Three articles on Bhakti are already published which deal on - what is Bhakti (Doctrine of Bhakti), how to cultivate Bhakti (Cultivation is Bhakti) and Evolutionary stages of Bhakti. This article aims at explaining the signs of Bhakta at various evolutionary stages of Bhakti.
At the first stage i.e. Signs of Sadhana Bhakti: 1. Aspirant has a strong faith in God as the highest value and a sense of the utter temporariness of worldly achievements. 2. Aspirant, then, turn to the scriptures and spiritual teachers who impart the doctrines regarding, the self, Nature, and God. 3. Aspirant performs the duties of life without personal desire or fruits of actions or attachment and for success. In this one must have an understanding of oneself as the Atman. Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga to be practiced together. At second stage, i.e. Signs of Para Bhakti: 1. Viveka (Practice of Discrimination) – Aspirant practice viveka for all the things that are taken in through the senses. Ramanuja system emphasizes more on the need to be discriminate in taking food i.e. eat only things that are Sattvika or purity-generating and prepared and served only by persons and in conditions that are pure. 2. Vimoka – Aspirant resists the impulses of passions like anger, sexuality, jealousy etc. 3. Abhyasa – Aspirant practice all the disciplines of worship such as worship of divine images, japa, collective singing of the names of God, visiting holy places etc. which remind that God is the indwelling Principle (Sesi) in oneself and the whole universe. 4. Kriya – Aspirant performs the following five-fold duties of life:
6. Anavasada – Aspirant is free from despair, pessimism etc. and preservation of a cheerful and positive attitude of mind. 7. Anuddharsa – Aspirant does not yield to excitement or depression and to preserve an even temperament in all situations. By long and continued practice of these disciplines, by practice of detachment, dhyana and upasana, the mind of aspirant gets purified and develops power to perceive the Divine as the inner self. At this stage, his faith is strengthened by the glow of love for God and develops into Para Bhakti when the mind, even without any external stimulation, goes towards God in place of sense objects. At third stage, i.e. Signs of Prema Bhakti: When the mind of Aspirant feels the great attraction of the God, and Bhakti is said to develop then into the stage of Prema Bhakti. The devotee becomes mad with love and longing, and is always in intimacy with the Divine. Prema bhakti is same as system of Prapatti when the attachment to God becomes the sole music of one’s life and one is immersed in the bliss of the Parmatman. Doctrine of Self-Surrender (Prapatti under Sri Ramanuja system): Dedication of oneself, along with one’s dependents and belongings, to God is the central feature of self-surrender. It evokes God’s grace and leads the aspirants to supreme status. Abandonment of religious rites and taking refuge in Him leads to transcendent purity and freedom from all sins. Self-surrender is analyzed in six phases as under: 1. Aspirant resolves to cherish love for all, as all animates and inanimate beings constitute His body. 2. Aspirant abstains from hostility to all beings. It means abonnement of all evil ways and enmity to others. 3. Aspirant has faith i.e. strong conviction that God is the refuge of all and will protect him. Seeking His protection means maintenance of an attitude of prayerfulness for it. 4. Aspirant chooses God as one’s shelter. He resigns oneself absolutely to His care and protection. A feeling of one’s pitiable state owing to a realization of insufficiency of all self-effort made for one’s salvation. 5. Aspirant entrusts oneself, one’s near and dear ones, possession etc. to Him and throwing one’s burdens, one’s “I and mine” on Him. He accepts that God’s protective grace is always with one. 6. Aspirant is humble i.e. he has no pride and conceit of agency and is ready to submit unperturbed to any misfortune or failure, accepting it as the Divine will. The Prapatti doctrine holds that a single moment of resignation with the attitude of mind is enough to bring the God’s grace operative on the Jiva. The effect is immediate and non-laborious. Characteristics of the Bhakta, who has developed delight in Bhakti:
Fruits of Bhakti:
Reference: Bhakti Schools of Vedanta – by Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.
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Two articles on Bhakti are already published which deal on - what is Bhakti (Doctrine of Bhakti) and how to cultivate Bhakti (Cultivation is Bhakti). This article aims at explaining the various evolutionary stages of Bhakti. Sri Ramanuja, Sri Madhva, Sri Vallabha and Sri Chaitanya are acharyas (teachers) of bhakti who excelled and propagated Bhakti among masses; resultantly India witnessed Bhakti movement in medieval period. Bhakti is looked upon as a distinct fifth Purusartha.
