Bhakti indicates deep love and devotion towards Bhagavan, to the exclusion of everything else. Devotion is supreme attachment to the Lord. Bhakti prevails in everyone, but it remains dormant within us until it is awakened through a proven spiritual practice. This type of attachment does not bind us, instead liberates us because this is love towards Bhagavan and Bhagavan is within each one of us.
The primary purpose of Bhakti is to realise Bhagavan or self. There are multiple ways available to self-realisation but the approach of Bhakti is one of the easiest ways for commoners like us to practise in the present times. Also from the fact that it deals with emotions and most of us are more emotional than calm in mind and that is why Bhakti yoga is somewhat easier. Each one of us is naturally drawn to the objects of senses. The path of Bhakti tells us to turn that love for sense-objects towards Bhagavan. Once the devotion to Bhagavan is fully triggered, other passions like lust and anger are completely destroyed. This method of redirecting our innate love towards Bhagavan is called Bhakti. Bhakti yoga purifies the mind and gives birth to the yoga of knowledge or Jnana yoga, which removes ignorance and leads to Moksha or spiritual liberation.
Shri Ramakrishna had said: ‘the goal of life is to realise Bhagavan—to love Bhagavan, and love for Bhagavan, Bhakti, is the one essential thing.’
Bhakti is developed by purification of the heart and the mind. It is nurtured through the practice of Karma yoga or selfless service to Guru, Bhagavan and all beings
around us. This purification leads to meditation, and through meditation, our mind becomes calm and single-pointed. Once the mind is pure, we can meditate on the Lord. One can meditate on Bhagavan as the totality of everything that exists which is the core Advaita philosophy. But those who are unable to do this, can meditate on him in one of his forms and names. When we meditate on the Lord and repeat his name, the result is pure devotion. For example, the Gopis saw Lord Krishna everywhere and in everything. They were in a Bhagavan- intoxicated state and assumed themselves as Krishna.
भ :या मामिभजानाित यावा:यCाि3म त वतः । ततो मां त वतो ा:वा िवशते तदन:तरम् ॥
‘By devotion alone, he gains the true knowledge of who and what I am. Knowing Me in this way, through devotion, he unites with Me.’ – Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 55
When we hear the term ‘Bhakti’, our mind immediately recalls Sage Narada, Prahlada, Hanuman, Gopikas’ love for Krishna, Nayanmars and Alwars for their relentless devotion. They have led by example by showing flawless devotion and faith towards Bhagavan. Their stories are popular today even after ages due to their faultless Bhakti. Bhaktas are divided into two categories. To understand the two categories of Bhaktas, we have to understand Maarjaala Nyaya and Markata Nyaya. Maarjaala is the Sanskrit word for Cat. Markata in Sanskrit means Monkey.
Markata Nyaya – A baby monkey takes firm grip of its mother while the mother monkey does not hold the baby, but it is the baby who holds the mother tightly. This philosophy says that one should take hold of the Lord just as the baby monkey takes hold of its mother.
Maarjaala Nyaya – In this case it is the mother cat that protects the kitten. The kittens remain peaceful while the cat safeguards them. Wherever she goes, the cat carries the kitten with her to safety. In the same way, we need not catch hold of the Lord but it is the responsibility of the Lord to protect us.
Types of Bhakti Sadhana
- Sravanam
- Kirtanam
- Smaranam
- Pada Sevanam
- Archanam
- Vandanam
- Dasyam
- Sakhyam
- Atma Nivedanam
Let us deep dive into a few modes of Bhakti.
Smaranam
One of the best ways to practise Smaranam is Japa – repetition of a mantra or Bhagavan’s name. By practising japa, the mind becomes one with the mantra, which is nothing but Bhagavan Himself. Meditator, object of meditation and the process become one. Bhagavan and His name are one and the same. A mantra is a powerful divine energy in a sound form. It makes the mind to unite with Bhagavan, who resides within our heart. Constant repetition of the mantra leads to darshan – a direct vision of the Divine. You will experience the Divine within your heart. Chanting the Divine Name is said to be the easiest way to realise Bhagavan in this Kali Yuga.
Atma Nivedanam
We need to surrender ourselves to Bhagavan and this is to recognise that we are not separate, that nothing exists in isolation, that everything is connected to everything else within a ground of pure consciousness. Pure consciousness is the reality upon which the universe of names and forms are super imposed. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that this Maya which keeps us in bondage is divine. Only through the worship of the Lord, by His grace alone it can be overcome. And the way to receive Bhagavan’s grace is only through complete self-surrender.
Importance of Guru Bhakti
Paramacharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham (popularly called Mahaperiyava) mentions in the ‘Voice of God’ book that one’s Guru is greater than the Lord. Because no one has seen Iswara. Guru is present before us in physical form who is always pure at heart and mind, who possesses jnana and is blameless. Guru gives us the same peace of mind that we seek from Iswara. Guru bhakti will eventually lead us to bhakti towards Bhagavan. After all, it is Bhagavan’s grace that a devotee meets his Guru. Instead of differentiating Iswara from Guru, if we believe that Iswara himself has come to us in the form of our Guru, there is no need for us to become devoted to Guru and Iswara separately.
Conclusion
In the Ramayana, Lord Rama explains that the most important thing for developing bhakti is Satsanga – being in the company of saints and sages. If you are in the company of great spiritual masters, you are going to experience true bhakti and eventually attain jnana. Satsanga means association with Truth or association with those who experience Truth. Saints are in love with the Divine, they are Bhagavan-intoxicated. They experience the Divine within and they see Him in other people and, in fact, everywhere. Their love is contagious; when you spend time with them, they transmit it to you and you can experience it yourself. If you spend time with people who are immersed in Samadhi, eventually you yourself are going to be immersed in Samadhi. The nine modes of Bhakti need to be nurtured in satsanga – in the presence of Bhaktas or saints.