Irrelevance of Bhakti Yoga

The Bhagavad Gita is the form of a song. It is to be understood as art, and not verbatim. The actual physical existance of the beings Krishna and Arjuna is not relevant to this art. Even if Krishna is just a mythological figure, the bhagavad gita is relevant, for it expounds the universal wisdom of action that is applicable even today - Karma Yoga, it is based on the fact that we all perform actions all the time, and if we are attached to the outcomes, we will remain bound.

The path of Bhakti Yoga was relevant to Arjuna because Krishna was living, and he was Arjuna's friend, well known to Arjuna. The same path of Bhakti is not relevant to people who do not know Krishna personally in the same form as known by Arjuna. It is foolish to go around chanting words such as 'Hare Krishna' by people who do not know Krishna. They might as well chant any other word and it would make absolutely no difference.