Talk:Bhakti Yog or Rāgātmikā Bhakti or Parā Bhakti or Sharaṇāgati

By Vishal Agarwal

The final stage of Bhakti is Bhakti Yog’ which is referred to by other names too in different traditions, as listed above. Rāgātmika Bhaktas are so-called because,

“…rāga is their very nature (ātmika). It is inherent, not something that needs to be further cultivated, as is the case with rāgānugās. So they serve as the role models for the rāgānugās, the readers [of Bhakti scriptures] who are beginning to experience a spontaneous attraction to these particular episodes and to feel an inclination to mold their bhava on these exemplars.”

In his Rahasyatrayasāra, Vedānta Deshikā compares vaidhī bhakti to the milk diet that has been prescribed to a sick person by his physician, whereas the rāgātmikā bhakti is like the healthy man’s own choice of milk as diet.

In his Shivānandalahari 61, Shri Shankaracharya explains the nature of Parā-Bhakti in the following beautiful five examples:

1. The Ankola fruits fall to the ground and the seeds are liberated. But they (the seeds) are instantly and powerfully attracted to the trunk of the mother tree. They move in the direction of the trunk and stick to it.
2. The needle flies to the magnet, attracted by an irresistible force.
3. A devout and chaste wife lives constantly in the thought of her husband and his service.
4. A creeper restlessly searches for a tree to entwine itself and once it has caught a tree it winds itself around it inextricably, as it were, with great ‘affection and love’. Even if the creeper is violently pulled away from the tree, the instant it is released it will rush back to the tree and wind itself around it.
5. The river bounces towards the ocean. It surmounts all obstacles and flows ceaselessly till it attains the ocean.

In another hymn, Shankaracharya says- “Through my act of self-surrender to You, let my prattle become a recitation of Your name; the movement of my limbs gestures of worship; my walk perambulation around You; my food become a sacrificial offering to You; my lying down a prostration to You; whatever I do for my joy - let it become transformed into an act of worship to You.”161 Saundaryalahari 27

Whereas Aparā Bhakti has some formalities, imperfections, and discontinuities, Parā Bhakti doesn’t-

The Devi said to Indra, “I shall now instruct you on Parā-bhakti. Listen to me carefully. The devotee who attains this state likes to hear my praises at all times and likes to describe my wonderful qualities always. Just as a worldly person’s mind constantly dwells on a mine filled with precious gems, the Bhakta who attains the state of Parā-bhakti constantly thinks of me, and his focus on me is continuous, as the unbroken stream of oil.” DevīBhāgavata Purāṇa 7.37.28

In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Queen Kunti displays her Bhakti Yog with the following wish-

Kunti said: Just as the Ganga flows continuously towards the ocean without any hindrance, so may O Krishna, may my longing and desires be guided constantly towards you and nothing else. Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.8.42

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna asks Arjuna to spiritualize every action as an offering to the Īshvara. These verses reflect the spirit of Bhakti Yog - Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever oblations you offer, whatever you give, and whatever austerities you perform, Son of Kunti, make it an offering to Me. Gita 9.27 Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, perform your worship to Me, make reverence to Me. Thus, having disciplined yourself in Yog, with Me as your Supreme Goal, you shall indeed come to Me. Gita 9.34 He who does his karm for Me, who considers Me as Supreme, who is devoted to Me, free from all attachment, who is free from enmity towards any creature, he comes to Me, Pāṇdava. Gita 11.55