Once the devotee follows the discipline of Bhakti, the devotional sentiments are more & more pronounced. When the heart of devotee is unshakably established in the God and mind refuses to move, complete devotion is accomplished. From Shraddha, ardour (dedication & eagerness) is born. When ardour deepens, it is called Prema or Love. As Prema grows it is successively called Sneha, Mana, Pranaya, Raga, Anuraga, Bhava and Mahabhava. These are stages in the development of love. Evolutionary stages explained by various philosophers of Bhakti:
Such self-forgetting dedication, uncorrupted by the narrow self, eliminates from the aspirant all thoughts of attaining Mukti, or release from cycle of birth and death, even the dawn of pure devotion. One who has attained this state of mind is said to have attained the fifth Purusartha, the state of selflessness. Selflessness is the characteristic of spiritual love, whereas self-consideration is the very basis of sensuous attachments.
Reference: Bhakti Schools of Vedanta – by Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. In the first article on Bhakti titled as “Doctrine of Bhakti (Devotion)” deals with the question “What is Bhakti”. Many philosophers claims the Bhakti cannot be cultivated. Others have given the path to cultivate Bhakti. Selfless devotion is stable only when one has developed balance of emotional and intellectual love. Bhakti matures when the devotee realizes the real form & attributes of Para Brahman (God) and thence develops renunciation from worldly pleasures. Shraddha (firm & unquestioned faith) is essential for Bhakti. Shraddha is generated in the mind of person by the association with holy persons whose conduct and conversations alone can impress a person with the existential nature of the spiritual reality. Shraddha should be attained. Those who have Shraddha are qualified for Bhakti. Religious knowledge and monasticism (religiously mandated behavior) are not essential for development of Bhakti. Bhagavad Purana: Sri Madhvacharya accepted the authority of Bhagavad Purana and its Navdha Bhakti, both as a discipline to cultivate Bhakti. Navdha Bhakti is nine God-centered actions discussed as under: श्रवणं कीर्तनं विष्णोः स्मरणं पादसेवनम् | अर्चनं वन्दनं दास्यं सख्यमात्मनिवेदनम् ॥ (7.5.23) (Sravanam, kirtanam, visno, smaranam, pada-sevanam; archanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam atma-nivedanam)
In Navdha bhakti, first is sravana. But shravan of katha (noble stories) is not sufficient. Whatever is listened should also be meditated (Manan or manthan). After the meditation of katha, it should be practiced. The first six items are practiced as preliminary disciplines or Apara-Bhakti, by which one gets gradually spontaneous love of God without any external stimulation and becomes capable of practicing devotional attitudes and self-surrender. The final stage is called Para-Bhakti. When Atamasamarpana is performed, the first six disciplines become the spontaneous expression of Bhakti with the feeling that one is His Dasa and purpose of His existence is His service. Sixty Four Devotional Disciplines for cultivation of Bhakti: There are sixty four devotional disciplines for cultivating Bhakti. These disciplines can be clubbed under a few sub-heads which corroborates Navdh which are as under: Relating to Guru – 1. Submission to the spiritual teacher (Guru); 2. Serving the teacher; 3. Avoiding making too many disciples and getting entangled in their affairs; 4. Avoiding writing too many books, practicing too many crafts, delivering too many lectures, and involvement in too many disputations; 5. Receiving, initiation and lessons from him in the devotion to Sri Krishna; 6. Prostrating before Guru; Relating to Navdha Bhakti: Saravana (Listening)- 7. Listening to the recitation of the names of the God (Sahastranama etc.); 8. Following the scriptures; 9. Studying the Bhagavata Purana with fellow devotees; Kirtana (Collective singing): 10. Performing Sankirtana (collective singing); Smarana (Japa, Meditation)- 11. Silently repeating the divine name (Japa); 12. Repeating devotional verses; 13. Singing the praise of Krishna; 14. Meditating on the God; 15. Remembering the God always; Padaseva (Service of deities or Social Service) - 16. Loving the feet of the deity; 17. Serving the devotees (Vaishnava); 18. Using all one’s energies towards performing His works; 19. Serving the deity in all possible ways; Archana (Worship of deities) - 20.Witnessing the evening and other services at the temple; 21. Dancing before deity; 22.Prostrating before deity; 23.Following the deity in religious processions; 24.Circumambulating the deity in the temples 25.Going to the temple regularly; 26.Reverential service of his image. 27.Worshipping the deity regularly; 28.Respecting Salagrama and other emblems of Vishnu; 29.Avoiding disrespect to the deity as worshipped by others; 30.Observing fast on Ekadasi etc.; 31. Putting on the Vaishnava marks; 32.Stamping the letter ‘Hari’ on the arms; 33.Accepting with devotion flowers, Tulsi etc. offered to the God; 34.Eating with relish what is offered to deity (Prasada); 35.Drinking the water with which the deity is washed; 36.Smelling the fragrance of flowers, incense etc. offered to the deity; 37.Touching the deity; 38.Gazing at the deity; 39.Seeking the God’s grace;
