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Bhakti Yoga (Devanagari
Devanagari

, or 'Nagari', is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal. It is written from left to right, lacks distinct letter cases, and is recognizable by a distinctive horizontal line running along the tops of the letters that links them together....
: ????? ???) is a term within Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
 which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to God
God

God is a deity in theism and deism religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
, called bhakti
Bhakti

Bhakti is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning devotion. Within Vaishnavism bhakti is only used in conjunction with Vishnu, Krishna or of the associated avatar, who are the source of attractiveness....
. Traditionally there are nine forms of bhakti-yoga
Yoga

Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in both Buddhism and Hinduism....
. Bhakti yoga is generally considered the easiest of the four general paths to liberation, or moksha
Moksha

In Indian religions, Moksha or Mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation and all of the suffering and limitation of worldly existence....
 (the others being Karma
Karma Yoga

Karma yoga , or the "discipline of action" is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. One of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty while remaining detached from the reward....
, Raja
Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, outlined by the sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Raja yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve moksha....
 and Jnana Yoga
Jnana yoga

Jn?na yoga or "path of knowledge" is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies. Jnana in Sanskrit means "knowledge".As used in the Bhagavad Gita, the Advaita philosopher Adi Shankara gave primary importance to jn?na yoga as "knowledge of the absolute" , while the Vishishtadvaita commentator Ramanuja regarded knowledge only a...
), and especially so within the current age of Kali yuga
Kali Yuga

Kali Yuga , is one of the four stages of development that the world goes through as part of the cycle of Yugas, as described in Indian scriptures, the others being Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga....
 (according to the Hindu cycle of time
Hindu units of measurement

Hinduism?s understanding of time is as grandiose as time itself. While most cultures base their cosmologies on familiar units such as few hundreds or thousands of years, the Hindu concept of time embraces billions and trillions of years....
). In scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana

The Bhagavata Purana is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hinduism literature, and is Sanskrit for "The Book of God". Its primary focus is the process of bhakti yoga, which is Sanskrit for "Union with God through devotion for Him", in which Krishna is unequivocally declared to be Svayam Bhagavan....
, bhakti is described as a perfectional stage in itself which surpasses even moksha as a level of spiritual
Spirituality

Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religion and faith, transcendence , or one or more Deity....
 realisation.






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Bhakti Yoga (Devanagari
Devanagari

, or 'Nagari', is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal. It is written from left to right, lacks distinct letter cases, and is recognizable by a distinctive horizontal line running along the tops of the letters that links them together....
: ????? ???) is a term within Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
 which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to God
God

God is a deity in theism and deism religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
, called bhakti
Bhakti

Bhakti is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning devotion. Within Vaishnavism bhakti is only used in conjunction with Vishnu, Krishna or of the associated avatar, who are the source of attractiveness....
. Traditionally there are nine forms of bhakti-yoga
Yoga

Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in both Buddhism and Hinduism....
. Bhakti yoga is generally considered the easiest of the four general paths to liberation, or moksha
Moksha

In Indian religions, Moksha or Mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation and all of the suffering and limitation of worldly existence....
 (the others being Karma
Karma Yoga

Karma yoga , or the "discipline of action" is based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. One of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty while remaining detached from the reward....
, Raja
Raja Yoga

Raja Yoga is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, outlined by the sage Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Raja yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve moksha....
 and Jnana Yoga
Jnana yoga

Jn?na yoga or "path of knowledge" is one of the types of yoga mentioned in Hindu philosophies. Jnana in Sanskrit means "knowledge".As used in the Bhagavad Gita, the Advaita philosopher Adi Shankara gave primary importance to jn?na yoga as "knowledge of the absolute" , while the Vishishtadvaita commentator Ramanuja regarded knowledge only a...
), and especially so within the current age of Kali yuga
Kali Yuga

Kali Yuga , is one of the four stages of development that the world goes through as part of the cycle of Yugas, as described in Indian scriptures, the others being Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga....
 (according to the Hindu cycle of time
Hindu units of measurement

Hinduism?s understanding of time is as grandiose as time itself. While most cultures base their cosmologies on familiar units such as few hundreds or thousands of years, the Hindu concept of time embraces billions and trillions of years....
). In scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana

The Bhagavata Purana is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hinduism literature, and is Sanskrit for "The Book of God". Its primary focus is the process of bhakti yoga, which is Sanskrit for "Union with God through devotion for Him", in which Krishna is unequivocally declared to be Svayam Bhagavan....
, bhakti is described as a perfectional stage in itself which surpasses even moksha as a level of spiritual
Spirituality

Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religion and faith, transcendence , or one or more Deity....
 realisation. Hindu movements in which bhakti yoga is the main practice are called bhakti movement
Bhakti movement

The Bhakti movement was a Hindu religious movement in which the main spiritual practice was loving devotion to God in Hinduism, or bhakti. The devotion was directed towards a particular form of God, such as Shiva, Vishnu, Murukan or Shakti....
s.

