Bhagavatpadabhyudaya by Lakshmana Suri (study)
by Lathika M. P. | 2018 | 67,386 words
This page relates ‘Shankara’s Definition of Bhakti’ of the study on the Bhagavatpadabhyudaya by Lakshmana Suri: a renowned Sanskrit Scholar from the 19th century. The Bhagavatpada-abhyudaya is a Mahakavya (epic poem) narrating the life of Shankara-Acharya, a prominent teacher of Advaita Vedanta philosophy. This essay investigates the socio-spiritual conditions of 8th century AD in ancient India as reflected in Lakshmanasuri’s work.
Śaṅkara’s Definition of Bhakti
In ‘Vivekacudāmaṇi’ Śaṅkara praises bhakti as the most superior means for liberation. He difines Bhakti as:
“mokṣakāraṇasāmagryāṃ bhaktireva garīyasī
svasvarūpānusandhānaṃ bhaktirityabhidhīyate |”[1].
Among the means to bring out Moksa Bhakti (devotion) is the greatest. Continuous contemplation on one’s essential nature (svarupa) is said to be the bhakti. Śaṅkarācārya was a great Bhakta in the above sense. The essence of his stotras is Advaita only.
Bhakti is the seeking of men’s own true self. Nārada defines Bhakti as the extreme one to God. Śāṇḍilya defines it as extreme ‘attachment to God’. Śaṅkara’s definition of Bhakti is on Advaitic point of view. He blends Bhakti and Jñāna. He does this in ‘Brahmasūtrabhaṣya and in Gītabhaṣya’.
He defines Jñānanishta as:
‘pratyagātmaviṣayapratyaya santānakaraṇābhiniveśaścajñānaniṣṭhā’[2].
It is the passionate longing to have continues flow of thought and inner self. He defines Gītabhaṣya: ‘jñānaniṣṭhā parābhaktirucyate’.[3]
Jñānaniṣṭa is nothing but an term designating the excellent and the highest form of Bhakti, which blends Jñāna with Bhakti is another unique feature of Śaṅkara’s teachings.
Footnotes and references:
[3]:
Ibid., p.274.