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Bhakti yoga

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	Topics Bhakti yoga Topic Home Philosophy Bhakti is the SanskritSanskrit The Sanskrit language is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one o... term that signifies a blissful, selfless and overwhelming love of God as the beloved Father, Mother, Child, Friend or whichever relationship or personal aspect of God that finds appeal in the devotee's heart. Bhakti incorporates a number of universal principles, also common in other world religions. The 'Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu' (written by Rupa Gosvami) gives the following as the nine primary activities of bhakti, with the instruction that by following all, or just one, of these activities perfectly the aspiring devotee can achieve pure love of God: Hearing about the Lord - singing & chanting God's names, hearing stories from scripture. Glorifying the Lord - describing God's all-attractive features. Remembering the Lord - internal meditationMeditation The term Meditation describes a variety of practices with a variety of goals.... on the Lord's form, activities, names or personality. Serving the lotus feet of the Lord - providing a form of physical service. Worshiping the Lord - deityDeity A deity, god, or borus is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worsh... worship is a popular form of this within IndiaIndia India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia.... . Offering prayers to the Lord - any form of prayerPrayer Prayer is an active effort to communicate with a deity or spirit, including a monotheist God, Saints, gods within a pantheon... offered to please God. Serving the Lord - offering a service for Lord's pleasure, such as preaching activity. Building a friendship with the Lord - having an internal, loving relationship with God. Surrendering everything unto the Lord - surrendering one's thoughts, actions and deeds to God. The scriptural source of these nine primary forms of bhakti is a verse in the Bhagavata PuranaBhagavata purana The Bhagavata Purana is one of the Puranas, a part of the literature of Hinduism.... , spoken by PrahladaPrahlada Prahlada is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, wherein he is famed for his exclusive devotion to Vishnu, despi... : "Prahlada Maharaja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord , remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge." These nine principles of devotional service are described as helping the devotee remain constantly in touch with God. The processes of japaJapa Summary Japa is a spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a mantra or name of God.... and internal meditation on the aspirant devotees's chosen deity form are especially popular in most bhakti schools. Bhakti is a yogaFacts About Yoga Yoga, meaning union in Sanskrit, is a family of ancient spiritual practices, and also a school of spiritual thought that ori... path, in that its aim is a form of divine, loving union with the Supreme Lord. The exact form of the Lord, or type of union varies between the different schools, but the essence of each process is very similar. The Bhagavad Gita While it has an extensive list of philosophical and religious associations, the Bhagavad GitaBhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita is an ancient Sanskrit text comprising some 700 verses of the Mahabharata.... is also seen as a cornerstone for Hindu Bhakti theism, especially within VaishnavismVaishnavism Vaishnavism is one of the principal divisions of Hinduism.... . However, it has been interpreted by many as being a manual not limited just for devotees of KrishnaKrishna Overview Krishna , according to various Hindu traditions, is the eighth avatar of Vishnu.... . Whatever be the case, it is adamant, in Krishna's words, that loveLove Love is a profound feeling of tender affection for or intense attraction to another.... and innocent pure intention is the most powerful motive force in a devotee's spiritual life. It is a very succinct and comprehensive statement on the mindset of the Bhakta (loving devotee) of Krishna, Svayam bhagavanSvayam Bhagavan Svayam Bhagavan, "The Lord" or Lord Himself, is a Sanskrit theological term.... : Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me. (B-Gita 9.34) One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God. (B-Gita 18.55) Branches The various bhakti movements are monotheisticMonotheism In theology, monotheism is the belief in the existence of one deity or God, or in the oneness of God.... in their aim, being primarily devoted to worship of either VishnuVishnu Vishnu , is a form of God, in Hinduism.... , KrishnaKrishna Krishna , according to various Hindu traditions, is the eighth avatar of Vishnu.... or ShivaShiva Shiva is a form of Ishvara or God in the later Vedic scriptures of Hinduism.... as the Supreme Absolute or His personal energy, known as ShaktiShakti In Hinduism, Shakti is an aspect of Devi, and a personification of God as the Divine Mother who represents the active, dynam... . These movements, which followed the establishment of the three VedantaVedanta Vedanta is a principal branch of Hindu philosophy.... systems, rejuvenated HinduismHinduism Hinduism is a set of religious traditions that originated mainly in the Indian subcontinent.... through their intense expression of faith and responsiveness to the emotionEmotion Emotion, in its most general definition, is a neural impulse that moves an organism to action.... al and philosophical needs of IndiaIndia India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia.... , illustrated by BharatanatyamBharatanatyam Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form originating from Tamil Nadu of Southern India.... , and can rightly be said to have affected the greatest wave of change in HinduHindu A Hindu , as per modern definition, is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the religious, phi... prayerPrayer Summary Prayer is an active effort to communicate with a deity or spirit, including a monotheist God, Saints, gods within a pantheon... and ritual since the advent of Adi Shankaracharya. There have been bhakti movements right through Indian historyHistory of India The history of India can be traced in fragments to as far back as 9500 years ago.... . The philosophical schools changed the way people thought, but Bhakti was immediately accessible to all, calling to the instinctual emotion of love and redirecting it to the highest pursuit of BrahmanBrahman Brahman in the Vedantic schools of Hindu philosophy, is the signifying name given to the concept of the unchanging, infinit... and self-realization. In general a liberalLiberalism Liberalism is an ideology, philosophical view, and political tradition which holds that liberty is the primary political val... movement, its denouncement of casteCaste Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification, such as clans, gentes, or the Indian caste syste... offered recourse for Hindus from the orthodox Brahaminical systems. Of course, however, Bhakti's message of tolerance and love was not often heeded by those ensconced in the societal construct of caste. Altogether, bhakti resulted in a mass of devotional literature, musicMusic Music is an art, entertainment, or other human activity that involves organized and audible sounds and silence.... , danceDance *Dance* generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or per... and art that has enriched the world and gave India renewed spiritual impetus, one eschewing unnecessary ritualRitual A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditi... and artificial social boundaries. For further information see the article on Bhakti movementBhakti movement Bhakti movements are Hindu religious movements in which the main spiritual practice is the fostering of loving devotion to... s. Notable proponents of Bhakti Narada MuniNarada Narada is the Hindu divine sage, who is an enduring chanter of the names Hari and Narayana which other names for Vis... The AlvarsAlvars The Alvars were the twelve saints, who during the early medieval period of Tamil history helped revive Hinduism through the... approx. 2nd century to 8th century The NayanarsNayanars The Nayanars were the sincere and ardent devotees of Lord Siva.... 5th century to 10 century Adi ShankaraAdi Shankara Adi Shankara, also known as *' and* ', c.... 788 AD to 820 AD Ramanujacharya 1017 AD to 1137 AD MadhvacharyaMadhvacharya Madhvacharya was the chief proponent of Tattvavada, popularly known as Dvaita or dualistic school of Hindu philosophy.... 1238 AD to 1317 AD JayadevaJayadeva Jayadeva Goswami was an Oriya composer of Hindu hymns and poetic works.... 12th century NimbarkaNimbarka Nimbarka, is known for propagating the Vaishnava Theology of Dvaitadvaita, duality in unity.... 13th century Chaitanya MahaprabhuChaitanya Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was an ascetic Hindu monk and social reformer in 16th century Bengal, India.... 1486 AD to 1533 AD TyagarajaTyagaraja Tyagaraja was one of the most important composers of Carnatic music.... died 1847 AD Ramana MaharshiRamana Maharshi For a place-name in Azerbaijan see Ramana.... 1878 AD to 1950 AD Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 1896 AD to 1977 AD See also Narada Bhakti Sutra External links