Bhakthi

''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it may refer to loving devotion for a personal God (like Krishna or Devi), a formless ultimate reality (like Nirguna Brahman or the Sikh God) or an enlightened being (like a Buddha, a bodhisattva, or a guru).Bhakti
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (2009)Karen Pechelis (2011), "Bhakti Traditions", in ''The Continuum Companion to Hindu Studies'' (Editors: Jessica Frazier, Gavin Flood), Bloomsbury, , pp. 107–121 Bhakti is often a deeply emotional devotion based on a relationship between a devotee and the object of devotion.

One of the earliest appearances of the term is found in the early Buddhist ''Theragatha'' (''Verses of the Elders''). In ancient texts such as the ''Shvetashvatara Upanishad'', the term simply means participation, devotion and love for any endeavor, while in the ''Bhagavad Gita'', it connotes one of the possible paths of spirituality and towards moksha, as in ''bhakti marga''.

Bhakti ideas have inspired many popular texts and saint-poets in India. The ''Bhagavata Purana'', for example, is a Krishna-related text associated with the Bhakti movement in Hinduism. Bhakti is also found in other religions practiced in India, and it has influenced interactions between Christianity and Hinduism in the modern era. ''Nirguni bhakti'' (devotion to the divine without attributes) is found in Sikhism, as well as Hinduism. Outside India, emotional devotion is found in some Southeast Asian and East Asian Buddhist traditions.

The term also refers to a movement, pioneered by the Tamil Alvars and Nayanars, that developed around the gods Vishnu (Vaishnavism), Shiva (Shaivism) and Devi (Shaktism) in the second half of the 1st millennium CE.

Devotional elements similar to bhakti have been part of various world religions throughout human history.Michael Pasquier (2011), The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization, Wiley-Blackwell, , See article on ''Devotionalism and Devotional Literature'', Devotional practices are found in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism.

Terminology

The Sanskrit word ''bhakti'' is derived from the verb root ''bhaj-'', which means "to worship, have recourse to, betake onself to" or ''bhañj-,'' which means "to break." The word also means "attachment, devotion to, fondness for, homage, faith or love, worship, piety to something as a spiritual, religious principle or means of salvation".

The meaning of the term ''Bhakti'' is analogous to but different from Kama. Kama connotes emotional connection, sometimes with sensual devotion and erotic love. Bhakti, in contrast, is spiritual, a love and devotion to religious concepts or principles, that engages both emotion and intellection.Karen Pechelis (2014), The Embodiment of Bhakti, Oxford University Press, , pages 19-21 Karen Pechelis states that the word Bhakti should not be understood as uncritical emotion, but as committed engagement. She adds that, in the concept of ''bhakti'' in Hinduism, the engagement involves a simultaneous tension between emotion and intellection, "emotion to reaffirm the social context and temporal freedom, intellection to ground the experience in a thoughtful, conscious approach". One who practices ''bhakti'' is called a ''bhakta''.

The term bhakti, in Vedic Sanskrit literature, has a general meaning of "mutual attachment, devotion, fondness for, devotion to" such as in human relationships, most often between beloved-lover, friend-friend, king-subject, parent-child. It may refer to devotion towards a spiritual teacher (Guru) as ''guru-bhakti'', or to a personal God, or for spirituality without form (nirguna).

According to the Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar Sanath Nanayakkara, there is no single term in English that adequately translates or represents the concept of ''bhakti'' in Indian religions. Terms such as "devotion, faith, devotional faith" represent certain aspects of ''bhakti'', but it means much more. The concept includes a sense of deep affection, attachment, but not wish because "wish is selfish, affection is unselfish". Some scholars, states Nanayakkara, associate it with ''saddha'' (Sanskrit: ''Sraddha'') which means "faith, trust or confidence". However, ''bhakti'' can connote an end in itself, or a path to spiritual wisdom.

The term ''Bhakti'' refers to one of several alternate spiritual paths to moksha (spiritual freedom, liberation, salvation) in Hinduism, and it is referred to as ''bhakti marga'' or ''bhakti yoga''. The other paths are '' Jnana marga'' (path of knowledge), '' Karma marga'' (path of works), ''Rāja marga'' (path of contemplation and meditation).John Martin Sahajananda (2014), Fully Human Fully Divine, Partridge India, , page 60

The term ''bhakti'' has been usually translated as "devotion" in Orientalist literature. The colonial era authors variously described ''Bhakti'' as a form of mysticism or "primitive" religious devotion of lay people with monotheistic parallels.Paul Carus, , pages 514-515 However, modern scholars state "devotion" is a misleading and incomplete translation of ''bhakti''.

