Bhakti

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda and Vishal Agarwal

Bhakti refers to

  1. devotion; divine love; surrender to the Divine; piety
  2. a goddess who is the mother of Jñāna (knowledge) and Vairāgya (detachment).

The actual act of devotion itself can take several forms such as listening to and singing the glories of God, ritualistic worship, repetition of the divine names and contemplation on the sacred forms of God, dedicating the fruits of action to God and an attitude of utter surrender. Scriptures of bhakti do not prohibit a person from living an active life. They only advise him to couple God with it. As regards the sins of omission and commission, sincere repentance and prayer, and the consequent descent of God’s grace, will efface them.

Definition of Bhakti[edit]

Bhakti has been defined as ‘paramaprema’ (intense love) or ‘parā-anurakti’ (extreme attachment) to God, thus excluding or transcending all other kinds of love. This is also ‘parā-bhakti’ or supreme devotion, which comes as the fulfillment of the practice of devotion. All other practices of devotion that are preliminary, but ultimately lead to parā-bhakti, are called ‘aparā-bhakti’.

Bhakti as per Ṛgveda[edit]

Aspects of bhakti found in Ṛgveda are as follows :

  1. Praise of God[1]
  2. Hearing or recitation of his names
  3. Surrender to God[2]
  4. Filial affection towards God[3]
  5. God seeks his devotees[4]
  6. God is our dearest and nearest[5]

Bhakti as per Upaniṣads[edit]

Coming to the Upaniṣads, we see that though they are mainly devoted to jñāna or knowledge, the doctrine of grace which is an important aspect of the philosophy of devotion, is found in some statements like, ‘Whom the Ātman chooses, by him is He obtained; to him, He reveals Himself’.[6] Another statement as per Upaniṣad suggests: ‘When he who is devoid of desire-motivated actions, through the grace of God, the Supporter, sees the Paramātman’s glory, then does he become freed from sorrow’.[7] The Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad uses the word ‘bhakti’ and refers to ‘prapatti’ (self-surrender)[8].

'Bhakti' simply means to love and serve the Divine. An Upanishad and other texts define it as:

Bhakti is loving service of Him that implies centering of the mind on Him, expecting no other gain in this life or after death (from Him). Gopālapūrvatāpinī Upanishad 2.1 Bhakti is of the nature of supreme love towards the Lord and the nature of immortal bliss. Narada Bhakti Sūtra 2-3 Bhakti is having the highest love for the Lord (Ishvara). Shandilya Bhakti Sūtra 1.1.2

Bhakti as per Bhagavadgītā[edit]

Bhagavadgītā, along with the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and the purāṅas, deal extensively with bhakti. Bhakti means loving devotion and service towards the Lord[9]. In the Rigveda and other Vedas, there are thousands of verses in which Rishis express their Bhakti for various Devas like Indra, etc[10][11][12]. The Vedas also clarify that these different Devas derive from a single underlying Supreme Being or are merely different aspects of the same Lord.

Indra, You are ours and we are Yours. Rigveda 8.81.32
Agni alone do I deem as my father, comrade, brother, and kinsman. Rigveda 10.7.3

The Vedas contain the spontaneous spiritual inspirations of the great Rishis the Seers, who had come face to face with the Divine. Therefore, although the Vedas depict all facets of Bhakti, they do not give a systematic and methodical description of Bhakti or any other path to Moksha as an organized spiritual system. The earliest description of Bhakti as a systematic discipline to reach the Divine ('Bhakti Yoga') is taught in the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita teaches it as its fourth Yoga or spiritual discipline, after Jnāna Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Dhyana Yoga. Its chapters 9-12 deal exclusively with Bhakti and Bhakti Yoga although Bhakti-related concepts are touched upon in earlier and later verses. Krishna says that Bhakti is the crown of one's spiritual journey although it must be combined with other Yogas in various degrees depending on one's inherent nature.

The goal of all four Yogas of the Bhagavad Gita is to reach the Divine. But most modern Hindus prefer the path of Bhakti-Yoga, specifically the way of loving devotion towards a Saguna Brahman. Some Hindus also practice Bhakti Yoga with Nirguna Brahman as the goal. Sikhs focus on Bhakti towards Nirguna Brahman as well, like the latter. It must be emphasized, however, that there is no sharp and complete distinction between Bhakti/Bhakti Yoga towards Saguna and Nirguna Brahman. The difference is simply one of focus. Sant Sürdās, for instance, focuses on Saguna (as Krishna) in hundreds of hymns although a hymn or two of his is in the Nirguna mode. The Sikh Gurus focus on Nirguņa but have numerous hymns in which they celebrate the different Avataras of Vishnu (Saguna Bhakti) and their deeds as narrated in the Bhagavata Purăņa.

After the Bhagavad Gita, the philosophy of Bhakti and Bhakti Yoga is expounded systematically in great detail in the Bhakti Sütras of Sage Närada, and in the Bhakti Sütras of Rishi Shandilya[13][14]. The practice of Bhakti is presented in the Bhagavata Purana, a widely followed Hindu scripture. The Puranas and Agamas, which teach details about worshipping Devi, Vishnu, Shiva, etc., are also vast compendiums of Bhakti and Bhakti Yoga.

