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Piousness and Devotion

Piousness and Devotion

Every beginner in yoga should learn not to confuse piousness with devotion. Piousness is well defined by Shankara in the ancient work Crest-Jewel of Discrimination (Wisdom) [Cjw; Crd], which presently is on-line in two versions. Page numbers refer to the Johnston translation:

Piousness suggests intentness of the soul on its own nature.* [p 10-12]
Piousness may also be called intentness on the reality of the Self (cf. above).* [p 12]".

Devotion, on the other hand, is an outlet of id (libido), and serves the animal kingdom too. The young makes a show of devotion to superiors for gains, hoping to adjust finely and perhaps grow to "take over some of the business" in time. That is how devotion works in the conformism of apes and their likes.
Devotion and love are related. In a good family a parent gives his dear ones love to "set them free" by steps and stages. It may take twenty-thirty years. A bad parental figure may never do.
If the natural family-related libido growth and its phases do not work so well, a step-in parent may exploit the thwarted, unused id, by setting up traps of yoga. "Cry to Divine Mother, and she will come" seems to be one such frustration trap. "Divine Mother, Divine Father, Divine Beloved, Divine Friend" makes use of natural longings for belonging, and can be dangerous if pursued intently, devotedly, as described in QUAG circles. It is not without reason that devotion may lead to very little advancement on the giant (spiritual) path; for it suggests being trapped in id.
One more thing: As long as there is worship into "you-ness", the inner "I-ness" is neglected. Good yoga helps you to glide inward, while devotion based on dualities, may lead nowhere.
So there is reason to ignore teachings on bhakti (devotion, love), and stick to yoga technicalities that don't undermine you, but ease your way inwards, to where the Self or Nirvana state resides.

Q: Is devotion the chief means of advancing into higher states?

Piousness is what you may end up with by going deep inside. It is inwardness, in essence. Being pious is very good, then. But blind devotion or devotedness on the other hand, can be used by gurus or fascistoid leaders as part of an intrigue. For devotion is of id, can be played on, misdirected and misused. It happens so often. Further, id-linked devotion seems up to totally duality-based.
One has to steer out of dumb devotion (if ordained by others also) in order to protect the heart - and it is the heart that counts in this. (A secret let out for you).
Some say that guru devotion is a means - don't listen to them. It can work fine if considered as a result of delving inside yourself, though, but how often does that happen?
Furthermore, observe how many there are who become maniacs through devotion - poorly directed, used and perhaps stultifying - they become used, and awkward devotion could be a means to it. Devoted people often become biased, narrowed, and much reclusive in outlooks. In other words: If deep inside you want to wither and decay, outré devotion could be just the thing for it -

My Master is Swami Sri Yukteswar Giriji. The inspiration and command for the spread of Yogoda Sat-Sanga [SRF] in America is due to him. The whole credit belongs to him. He is one of the world's greatest intellectual and spiritual giants. - Yogananda, "Christmas Message", East West, September - October 1928.

Is he? [LINK]

Literature
Ak: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Man's Eternal Quest. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1975.
Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main editor), Stewart A. Kingsbury, and Kelsie E. Harder: A Dictionary of American Proverbs. (Paperback) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Ay: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 1st ed. New York: Theosophical, 1946. Online. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html]
Cjw: Shankara. Crest-Jewel of Wisdom, translated by John Richards. (2001). www.realization.org/page/namedoc0/vc/vc_0.htm. (last rev. July 11.)
Crd: Prabhavananda, swami, and Christopher Isherwood, trs: Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination. 3rd ed. Hollywood: Vedanta Press, 1978.
Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006.
Op: Simpson, John, and Jennifer Speake. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Pa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1971.
Say: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Yogananda. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1958.

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