Many contemporary scholars have questioned this terminology, and most now trace the term ''bhakti'' as one of the several spiritual perspectives that emerged from reflections on the Vedic context and Hindu way of life. Bhakti in Indian religions is not a ritualistic devotion to a God or to religion, but participation in a path that includes behavior, ethics, mores and spirituality. It involves, among other things, refining one's state of mind, knowing God, participating in God, and internalizing God. Increasingly, instead of "devotion", the term "participation" is appearing in scholarly literature as a gloss for the term ''bhakti''.Karen Pechilis Prentiss (2014), The Embodiment of Bhakti, Oxford University Press, , pages 23-24

''Bhakti'' is an important term in Sikhism and Hinduism. They both share numerous concepts and core spiritual ideas, but ''bhakti'' of ''nirguni'' (devotion to divine without attributes) is particularly significant in Sikhism.Hardip Syan (2014), in ''The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies'' (Editors: Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech), Oxford University Press, , page 178 In Hinduism, diverse ideas continue, where both ''saguni'' and ''nirguni'' bhakti (devotion to divine with or without attributes) or alternate paths to spirituality are among the options left to the choice of a Hindu.

Bhakti in the Teachings of Jagadgurus

Several Jagadgurus placed a strong emphasis on Bhakti as the path to spiritual realisation.

* Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya emphasized devotion to Radha and Krishna, introducing Dvaitadvait Vad (dualistic non-dualism), which balanced divine oneness and personal devotion.

* Jagadguru Ramanujacharya taught Prapatti (complete surrender) and presented Vishishtadvait Vad (qualified non-dualism), combining reason and devotion.

* Jagadguru Madhvacharya, through his Dvait Vad (dualism), reinforced the idea that grace of a personal God was essential for liberation.

*Jagadguru Madhvacharya’s teachings directly influenced Saint Purandara Dasa, a key figure in the Bhakti movement, linking his philosophy to the broader devotional wave that swept through India.

* Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj gave a new dimension to Bhakti practice in modern times with the method of Roopdhyan meditation, which involves meditating upon the divine forms and qualities of Radha-Krishna, stating that true worship stems from mental surrender and heartfelt love rather than external rituals.

*Bhakti has been a unifying spiritual approach through different Jagadguru philosophies, ultimately rejuvenating Sanātana Dharma in various ages.

History of Hindu bhakti

The Upanishads

The last of three epilogue verses of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23), dated to be from 1st millennium BCE, uses the word ''Bhakti'' as follows:

This verse is one of the earliest use of the word ''Bhakti'' in ancient Indian literature, and has been translated as "the love of God". ScholarsPaul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 301-304Max Muller
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad
Oxford University Press, pages xxxii – xlii have debated whether this phrase is authentic or later insertion into the Upanishad, and whether the terms "Bhakti" and "Deva" meant the same in this ancient text as they do in the modern era. Max Muller states that the word ''Bhakti'' appears only once in this Upanishad, that too in one last verse of the epilogue, could have been a later addition and may not be theistic as the word was later used in much later ''Sandilya Sutras''.Max Muller
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad
Oxford University Press, pages xxxiv and xxxvii Grierson as well as Carus note that the first epilogue verse 6.21 of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad is also notable for its use of the word ''Deva Prasada'' (देवप्रसाद, grace or gift of God), but add that ''Deva'' in the epilogue of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad refers to "pantheistic Brahman" and the closing credit to sage Shvetashvatara in verse 6.21 can mean "gift or grace of his Soul".

Post-Vedic movement

Scholarly consensus sees ''bhakti'' as a post-Vedic movement that developed primarily during the Hindu Epics and Puranas era of Indian history (late first mill. BCE-early first mill. CE).

The ''Bhagavad Gita'' is the first text to explicitly use the word "bhakti" to designate a religious path, using it as a term for one of three possible religious approaches or yogas (i.e. bhakti yoga).

The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (which focuses on Krishna bhakti) develops the idea more elaborately, while the ''Shvetashvatara Upanishad'' presents evidence of ''guru-bhakti'' (devotion to one's spiritual teacher).

Bhakti movement

Bengal illustration of the 15th century Krishna bhakta Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performing kirtan, devotional chanting and dancing, in the streets of Nabadwip">kirtan.html" ;"title="Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performing kirtan">Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performing kirtan, devotional chanting and dancing, in the streets of Nabadwip, Bengal.