Philosophy

Bhakti is the Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
 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:

  1. Hearing about the Lord - singing & chanting God's names (japa
    Japa

    Japa is a spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a mantra or name of God. The mantra or Names of God may be spoken softly, enough for the practitioner to hear it, or it may be spoken purely within the recitor's mind....
    ), hearing stories from scripture.
  2. Glorifying the Lord - describing God's all-attractive features.
  3. Remembering the Lord - internal meditation
    Meditation

    Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the reflexive, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness....
     on the Lord's form, activities, names or personality.
  4. Serving the lotus feet of the Lord - providing a form of physical service.
  5. Worshiping the Lord - deity
    Deity

    A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divinity, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by human beings....
     worship (puja
    Puja

    Puja is the religion ritual that Hindus perform on a variety of occasions to pray or show respect to God, Gods, and guru. The purpose of puja is to communicate with God and the Gods or the satguru, to keep a thread to continuity, of relationship, between this physical world and the subtle inner worlds....
    ) is a popular form of this within India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
    .
  6. Offering prayers to the Lord - any form of prayer
    Prayer

    Prayer is the act of communicating with a deity or spirit in worship. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting divine providence, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one's emotional expression....
     offered to please God.
  7. Serving the Lord - offering a service for Lord's pleasure, such as preaching activity.
  8. Building a friendship with the Lord - having an internal, loving relationship with God.
  9. 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 Purana
Bhagavata purana

The Bhagavata Purana is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hinduism literature, and is Sanskrit for "The Book of God". Its primary focus is the process of bhakti yoga, which is Sanskrit for "Union with God through devotion for Him", in which Krishna is unequivocally declared to be Svayam Bhagavan....
, spoken by Prahlada
Prahlada

Prahlada is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, wherein he is famed for his exclusive devotion to Vishnu, despite attempts in the story by his father, Hiranyakashipu to turn him to the contrary....
:
"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 japa
Japa

Japa is a spiritual discipline involving the meditative repetition of a mantra or name of God. The mantra or Names of God may be spoken softly, enough for the practitioner to hear it, or it may be spoken purely within the recitor's mind....
 and internal meditation on the aspirant devotees's chosen deity form (ishta deva) are especially popular in most bhakti schools. Bhakti is a yoga
Yoga

Yoga refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in both Buddhism and Hinduism....
 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 Gita
Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is an important Sanskrit Hindu scripture. It is revered as a sacred scripture of Hinduism, and considered as one of the most important religious classics of the world....
 is also seen as a cornerstone for Hindu Bhakti theism, especially within Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or his associated avatars, principally as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
. However, it has been interpreted by many as being a manual not limited just for devotees of Krishna
Krishna

Krishna is a deity worshiped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of different perspectives. While many Vaishnava groups recognize him as an avatar of Vishnu, other traditions within Krishnaism consider Krishna to be svayam bhagavan, or the supreme being....
. Whatever be the case, it is adamant, in Krishna's words, that love
Love

Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment . The word wikt:en:love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction....
 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 bhagavan
Svayam Bhagavan

Svayam Bhagavan , "The Lord" or Lord Himself, is a Sanskrit theological term. The term refers to the concept of absolute representation of the monotheistic God as Bhagavan within Hinduism....
:

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

Sivakempfort
The various bhakti movements are monotheistic
Monotheism

In theology, monotheism is the belief that only one god exists. The concept of "monotheism" tends to be dominated by the concept of God in the Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the Neoplatonism concept of God as put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite....
 in their aim, being primarily devoted to worship of either Vishnu
Vishnu

Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
, Krishna
Krishna

Krishna is a deity worshiped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of different perspectives. While many Vaishnava groups recognize him as an avatar of Vishnu, other traditions within Krishnaism consider Krishna to be svayam bhagavan, or the supreme being....
 or Shiva
Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
 as the Supreme Absolute or His personal energy, known as Shakti
Shakti

Shakti, from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that move through the entire universe....
. These movements, which followed the establishment of the three Vedanta
Vedanta

Vedanta is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the self-realisation by which one understands the ultimate nature of reality and teaches the believer's goal is to transcend the limitations of self-identity and realize one's unity with Brahman....
 systems, rejuvenated Hinduism
Hinduism

'Hinduism' is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as , a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal dharma", by its practitioners....
 through their intense expression of faith and responsiveness to the emotion
Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior.Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view....
al and philosophical needs of India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, illustrated by Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is a classic dance form originating in Tamil Nadu, a state in South India and is also a National Dance of India. This dance form is a 20th century reconstruction of Cathir, the art of temple dancers....
, and can rightly be said to have affected the greatest wave of change in Hindu prayer
Prayer

Prayer is the act of communicating with a deity or spirit in worship. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting divine providence, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one's emotional expression....
 and ritual since the advent of Adi Shankaracharya. There have been bhakti movements throughout Indian history
History of India

The known history of India begins with the Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, from c....
.

