"I have known Sakhya for over 40 years and his classes will be very informative and they will be fun, so you'll have a few good laughs while you learn wonderful shlokas. I think this is a very good opportunity to learn!" Mahatma Dasa, Bhakti School.
"My dear Sakhyarasa Prema Prabhu you are an enthusiastic Sanskrit pronunciation proponent. We want you to promote the re-formation of improved Sanskrit pronunciation in our worldwide ISKCON." Lokanath Swami, ISKCON Kirtan Minister.
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About Bhakti:
"Bhakti literally means 'devotional service." (The Nectar of Devotion page 12]
Bhakti connotes devotion, or love, and love implies service. Service refers to that activity which is intended to please the beloved. Thus "devotional service" is an eloquent definition of Bhakti itself.
Love is the most fundamental drive of every living entity. We cannot be happy without satisfying this desire to love and we will not be able to perfectly fulfill this desire without permitting its expansion to the most inclusive extent.
"In the primary stage a child loves his parents, then his brothers and sisters, and as he daily grows up he begins to love his family, society, community, country, nation, or even the whole human society. But the loving propensity remains imperfectly fulfilled until we know who is the supreme beloved." (NOD, page 15)
Love can become all-embracing only when we understand that Lord Sri Krishna is the supreme beloved, the root of all creation. By embracing Him we successfully embrace everyone, just as pouring water on the root of a tree successfully nourishes every leaf and branch.
The Nectar of Devotion teaches us the science of loving every one of the living entities perfectly by the easy method of loving Krishna.
Bhakti-yoga:
The word yoga means "to connect or re-unite." Though yogas are commonly used for health and fitness, the Vedic texts explain that yoga is ultimately meant to re-connect with God.
Bhakti means "devotion," or "devotional service," or "pure love." So Bhakti-yoga means to practice connecting with God, and re-establishing our relationship with Him, through acts of unconditional love and service, or devotional service.
Bhakti-yoga and Vaishnavism are synonymous terms.
Bhakti is derived from the Sanskrit word bhāj, which means - loving service. Yoga in Sanskrit means - connection. Bhakti yoga means to connect to the supreme by means of pure loving devotional service.
We all have love or Bhakti within our self. However, it is in dormant state. There is a simple way to awaken this dormant loving service to the supreme personality of Godhead. This process is laid down by Lord Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gitā. Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahabrabhu, the incarnation of Lord Krishna in this present age has mercifully made this process very simple and enjoyable. Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON has made this process famous all over the world.
The process of awakening our original love is not just purifying but also fully satisfying. This purification process consists of three main principles - chanting, dancing and feasting.
Chanting the pure names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna can be done simply by regularly chanting Hare Krishna mahamantra - Hare Krishna Hare Krishna / Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama / Rama Rama Hare Hare. The chanting can be done as minimum fixed rounds on japa mala or it can be done together in congregation with musical instruments.
Dancing is also an important part of the purification to attain love. Dancing is done gracefully in front of the Lord. Dancing engages our whole body in glorification of the Supreme personality of Godhead.
Feasting means only eating food that has been specifically cooked and lovingly offered to Lord Krishna. Such food or 'prasadam' is free of karma and does not entangle us in the cycle of repeated birth and death. See Bhagavad Gita 3.9 and 3.13).