The ''Bhakti Movement'' was a rapid growth of bhakti, first starting in the later part of 1st millennium CE, from Tamil Nadu in southern India with the Shaiva Nayanars and the Vaishnava Alvars. Their ideas and practices inspired bhakti poetry and devotion throughout India over the 12th-18th century CE. The Alvars ("those immersed in God") were Vaishnava poet-saints who wandered from temple to temple, singing the praises of Vishnu. They hailed the divine abodes of Vishnu and converted many people to Vaishnavism.

Like the Alvars, the Shaiva Nayanar poets were influential. The ''Tirumurai'', a compilation of hymns by sixty-three Nayanar poets, is still of great importance in South India. Hymns by three of the most prominent poets, Appar (7th century CE), Campantar (7th century) and Sundarar (9th century), were compiled into the ''Tevaram'', the first volumes of the ''Tirumurai''. The poets' itinerant lifestyle helped create temple and pilgrimage sites and spread devotion to Shiva. Early Tamil-Shiva bhakti poets quoted the Krishna Yajurveda. The Alvars and Nayanars were instrumental in propagating the Bhakti tradition. The Bhagavata Purana's references to the South Indian Alvar saints, along with its emphasis on ''bhakti'', have led many scholars to give it South Indian origins, though some scholars question whether this evidence excludes the possibility that ''bhakti'' movement had parallel developments in other parts of India.

Scholars state that the ''bhakti'' movement focused on Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and other deities, that developed and spread in India, was in response to the arrival of Islam in India about 8th century CE, and subsequent religious violence. This view is contested by other scholars.John Stratton Hawley (2015), A Storm of Songs: India and the Idea of the Bhakti Movement, Harvard University Press, , pages 39-61

The Bhakti movement swept over east and north India from the fifteenth-century onwards, reaching its zenith between the 15th and 17th century CE.Karine Schomer and WH McLeod (1987), The Sants: Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 1-2 According to Patton Burchett, the four key features of this early modern bhakti movement in north India were:

First and foremost, these communities were united by a distinctive focus on personal devotion to the Divine, as opposed to other traditional pillars of Indic religiosity such as knowledge, ritual, or the practice of yoga or asceticism. This devotion took place in the context of an intimate, loving relationship with the Divine in which caste, class, or gender typically were said to have no place. This was a bhakti that found its most characteristic expression in (a) the context of spiritual fellowship ( satsaṅg) with other devotees (bhaktas), (b) the medium of song, (c) the idiom of passionate love (śṛṅgāra/mādhurya) or painful separation (viraha), and (d) the remembrance—in meditation, recitation, chant, and song—of the name(s) of God. Second, these new devotional communities of Mughal India were alike in their production and performance of devotional works, composed in vernacular languages, remembering the deeds of God (especially Kṛṣṇa and Rām) and exemplary bhaktas. Third, important in all these communities was the performance and collection of songs attributed to renowned bhakti poet-saints like Kabīr, Raidās, and Sūrdās. Finally, despite their many differences, the vast majority of bhakti authors and sectarian communities in early modern North India came together in articulating a devotional sensibility distinct from—and often explicitly positioned in opposition to—certain tantric paradigms of religiosity.

Bhakti poetry and ideas influenced many aspects of Hindu culture, religious and secular, and became an integral part of Indian society. It extended its influence to Sufism, Christianity, and Jainism. Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century, during the bhakti movement period, and scholars have identified it as drawing from many Bhakti traditions and ideas.

Saints such as Mirabai, Soordas, Narsinh Mehta composed several bhajans that were a path towards Bhakti for many, that are universally sung even today. A modern age saint, Shri Devendra Ghia (Kaka) has composed about 10,000 hymns. These hymns are related to bhakti, knowledge, devotion, faith, introspection and honesty.

The movement has traditionally been considered as an influential social reformation in Hinduism, and provided an individual-focused alternative path to spirituality regardless of one's birth caste or gender. Postmodern scholars question this traditional view and whether the Bhakti movement were ever a social reform or rebellion of any kind. They suggest Bhakti movement was a revival, reworking and recontextualization of ancient Vedic traditions.

Types and classifications

Bhakti Yoga

The ''Bhagavad Gita'' introduces bhakti yoga in combination with ''karma yoga'' and '' jnana yoga'', while the ''Bhagavata Purana'' expands on bhakti yoga, offering nine specific activities for the bhakti yogi. Bhakti in the ''Bhagavad Gita'' offered an alternative to two dominant practices of religion at the time: the isolation of the sannyasin and the practice of religious ritual. ''Bhakti Yoga'' is described by Swami Vivekananda as "the path of systematized devotion for the attainment of union with the Absolute". In various chapters, including the twelfth chapter of the ''Bhagavad Gita'', Krishna describes ''bhakti yoga'' as one of the paths to the highest spiritual attainments. In the sixth chapter, for example, the Gita states the following about bhakti yogi:

The ''Shandilya Bhakti Sutra'' and ''Narada Bhakti Sutra'' define devotion, emphasize its importance and superiority, and classify its forms.

