Question: Can one reach the subtle planes of cosmic consciousness as quickly through Raja Yoga as through Bhakti Yoga?

Sri Chinmoy: It entirely depends on the seeker. One seeker will say Raja Yoga helps him. Another seeker will say Bhakti Yoga helps him to reach God the fastest. But if you feel that as a seeker you are a little child, and that Raja Yoga is your father and Bhakti Yoga is your mother, you will have more fondness for your mother. Naturally you will have more faith in your mother than in your father, because your mother brought you up and mixed with you much more than your father did. Please forgive me for saying this, all fathers. It will be easier for the child, the seeker, to go towards the Goal through Bhakti because of his intimate connection with his mother. He will be able to make better progress because of his faith in her. When the child grows up, if he sees that his father has more knowledge, or more wisdom, then he will come to have more faith in his father and will mix more with him.

Since you are a child, the best thing is to mix with the mother and run with her to realise the Highest. When you realise the Highest, you will see that what your father knows and what your mother knows is the same.