Concept of Bhakti (Devotion)

The idea of placing God as the highest Rasa is found 10 The doctrine of surrender i.e. Prapatti is in Upanisads. also noted in Upanisads. In Svetasvataropani sad the last 11 verse of sixth chapter speaks of Bhakti. In the Epics, the Ramayana speaks of Rama as an incarnation of Lord Visnu who had to suffer on earth, like a human being. The Narayaniya worship of Mahabharata traces Bhakti to myth, legend etc. 12 Panegyrics of Visnu, Siva, etc. in Mahabharata point to the period of plurality of Gods. Bhagavadgita considers devotion as one among the 13 primal factors leading to liberation. Anything offered to God 8. See Rigveda, X.43.1 and I.62.11 and Visnusukta etc. 9. de Vishvavijnanakosha, Vol. 10, p.261 10. "Raso vai sah. Rasam hyeva (yan labdhva anandibhavati". 11. Taittiriyopanisad, 11.7. "Yasya deve para bhaktiryatha deve tatha gurau" Svetasvatar opanisad VI.23. 12. Anusasanaparva, MBH, Ch.254 13. "Bhaktya mamabhi janati yavan yascasmi tattvatah 9 tatomam tattvato jnatva visate tadanantaran" Bhagavadgita, XVIII.55.

: 5: G 20740 14 pleases Him, if it is performed in His name. The whole text in the form of conversation exhorts that Jnanin type of devotee is the supermost among the four types of devotees Artharthi and Jnanin. 15 Arta, Jijnasu, The Jnanin sees the Lord Vasudeva in all this Universe (Vasudevah Sarvan) and he is the Lord himself. This is the view of Vedanta. 16 In Puranas, Bhakti is dealt with in a more technical way, casting away the philosophical garbs like Jnana and Karma. Padmapurana, Saivapurana, Visnupurana, etc. are examples for this. Bhagavatpurana is a great work that attempts to prepare the minds of common people for the ultimate realisation of God through devotion. Nine-folded Bhakti is given importance in the text though various types are mentioned like (1) threefolded Bhakti i.e. hearing of God, recital of His glories, remembrance of God; (2) four-folded Bhakti i.e. hearing about God, recital of his glories, meditating Him and worshipping Him; (3) five-folded Bhakti i.e. recital of His glories, hearing His glorifications, doing service to Him, remembering Him and fixing one's mind on His feet etc. The nine-folded 14. "Yatkarosi yadasnasi yaj juhosi dadati yat yattapasyasi kaunteya, tatkurusva madarpanam" ibid.66 15. "Arto jijnasur artharthi jnani ca bharatar sabha T tesan jnani nityayuktah ekabhaktirvisisyate Priyo hi jnani ..." ibid. VII.16-17. Jnani tvatmaivaiva me matam. ibid. 16. "Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranan padasevanan arcanan vandanam dasyam sakhyam atmanivedanam "1 iti pumsarpita buddhih... Bhagavata, VII. V. 23-24. UNIVERS VERSITY KERALA LIBRARY tr 1 TRIVANDRUM

: 6: Bhakti includes (1) Sravana, listening to His glories; (2) Kirtana praising His glories; (3) Smarana remembrance; (4) Padasevana service at His feet; (5) Arcana offerings; (6) Vandana. worship with salutations at His feet;B (7) Dasya service to Him; (8) Sakhya friendship with Him and (9) Atmanivedana Self surrender. According to Bhagavata, Bhakti is a complete dedication of soul made out of the innermost attachment developed for God. It cites examples of persons who attained salvation through aversion and hatred. 19 18 Sandilya and Narada garbed Bhakti with philosophy in their aphorisms, citing examples from Bhagavata as well as Bhagavadgita. Sandilya speaks of Bhakti as 'the state of supreme attachment to Lord', while Narada puts it as 'the feeling of deepest love towards God'. Narada goes to the extent of stating the views of his predecessors in his work (such as Parasara, Sandilya, etc.). Naradapancaratra mentions Bhakti as extreme concentration on Lord. "Bhisma, Prahlada, Uddhava and Narada have defined love to be 'that feeling of my own' which is full of attachment towards God, to the exclusion of anything else. 9 120 17. "Madgunasrutimatrena mayi_sarvaguhasaye manogatiravicchinna mayi ganganbudhe (mbhasau laksanam bhaktiyogasya nirgunasya hyudahrtan" ibid. III XXIX.11 12 18. "Gopyah Kamad, bhayad kansah dvesad caidyadayo nrpah sambandhatvrsnyah sakhyad yuyan bhaktya vayan vibhoh Bhagavata, VII. ii. 1. 19. "Sa paranuraktirisvare' 20. Shandilyabhakti-sutra, 1 and "Sa tasmai paramapremarupa" Naradabhakti-sutra, 1 "Ananyamamata visnau mamata premasanjnita bhaktirityucyate bhismaprahladoddhavanaradaih" Narada-pancaratha, Ch. II. 147.