According to Ramana Maharishi, bhakti is a "surrender to the divine with one's heart". It can be practiced as an adjunct to self-inquiry, and in one of four ways:
# Atma-Bhakti: devotion to one's ''atma'' (Supreme Self)
# Ishvara-Bhakti: devotion to a formless being (God, Cosmic Lord)
# Ishta Devata-Bhakti: devotion to a personal God or goddess
# Guru-Bhakti: devotion to Guru

Nine forms of Bhakti

The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (verse 7.5.23) teaches nine forms of bhakti:

The ''Bhagavata Purana'' describes many examples of bhakti, such as those exhibited by Prahlada and the gopis. The behavior of the gopis in the ''Bhagavata Purana'' exemplifies the essence of bhakti. When separated from Krishna, the gopis practiced devotion by listening to his stories (''śravaṇa''), praising his glorious deeds (''kīrtana''), and other acts to keep him in their thoughts.

Bhavas

Traditional Hinduism speaks of five different '' bhāvas'' or "affective essences". In this sense, ''bhāvas'' are different attitudes that a devotee takes according to his individual temperament to express his devotion towards God in some form. The different ''bhāvas'' are:
# ''śānta'', placid love for God;
# ''dāsya'', the attitude of a servant;
# ''sakhya'', the attitude of a friend;
# ''vātsalya'', the attitude of a mother towards her child;
# ''madhurya'', the attitude of a woman towards her lover.

Several saints are known to have practiced these ''bhavas''. The nineteenth century mystic, Ramakrishna is said to have practiced these five ''bhavas''. The devotion of Hanuman towards Rama is considered to be of ''dasya bhava''. The relationship of Arjuna and the cowherd boys of Vrindavan with Krishna is regarded as ''sakhya bhava''. Radha's love towards Krishna is ''madhurya bhava''. The affection of Krishna's foster-mother Yashoda towards him exemplifies ''vatsalya bhava''. The ''Chaitanya Charitamrita'' mentions that Chaitanya came to distribute the four spiritual sentiments of Vraja loka: dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and sringara. Sringara is the relationship of the intimate love.

Murti

In ''bhakti'' worship, rituals are primarily directed towards physical images. The terms "murti" and "''vigraham''" are commonly used in Hinduism to describe these images. A ''murti'' denotes an object with a distinct form that symbolizes the shape or manifestation of a particular deity, either a god or goddess. A ritual called '' pranapratishta'' is performed before worshipping a murti, establishing ''prana'' (life force) into the image and inviting the god or goddess to reside in the murti.

In other religions

Buddhism

Bhakti (''bhatti'' in Pali) has always been a common aspect of Buddhism, where offerings, prostrations, chants, and individual or group prayers are made to the Buddha and ''bodhisattvas'',Donald Swearer (2003), ''Buddhism in the Modern World: Adaptations of an Ancient Tradition'' (Editors: Heine and Prebish), Oxford University Press, , pages 9-25. or to other Buddhist deities. According to Karel Werner Buddhist bhakti "had its beginnings in the earliest days".Karel Werner (1995), ''Love Divine: Studies in Bhakti and Devotional Mysticism,'' Routledge, , pages 45-46 Perhaps the earliest mention of the term bhatti in all Indic literature appears in the early Buddhist ''Theragatha'' (''Verses of the Elders'').Dayal, Dar (1970). ''The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sanskrit Literature,'' p. 32. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. As such, Har Dayal writes that, bhakti "was an integral part of the Buddhist ideal from the earliest times". John S. Strong writes that the central meaning of Indian Buddhist bhakti was "recollection of the Buddha" (Sanskrit: buddhanusmrti).Strong, John S. (2017). ''The Legend and Cult of Upagupta: Sanskrit Buddhism in North India and Southeast Asia,'' p. 117. Princeton University Press.

One of the earliest form of Buddhist devotional practice was the early Buddhist tradition of worshiping the Buddha through the means of stupas and bodily relics ( sarira). Later (after about the third century CE), devotion using Buddha images also became a very popular form of Buddha bhakti.

