Doctrine of Bhakti (Devotion) – (Part –I)

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:

1. Vidvesa-Bhakti – devotion through confrontation – Through fear, hatred etc. with God, when a person develop intense enmity towards Him. God approached them as antagonist and killed them. Examples are Hiranyaksa, Hiranya-Kasipu, Ravana, Kamsa, Sisupala etc.
2. Kama-Bhakti – Pure devotion – Intense love – Example Gopikas- Krishna.

 
Bhakti, the highest Spiritual Fulfilment:

1. Bhakti is the highest goal of the Jiva, and consists in the experience of pure delight in the service of God without any thought of extraneous objective like Moksha or attainment of any object of desire obtainable by human efforts. Hence, it is an attitude and an experience, while as a means it is a set of specific disciplines. 
2. The true devotee is passionless and tranquil. While the others crave enjoyment, psychic powers or salvation, the true devotee care only for whole-hearted loving service of God with body, mind and soul in an absolutely selfless spirit and without any other consideration than the joy of the beloved God. It springs from the consciousness that the individual soul or Jiva, being part of God’s Shakti.
3. In minds of those who care for salvation and other self-centered fulfilments, true love of God can never be kindled. Jiva, by following the path of Jnana or wisdom can get merged in Brahman-consciousness and thereby gain Moksha. But Brahman is only the peripheral luster of Sri Krishna.
4. In different types of the bhaktas, the inclination assumes five different forms namely, the Santa (the placid, easy going), the Dasya (that of servant ship), the Sakhya (comradeship), Vatsalya (parental) and Madhura (conjugal). Devotion to Sri Krishna and conquest of desires are the marks of all these types of devotees.

 

1. Santa – In such devotee, attachment is like odourless flower. He has acquired only a true sense of God’s nature as the supreme Spirit and Divinity.
2. Dasya – In such devotee, mood develops the cognition of Krishna as the God of all powers and contently gratifies Him by servicing Him with a sense of His divinity and with honor and great glorification. It has got merit of Santa plus service.
3. Sankhya – Such devotee has absolute trust in Krishna and service is characterized by free camaraderie without any inhibition of admiration. It has got trust along with two former.
4. Vatsalya - Such devotee looks Krishna as the protégé (pupil) and himself as parent. It has got four qualities and is like nectar.
5. Madhura – All the above qualities are present and in addition to them the devotee serves Krishna as a lover, offering him his or her own person. In this all the earlier four characteristics are synthesized into a complexion of its own in the form of Atma-Samarparna (complete surrender of the self).

 

1. The ardour for Krishna is of two kinds, the first accompanied by sense of His Godhead, and the second pure and simple. At Gokula, Krishna displayed Himself free from His Godhead aspect, while at Mathura, Dwarka, Vaikuntha etc. His Godhead aspect is more conspicuous. Where the sense of His Godhead aspect is more conspicuous, love for Him is contracted. Whereas the way of pure ardour is to disregard Godhead even when it is openly shown. Godhead aspect is less conspicuous in Santa and Dasya emotions and is shrunken (dried) in Vatsalya, Sakhya and Madhura emotions. The pure love called unmixed ignores His divinity, and whenever it does recognize Him as Power, the intensity of the loving connection with him diminishes. 

 
Reference: Bhakti Schools of Vedanta – by Swami Tapasyananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai.
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