As can be understood from the previous page on Yugams, it is very difficult for a Human Being to engage in the pursuit of the spiritual path.  It has been rightly said in the scriptures that in the Kali Yugam, Man will be busy earning his living and providing basic essentials for the family.  It has been rightly said that he will not be able to enjoy his 100 years of life, beset as he will be by disease, illness and other physical handicaps. It has also be rightly said that even if he manages to sustain himself physically, his mind will be infected with the dreaded "Kama, Krodha, Moha, Lobha Mada and Matsarya. 

With both mind and body ridden by undesirable elements, Man in the Kali yugam is always busy in activities that produce self gratification.  Gnana yogam involves very strenous learning for which the modern man does not have time or energy.  He does engage in Karma Yoga becuase he is working most of his waking time.  However, Karma Yoga needs to be selfless, but modern man expects to be rewarded for discharging his duties so he can pay his bills.  Also the sense of greed takes over. This negates the spiritual aspect of Karma Yoga.

Therefore the only path that can possibly work is Bhakthi Yoga.  Bhakthi Yoga is identified by the Paramathma as the only possible path of attainment of Moksham in this yugam.  The reason apparantly is that it does not involve any dedication of exclusive time and energy and can be practiced even while engaged in day to day routine activity. 

So what makes Bhakthi Yogam so user friendly? 

Bhakthi is one of the three paths to the attainment of permenance, peace, independance, liberation and tranquility, which is kmown as the state of moksham.  Bhakthi is supposed to the simplest of the three paths. The other two being GnanaYogam and Karma Yogam. 

Bhakthi is the conviction that a higher being is in charge.

Bhakthi is the conviction that it is possible to communicate our situation to the higher being and that the higher being is kind and compassionate enough to provide us with help and guidance.

Bhakthi is the conviction that we are not born to simply die and waste away. It is the conviction that life is only a stepping stone to the next higher level of existence.

Without Bhakthi  even the smallest obstacle will seem larger than life. Without Bhakthi, we will not see the meaning in this existence and will therefore not attempt at all to overcome even the smallest obstacle. Without Bhakthi, even the smallest setback will drain the energy to endevour out of us.

Life requires repeated attempts to succeed, even for the most talented among us.

We are not given the vision to see what lies ahead. We are only given the capability to know the past to some extent, and be aware of the present.  So we are going without knowing where the path is leading us to.  In such a situation, we have to be aware that we are being led by someone whose vision and awareness is boundless and compassion and kindness is limitless. 

Sri Krishna Paramathma is that perceptable but unseen being.

However, the Paramathma is not going to do everything on our behalf. He is going to step in only to provide guidance.  If we invoke Him, He becomes our charioteer, as He was for Arjuna in Kurukshetra.

Just as Sri Rama was called upon to protect Vishwamitra's yagnya, Easwara will always be there to protect and defend the Bhaktha and keep him/her on the track to progress, as long the Bhaktha puts in the requisite effort to attain the objective.

SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM EXTRACT ON BHAKTHI: “Contemplating on the absolute will not be possible for Man today, ridden as he is by besetting sins. But even the worst sinner can be saved if he listens to the stories of the Lord, His many Avataras. The Bhagavata is just that. The path to the Lord is devotion, the Bhakti Marga.  It is Bhakti  which we see as the Golden Thread running through all the Avataras.  The Bhagavata is a string of beads which like a Japamala,  helps you to realise the Lord and reach Him. Vyasa composed this Purana as His last contribution for the Good of this World. I will tell you how it came about.”

This faith or Bhakthi cannot be put in place unless we try to do things "our way" and meet with failure and pain. Bhakthi cannot be born out of experiencing "success".  This is why the Paramathma repeatedly says in Srimad Bhagavatham that if he really wanted to punish somebody, He would simply give them the experience of "success" in everything they do. 

A person who experiences (or thinks that he is experiencing success) out of "his own efforts" tends to develop a large "EGO" .  The "EGO" makes the individual live under the illusion that the "success" experienced was entirely due to the individual's "own" special capabilities.  He/She then begins to revel in glorifying one's own self, forgtting the hand of the Paramathma in making the events happen.

Discarding the "EGO" or the false identity is one of the major stepping stones to attaining a higher level of existence and Srimad Bhagavatham devotes a significant part of its narrative in pointing to many different paths to the attainment of this level.