom he loved, in great grief and confusion, Arjuna posed pressing questions to Krishna about life, meaning, the workings of the world, the nature of the soul, time, karma, and many other things.
Krishna’s instructions to Arjuna throughout the Gita are words of wisdom to all those who are troubled, burdened, confused, or inquisitive. In his dark night of the soul, Arjuna’s despair and dilemma disposed him to seek a teacher, hear spiritual truths from him, and act on them.
This is the way of progress for everyone. We become receptive, humble students, and sincerely ask for guidance, presenting all our doubts, and we serve our guide. Then we are poised to expand our consciousness, make radical shifts, drop behavior opposed to our real self-interest, and find our true purpose.
When our practice is successful, we enter the eternal atmosphere known as the world of love to engage in intimate relationships with other liberated souls and with our Divine Other. The highest purpose for a human being is to be united with our Dearest Friend in a permanent love affair. Therefore, the journey of Bhakti is the soul’s return home. It begins with knowledge, continues through sincere practice, and ends in a loving relationship with the Supreme. With the right map, good company, and inner clarity, the path becomes not only navigable but joyful. Your sacred destination is real, reachable, and waiting for you.
Thank you for joining me at “Exploring Bhakti“. As I take your leave, might you contemplate this: “What does it mean for you to live your everyday life as a pilgrimage, where every step, choice, and relationship brings you closer to your eternal home?“
In the next episode, we’ll go deeper into the practical side of sadhana – how to walk the path of devotion every day, wherever you are.
Did I raise any questions for you? Do you have a comment? Please share your thoughts below. If you have been enjoying this series, kindly share this post with someone who would benefit from it. I would be grateful for your reciprocation.
Until next time, svasty astu visvasya: May there be good fortune throughout the universe and for you.
You can find Episode 7 here: https://www.pranadacomtois.com/hidden-forces-karma-time-gunas/