Bhakti Yoga is considered one of the easiest paths to reach the Divine among the four Yogas with the fewest prerequisites. It is also the most popular spiritual path that is found in some way or the other in all religions.

Bhakti sutra[edit]

In the later literature, treatises specially devoted to delineating the doctrine of bhakti have also appeared, thus enriching the cult of devotion. These bhaktisutras are as follows :

  1. Śāndilya-bhaktisutras
  2. Nārada-bhaktisutras
  3. Nārada-pāñcarātra
  4. Bhakti-rasāyana
  5. Bhakti-rasāmrtasindhu

Bhakti as per Bhāgavatadarśana[edit]

The philosophy of bhakti, called ‘Bhāgavatadarśana’ accepts God as Personal. That he can be apprehended neither by the senses nor by the intellect, but only by devotion to him and his grace, is a cardinal principle. The path of bhakti is open to all and it is much easier than the other paths like jñāna (knowledge) or yoga (contemplation).

Classification of Bhakti[edit]

The categorization of bhakti depends upon the standpoint adopted for the purpose. The classifications are done based on the following rules :

  1. Division according to the guṇas, listing bhakti as sāttvika, rājasa, and tāmasa, is one method
  2. Division according to the state of mind of the votary, as bhakti of the ārta (the afflicted), of the arthārthi (the one seeking worldly gains), of the jijñāsu (an inquirer of Truth) and of the jñāni (the enlightened one) is another method.
  3. Division according to the attitude of the devotee towards God. For instance, śānta is the devotion of a serene votary, dāsya of a servant, sakhya of a friend, vātsalya of a parent, and madhura of a consort.

Disciplines followed after Bhakti[edit]

One who aspires after cultivating bhakti is expected to adopt certain moral and spiritual disciplines in life. Some of the disciplines recommended are

  • Avoiding evil company and cultivating holy company
  • Detachment towards worldly things
  • Taking recourse to lonely places conducive to devotion
  • Giving up evil actions and actions motivated by selfish desires
  • Performing one’s duties as an act of worship of God
  • Practicing fortitude and dependence upon God

The derivation of the word "Bhakti' according to the rules of Sanskrit grammar[edit]

"Bhakti is devotion or unselfish love. This is the literal meaning of the word. It comes from the root 'Bhaj' to serve or to be deeply interested in. 'Bhaj sevāyām' is the Sanskrit root. Bhakti is, therefore, an intense attachment to God or deep interest in God and things concerned with God.[15]"

What are the practical implications of Bhakti? A modern teacher summarizes:

"....full devotion to God, dedicating mind, heart, speech, and actions to God is everything; it is all there is. This is the highest teaching... Whatever stresses and challenges are in your life, whatever word you use for God, pray to feel the ever-growing intimacy, and you will feel God helping you along your path. Pray that all you do is for that one God-experience only. Trade all selfish motives, desires, wishes, powers, and knowledge for the immortal nectar of intimate, ecstatic God-love that comes from silent and active sādhanā (meditation and service to humanity).[16]"

Most people show loving dedication towards another human being like a King, spouse, child, parent, and so on. Bhakti, on the other hand, is directed towards Bhagavān and is all about Him. At some point, the Bhakta sees the Divine as a spouse, lover, friend, comrade, sibling, king, child, etc., and finally becomes one with the Lord.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Ṛgveda 1.156.3
  2. ↑ Ṛgveda 1.156.2
  3. ↑ Ṛgveda 8.98.11
  4. ↑ Ṛgveda 6.47.17
  5. ↑ Ṛgveda 10.82.3
  6. ↑ Kathā Upaniṣad 2.23
  7. ↑ Kathā Upaniṣad 2.20
  8. ↑ Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23; 6.18
  9. ↑ Miller, Jeanine. Does Bhakti Appear in the Rigveda? Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1996.
  10. ↑ Miller, Jeanine. Does Bhakti Appear in the Rigveda? Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1996.
  11. ↑ Sangoram, K. D. Pathway to God in the Vedas. Solapur, Maharashtra: B. R. Kulkarni, 1995.
  12. ↑ Bose, Abinash Chandra. Hymns from the Vedas. Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1966.
  13. ↑ Chinmayananda, Swami. Narada Bhakti Sutra. Bombay: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, 1982.
  14. ↑ Swami Harshananda. Shāṇdilya Bhakti Sūtras with Svapneshvara Bhāṣhya. Bangalore: Ramakrishna Math, 2002.
  15. ↑ Sivananda, Swami. Essence of Bhakti Yoga. Shivanandanagar, District Tehri-Garhwal: "The Divine Life Society," 2002.
  16. ↑ Tirtha, Swami Sadashiva. Bhagavad Gita for Modern Times. New York: "Sat Yuga Press", 2007.

The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Sachi Anjunkar, Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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