On the Four Yogas:
A poem by Abir Muhuri

(Based upon the book The Teach­ings of Swami Vivek­a­nanda)

To nur­ture and blos­som the divine within
That is the sole goal of one’s reli­gion
To unite with God and join in his grace
Is up to our own experimentation

The ways to divin­ity stretch to infin­ity
As each per­son is a wave among the oceans
The mind­sets and roles, the moods and souls
Are so col­or­ful in this vast creation

As many as the ways are, there are a few to be named
That may appeal to a rain­bow of souls
Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, and Raja
Four yogas that one can unfold

Karma Yoga is the path of duty and ser­vice
That is washed from bondage and slav­ery
But it’s not dry like sand, so harsh and coarse
For one serves for the supreme divinity

Work with­out expect­ing a grand pot of gold
Just work with utmost focus and love
Whether you teach or play, cook or pray
Do it for the lord within and above

Bhakti Yoga is the path of over­flow­ing love
Cry­ing out to the lord, enveloped in his name
Love any deity that you feel is nat­ural
For all are one and the same

Bhakti makes us happy, no mat­ter what life throws
For one will love god in an infi­nite flow
This love will shine and res­onate around
And when pain hits, the cure we will know

Jnana Yoga is seek­ing with rea­son and knowl­edge
Know­ing that noth­ing is sep­a­rate but one
Diver­sity is unity, Dif­fer­ences are the same
Search for union, more com­plete than the sun

Raja Yoga is con­trol­ling and tam­ing the mind
Whether through med­i­ta­tion or japa, or some­thing of that kind
Con­trol your mind, con­trol your des­tiny
Your poten­tial for excel­lence flies to eternity

These four paths have been laid in an open light
To plan and cus­tomize is the seeker’s own right
There may be cuts and bruises on the way
But rejoice in each moment of every divine day

—Abir Muhuri