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 Brahman
Brahman

Brahman is a concept of Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, Immanence, and transcendence reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe....
 and self-realization. In general a liberal
Liberalism

Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophy that considers individualism liberty and equality to be the most important political goals....
 movement, its denouncement of caste
Caste

Castes are hereditary systems of wikt:occupation, endogamy, culture, social class, and political power, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy is determined by social group and culture....
 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, music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, dance
Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to Motion of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of Emotional expression, social social interaction or presented in a spirituality or performance setting....
 and art that has enriched the world and gave India renewed spiritual impetus, one eschewing unnecessary ritual
Ritual

A ritual is a set of repeated actions, often thought to have symbolic value, the performance of which is usually prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community by religious or political laws because of the perceived efficacy of those actions....
 and artificial social boundaries.

For further information see the article on Bhakti movement
Bhakti movement

The Bhakti movement was a Hindu religious movement in which the main spiritual practice was loving devotion to God in Hinduism, or bhakti. The devotion was directed towards a particular form of God, such as Shiva, Vishnu, Murukan or Shakti....
s.

Notable proponents of Bhakti

  • Narada Muni
    Narada

    Narada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Hindu tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana....
  • The Alvars
    Alvars

    The Alvars were Tamil poet saints of south India who lived between sixth and ninth centuries and espoused ?emotional devotion? or bhakti to Visnu-Krishna in...
     approx. 2nd century to 8th century
  • The Nayanars
    Nayanars

    The Nayanars or Nayanmars were Shaivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu, active between the fifth and the tenth centuries CE. The Tamil language Shaiva hagiography Periya Puranam, a volume of the Tirumurai, written during the thirteenth century CE, narrates the history of each of sixty-three Nayanars, though the number was prob...
     5th century to 10 century
  • Adi Shankara
    Adi Shankara

    Adi Shankara ; , also known as ' and ', was an Indian philosopher who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, the most influential sub-school of Vedanta....
     788 AD to 820 AD
  • Ramanujacharya 1017 AD to 1137 AD
  • Madhvacharya
    Madhvacharya

    Shri Madhvacharya was the chief proponent of Tattvavada , popularly known as Dvaita or dualism school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedanta philosophies....
     1238 AD to 1317 AD
  • Jayadeva
    Jayadeva

    Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet, who lived in Orissa, circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of the Hindu deity Krishna and his consort, Radha, and is considered an important text in the Bhakti movement of Hinduism .He was born in an Utkala Brahmin family....
     12th century
  • Nimbarka
    Nimbarka

    Nimbarka , is known for propagating the Vaishnava Theology of Dvaitadvaita, duality in unity. According to scholars headed by Prof. Roma Bose, he lived in the 13th Century, though she bases this on the assumption that Sri Nimbarkacarya was the author of the work Madhvamukhamardana, which is erroneous as the said work is the product of lat...
     13th century
  • Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
    Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

    Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , was a monk and social reformer of the 16th century Bengal, and Orissa in India. Sri Krishna Chaitanya was a notable proponent for the Vaishnava school of Bhakti yoga based on the philosophy of the Bhagavata Purana and Bhagavad Gita....
     1486 AD to 1533 AD
  • Tyagaraja
    Tyagaraja

    Tyagaraja was a composer of Carnatic music, who along with his contemporaries Muttusvami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri forms the Trinity of Carnatic music composers....
     died 1847 AD
  • Paruthiyur Krishna Sastri 1855 AD to 1911 AD
  • Ramana Maharshi
    Ramana Maharshi

    Sri Ramana Maharshi , born Venkataraman Iyer, was an Indian sage. He was born to a Tamil Hindu Brahmin family in Tiruchuzhi, Tamil Nadu. After having attained moksha at the age of 16, he left home for Arunachala, a mountain considered sacred by Hindus, at Tiruvannamalai, and lived there for the rest of his life....
     1878 AD to 1950 AD
  • Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 1896 AD to 1977 AD
  • Vallabha Acharya
    Vallabha Acharya

    Sri Vallabhacharya was a devotional philosopher, who founded the Pushtimarg sect in India, following the philosophy of Shuddha advaita .He is regarded as an Acharya and Guru within the Vaishnava traditions as promulgated and prescribed by the Vedanta philosophy....
     1479 AD to 1531 AD


See also

  • Narada Bhakti Sutra


External links