There are two types of devotion: vaidhi-bhakti, devotion stimulated and maintained by following scriptural injunctions, and raganuga-bhakti, spontaneous and natural devotion without the necessity of any external provocation. This raganuga-bhakti is intense divine love and passion beyond the confines and limits of the material senses and mundane emotions. It is very, very rare. For the general seeker, it is better to follow the channelled path of vaidhi-bhakti, or customary devotional practice. The scriptures known as Tantra mention thousands of methodologies. Sri Bhakti-rasamṛta-sindhu refers to sixty-four distinct methods. Srimad-Bhagavatam especially advocates the following nine processes of bhakti:

1. Hearing the glories of the transcendental Holy Name, Form, Qualities, Paraphernalia and Pastimes of the Lord.
2. Chanting the glories of the transcendental Holy Name, Form, Qualities, Paraphernalia and Pastimes of the Lord.
3. Remembering the glories of the transcendental Holy Name, Form, Qualities, Paraphernalia and Pastimes of the Lord.
4. Serving the Lotus Feet of the Lord.
5. Offering the Lord respectful worship.
6. Offering prayers to the Lord.
7. Becoming the Lord’s servant.
8. Considering the Lord to be one’s best friend.
9. Surrendering everything to the Lord, i.e., serving Him with body, mind and speech.

Sri Kṛṣna Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given precedence to five items for the development of bhakti. They are as follows:

1. Association with devotees.
2. Engagement in the transcendental, loving service of the Lord.
3. Hearing and understanding of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
4. Chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord.
5. Residence in a holy place like Vṛndavana or Mathura.

He nonetheless acknowledges nama-saṅkirtana—repeated chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord—as the best method. In Kali-yuga, there is no alternative to nama-saṅkirtana:

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
(Bṛhan-naradiya Purana 38.126)

“In the age of Kali, there is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way (for spiritual progress) than the chanting of the Holy Name, the chanting of the Holy Name, the chanting of the Holy Name.”

kṛte yad dhyayato viṣnum
tretayam yajato makhaih
dvapare paricaryayam
kalau tad dhari-kirtanat
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.3.52)

“In Satya-yuga, the prescribed method of liberation was dhyana (the performance of meditation and austerities). In Treta-yuga, it was yajña (the performance of sacrifices) and in Dvapara-yuga it was paricarya (the process of service and care of the temple Deities). In the present age, Kali-yuga, the path is that of chanting the Holy Name of Sri Hari.”

In the Satya-yuga, the quality of truthfulness (satya) predominated in the consciousness of human society. Possessing a very high level of understanding, man could easily realise the temporary nature of the world of matter. Thus, it was easy for the people of that era to renounce the mundane world with an attitude of natural aversion. Therefore, attraction towards material sense objects could not divert their attention. They would immerse themselves in meditation upon the transcendental Form of the Supreme Lord.

In Treta-yuga, attraction towards material sense objects gained a stronger hold. Thus, mankind offered the material sense objects themselves to the Supreme Lord Sri Viṣnu (Kṛṣna) through the performance of elaborate sacrifices. The mind follows the senses to the objects of attraction. Therefore, by offering these objects to Bhagavan Sri Kṛṣna, the mind was made to follow and ultimately reach His Lotus Feet.

In the Dvapara-yuga, materialistic tendencies became even stronger and the material senses became ever more powerful and dominating. Due to these naturally deteriorating conditions, it was no longer possible for the ordinary man to participate in opulent sacrifices. The senses now could easily become enmeshed in a multitude of distractions, resulting in the necessity of yet another process to turn them toward the service of Sri Bhagavan. Thus, in Dvapara-yuga, the emphasis was given to pūja and rituals, with the aim of focusing the senses upon one central point, the Supreme Lord.

In Kali-yuga (the present age), however, materialism is rampant, knowing no bounds. The mind is flickering, restless, untamed, sick and perverse. A restless mind cannot meditate; an untamed mind is incapable of the performance of sacrifices and a sick, perverted mind is unfit for pūja and worship. A diseased person cannot serve properly. Therefore, in the Kali-yuga, the only panacea for material misery is nama-saṅkirtana, the chanting of the Holy Names of Sri Hari. This is the medicine that Sri Bhagavan has prescribed for the serious ailments of the age of Kali.