Sri Lankan scholar Indumathie Karunaratna notes that the meaning of ''bhatti'' changed throughout Buddhist history. In early Buddhist sources like the ''Theragāthā'', ''bhatti'' had the meaning of 'faithful adherence to the uddhistreligion', and was accompanied with knowledge. Later on, however, the term developed the meaning of an advanced form of emotional devotion. This sense of devotion was thus different than the early Buddhist view of faith.

According to Sanath Nanayakkara, early Buddhist refuge and devotion, meant taking the Buddha as an ideal to live by, rather than the later sense of self-surrender. But already in the Commentary to the Abhidhamma text ''Puggalapaññatti'', it is mentioned that the Buddhist devotee should develop his ''saddhā'' until it becomes ''bhaddi'', a sense not mentioned in earlier texts and probably influenced by the Hindu idea of ''bhakti''. There are instances where commentator Buddhaghosa mentions taking refuge in the Buddha in the sense of mere adoration, indicating a historical shift in meaning. Similar developments in Buddhist devotion took place with regards to worshipping the Buddha's relics and Buddha images.Gokhale, Pradeep. "The Place of Bhakti in Buddhism", in ''Illuminating the Dharma: Buddhist Studies in Honour of Venerable Professor KL Dhammajoti'', Edited by Toshiichi Endo, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, 2021.

The Mahāsāṃghika school of early Buddhism seems to have promoted devotional practice and bhakti to a high status and to have anchored this practice in the purity and radiance of the Buddha.Pas, Julian F. (1995). ''Visions of Sukhavati: Shan-Tao's Commentary on the Kuan Wu-liang- Shou-Fo Ching'', pp. 26-30. Albany, State University of New York Press, The ''Mahāvastu'', one of the few surviving Mahāsāṃghika texts, states:

The purity of the Buddha is so great that the worship of the Exalted One is sufficient for the attainment of Nirvāna, and that one already acquires endless merit by merely walking round a stupa and worshipping it by means of floral offerings...from the Buddha’s smile, there radiate beams which illuminate the entire buddhafields.

In later faith-oriented literature, such as the '' Avadānas,'' faith is given an important role in Buddhist doctrine. Nevertheless, faith (''śraddhā'') is discussed in different contexts than devotion (''bhakti''). ''Bhakti'' is often used disparagingly to describe acts of worship to deities, often seen as ineffective and improper for a Buddhist. Also, ''bhakti'' is clearly connected with a person as an object, whereas ''śraddhā'' is less connected with a person, and is more connected with truthfulness and truth. Śraddhā focuses on ideas such as the working of karma and merit transfer. One source for Indian Buddhist devotion is the '' Divyāvadāna'', which focuses on the vast amount of merit (') that is generated by making offerings to Buddhas, stupas and other Buddhist holy sites.

This text contrasts faith in the Buddha with bhakti for mundane deities (such as Hindu gods), and in this case, it sees bhakti as something for those who are less developed spiritually.Rotman, Andy (2008). ''Thus Have I Seen: Visualizing Faith in Early Indian Buddhism,'' p. 245. Oxford University Press, USA. However, in other passages, the term is used positively, and in one story, the sage Upagupta says to the demon Mara:

Even a very small bit of bhakti oward the Buddhaoffers nirvana to the wise as a result. In short, the wicked things that you āradid here to the Sage, when your mind was blind with delusion, all of these have been washed away by the copious waters of śraddhā that have entered your heart.

- ''Divyāvadāna'' 360.1–4 'Aśokāvadana'' 22.7-9

In the 11th century, the Bengali Buddhist scholar Rāmancandra Kavibhārati composed a work on Buddhist bhakti called the ''Bhakti Śataka.''

Today, affective devotion remains an important part of Buddhist practice, even in Theravada Buddhism. According to Winston King, a scholar on Theravāda in Myanmar, "warm, personalized, emotional" ''bhakti'' has been a part of the Burmese Buddhist tradition apart from the monastic and lay intellectuals. The Buddha is treasured by the everyday devout Buddhists, just like Catholics treasure Jesus. The orthodox teachers tend to restrain the devotion to the Buddha, but to the devout Buddhist populace, "a very deeply devotional quality" was and remains a part of the actual practice. This is observable, states King, in "multitudes of Pagoda worshippers of the Buddha images" and the offerings they make before the image and nowhere else.

In Mahayana Buddhism

Tibet: An elderly Tibetan woman holding a Lhasa's pilgrimage circuit of Barkhor. The Barkhor, a quadrangle of streets that surrounds the Jokhang">Jokhang Temple