Bhakti is the swiftest way not only to a static liberation but to all kinds of mukti.
But bhakti without jnana tends to become narrow, exclusive, dogmatic, egoistic and even fanatic. It gets distorted by the forces of ignorance and becomes only an outer display with little real power to change or liberate.
Similarly bhakti without karma becomes ineffective, a means for personal escape from the world, impotent to save or help mankind, incomplete and exclusive, limited and confined to ritualistic worship.
Hence we see in the Gita the sequence is jnana, karma and then bhakti as the crown.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
