What Is The Need For Bhakti Yoga?

What is the need for Bhakti-yoga?
'Do karma without the desire for results, with detachment' is easier said than done.
Karma or action is complicated.
कवयोऽप्यत्र मोहिताः - even scholars, jnanis get carried away in the path of action.
In the path of action, the options are numerous.
If there is a single way of achieving something, then there is no confusion.
But the options are too many.
Should I do it this way or this way?
This question keeps coming up.
The path of action is fraught with doubts.
Compared to this, the jnanamarga appears simple.

Karma marga creates confusion not just at the level of the mind, even intelligence based on authentic knowledge, shastras also fails to dispose off these confusions.
Buddhi or intelligence is based on the knowledge of dharma.
Intelligence tells you to do what is dharmik.
This is the job of intelligence.
But who is clear about dharma?
Even Bhishmacharya from his bed of arrows said धर्मस्य सूक्ष्मा गतिः
Dharma is very subtle, very difficult to understand.

Jnanamarga is less complicated because it is based around the single supreme truth.
There are no multiple truths which you have to pursue.
In that, it appears simple and straight forward.
But whenever karma becomes associated with jnana, then the natural confusion of karma infects jnana also.
This is why scholars of Sankhya advice to relinquish all karma.
As long as you perform any action in relation to the world, your jnana can not be without corruption.
So action should not be ordinary action, it should be Nishkama-karma, action without any desire, any motive if at all you want it not to interfere with jnana.

What is behind action?
Desire.
When you say Nishkama-karma, action without desire, it it possible?
When karma arises out of desire, can there be karma without desire behind it.
So Nishkama-karma is easier said than done.
But if the sensory organs can be completely brought under control through rigorous tapas, then you can in the long run probably get out of the grip of desire.
As Gita says -
विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः।
रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते।।2.59।।
But this is also a lot of hard work.
It is not for armchair philosophers,
If action should not interfere with jnana, then the action has to be without desire.
Desire will go away only if you observe severe austerities.
So in terms of simplicity and ease, jnanamarga is also no better than karmamarga.
Of course, Gita gives pioneering solution in both these cases.
We are talking here about the conventional karmamarga and the conventional jnanamarga.
So jnanamarga is also क्षुरस्य धारा निशिता दुरत्यया दुर्गं पथस्तत् कवयो वदन्ति ।

It is natural for the sensory organs to rush towards signals, sound, light, smell…
They are made that way.
They are meant to work that way.
There is a car that you are driving.
You have put it in gear and pressing on the accelerator.
It is natural for the car to move forward.
But then you are trying to stop it with a wall in front of it.
The car is pushing against the wall.
What is going to happen eventually?
The car is going to get damaged.
This is what happens when you forcefully control the sensory organs.
You are only destroying them.
So instead, why not surgically remove them or destroy them?
Can you achieve jnana by doing that?
So if the sensory organs are the hindrances in achieving jnana, then why not just surgically remove them?
Rather than spending years doing tapas trying to control them?

Whatever you are scared of, it would harm you more.
Those used to drinking bottled water they are most prone to water-borne infections.
If they drink pipe-water or well-water even once, they are likely to fall sick.
This is because their bodies are not exposed to microorganisms and they don't develop immunity.
People who live in unhygienic conditions may fall sick less often.
We saw this happening of immunity during covid times.
They are also less scared of falling sick and in reality also they fall less sick.

So if you stay away from the lures of the senses, avoid them, then you might end up like those who drink only bottled water,
Their fear is more and the slightest exposure to contamination can affect them.
Because they are more sensitive.

Conventional karmayoga is confusing and complex, conventional jnanayoga is equally hard and complex.

This is where the need for a third option comes that is Bhaktiyoga.
In Bhaktiyoga action is there, but this action is performed for God, not for oneself.
In Bhaktiyoga, jnana is the goal and karma is the means.

Bhagawan said, भक्तास्तेऽतीव मे प्रियाः
I am fond of my devotees, my bhaktas.
Because they are balanced.
They are involved in both, karma and jnana but not carried away by either.