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Bhakti is devotion. It is a means to the end which is attainment of Jnana. People of
emotional temperament are fit for this path. It demands self-surrender or Atma-nivedan. It is the
cat-Yoga. The kitten cries aloud and the mother cat runs at once to catch it by the mouth. So
also, the devotee cries aloud like Draupadi and Gajendra and the Lord Krishna runs immediately
to rescue him and shower His grace. The Bhakti Marga demands only sincere, intense devotion,
blind faith and strong conviction as Prahlad had. There is no necessity for learning. Illiterate
people like Tukaram who could not sign even their names had realized God. There is no need for
vast learning or study. A Bhakta wants to eat sugar-candy. He wants to sit by the side of the
Lord.
Jnana is the Yoga of self-expansion. It demands self-reliance. Only people of an
intellectual temperament with Vichara Sakti or the power of discrimination and ratiocination are
fit for the path of Jnana or knowledge. It is the monkey-Yoga. The young monkey does not cry,
but itself clings tenaciously to the body of its mother wherever the mother runs. This Yoga
demands a vast study of Vedantic literature, a sharp intellect, bold understanding, gigantic will
and courage. A Jnani wants to become an embodiment of sugar-candy, instead of tasting sugarcandy.
A Jnani wants to become identical with the Existence (Eka Aikyam).
From "May I answer that" by Swami Sivananda (1987-1963). More Informations on Swami Sivananda: on the Website of Divine Life Society, Photographs of Swami Sivananda, German Pages on Swami Sivananda