42.Holding devotional festivals according to one’s capacity; 43.Observing monthly vows especially in Kartika; 44.Observing Janamashtmi with special reverence; Dasya – 45.Adopting the attitude of servant towards the God; Sakhya (Friendliness) – 46.Adopting a friend’s attitude towards the God; Atamanivedana – 47.Revealing one’s innermost feelings to the deity; 48.Dedicating oneself to the God; 49.Offering to Him all that is dear to oneself; 50.Absolute self-surrender; Relating to Stay & self-discipline: 51. Abstinence (self-discipline & restraint); 52.Residing in Mathura and other holy places; 53.Living in sacred places of the Vaisnavas; 54.Association with holy persons; 55.Earning only for maintenance and hoarding; 56.Keeping away from atheists and impious men; 57.Avoiding too many ambitious projects; 58.Giving up faulty behavior; 59.Not being overwhelmed by adverse fortune; 60.Not harassing others; 61. Avoiding Savaparadha (disrespectful behavior in worship) – failure to observe the rules of purity, procedure and reverential homage in one’s association with temples of God and holy images (moving irreverently before holy images, indulging in impure or prohibited practices, not contributing according to one’s capacity for worship, eating without offering to God, offering what is eaten already etc.); 62.Avoiding Namaparadha (disrespect to divine name) – slandering saintly persons, ignoring spiritual preceptors, finding faults with scriptures, deliberately sin, resolve to sin, holding an attitude of indifference to divine name, considering oneself superior to the divine name etc.; 63.Using all one’s energies towards performing His works; 64.Maintenance contact with Bhaktas more evolved than oneself. Reference: Bhakti Schools of Vedanta – by Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. Vedic ritualistic actions, either of an obligatory nature or of an optional nature, are for attainment of heavenly enjoyments. Most of the persons are devoted to ritualistic duties, some are devoted to knowledge, a few think of God, and among those hardly one is liberated. One in million is true devotee. Hence, specific devotional rituals forming part of the Bhakti discipline are to be adopted.
Discharge of one’s duties in selflessness and detachment, and as an offering to God, has a place in the devotee’s life, as it leads to purification of his mind through elimination of demoniac tendencies born of self-centeredness. The methods of concentration adopted by the Yogis can be usefully employed in the path of Bhakti also as an aid to hold the mind in concentration on the God. Bhakti is not mere emotions or feeling or Shraddha but firm, ceaseless and unshakable love of God, which surpasses every other form of affection and attachment, and which is based on and inspired by a full knowledge of His transcendent majesty. Worship of Divine images, visit to holy places, study of devotional literature, repetition of Divine name, participation in Bhajans and association with holy men, are some of the means for helping the growth of the infant plant of devotion. The end-phase of devotion is passionate and undeviating love of God. What is Bhakti: Bhakti is that continuous flow of the heart that has been liquefied by the love towards God. It develops unalloyed faith in God and submission to His will. To intellectuals, it is the conviction consequent upon the knowledge of the ultimate relationship with God that generates love and attachment to Him. Ramanujacharya equates Bhakti with Dhyana and Upasana. Dhyana means concentration of mind on Him and Upasana continuous thought of Him. Sri Madvacharya, stressed that Bhakti should not degenerate into excessive emotionalism. Its healthy form is a well-balanced complex of emotional and intellectual love. He therefore holds that love of God should be preceded by the knowledge of His cosmic majesty and excellence, and as per instruction by a competent teacher of the doctrine of the Jiva’s nature as a reflection (Prati-bimba) of God, who is his Original. Kinds of Bhakti: Bhagavad Purana, which is recognized as a source book of Bhakti doctrine for over five hundred years, identified two types of Bhakti:
Bhakti, the highest Spiritual Fulfilment:
Reference: Bhakti Schools of Vedanta – by Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. |
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