In Hinduism, Bhakti refers to religious devotion of a devotee in the worship of the divine. Within Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Iṣṭa-devatā.
Bhakti can be used of either tradition of Hindu devotionalism, Shaivaism or Vaishnavism. While bhakti as designating a religious path is already a central concept in the Bhagavad Gita, it rises to importance in the medieval history of Hinduism, where the Bhakti movement saw a rapid growth of bhakti beginning in Southern India with the Vaisnava Alvars (6th-9th century CE) and Saiva Nayanars (5th-10 th century CE), who spread bhakti poetry and devotion throughout India by the 12th-18th century CE.
The simple definition of bhakti is love, and how does one experience this feeling and express it? The famous discussion between Yagnyavalkya and Maitreyi in the Brihadharanyaka Upanishad makes it clear that one’s love for people, places and objects is always coloured by the fluctuations one experiences. In such a situation, unselfish love remains an impossibility.
But when the love is directed towards the Supreme Lord, He is sought for His sake alone by the true bhakta. There is no question of any personal gain except the yearning for closeness with Him. Only overwhelming love for and devotion to God takes centre stage in the bhakta’s entire consciousness. The sole purpose of life now becomes God, and this makes his thought, word and deed an offering to Him. All the senses with their propensity to seek their objects in the external world now converge in God realisation. The sense of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ (a compulsive hurdle to the spiritual aspirant) that easily robs one of true identity is thus kept at a safe distance in such a state of mind.
This feeling that one cannot be without the Lord is the underlying bhava of bhakti and the gopis exemplify this in their longing for union with the Lord. They were able to attain the goal that the greatest of rishis and seers have been striving for through austere penance and practices. They were able to eschew all worldly considerations and seek the Lord with single-minded love.
In Hinduism, Bhakti refers to religious devotion of a devotee in the worship of the divine. Within Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Iṣṭa-devatā.Bhakti can be used of either tradition of Hindu devotionalism, Shaivaism or Vaishnavism. While bhakti as designating a religious path is already a central concept in the Bhagavad Gita, it rises to importance in the medieval history of Hinduism, where the Bhakti movement saw a rapid growth of bhakti beginning in Southern India with the Vaisnava Alvars (6th-9th century CE) and Saiva Nayanars (5th-10 th century CE), who spread bhakti poetry and devotion throughout India by the 12th-18th century CE.The simple definition of bhakti is love, and how does one experience this feeling and express it? The famous discussion between Yagnyavalkya and Maitreyi in the Brihadharanyaka Upanishad makes it clear that one’s love for people, places and objects is always coloured by the fluctuations one experiences. In such a situation, unselfish love remains an impossibility.But when the love is directed towards the Supreme Lord, He is sought for His sake alone by the true bhakta. There is no question of any personal gain except the yearning for closeness with Him. Only overwhelming love for and devotion to God takes centre stage in the bhakta’s entire consciousness. The sole purpose of life now becomes God, and this makes his thought, word and deed an offering to Him. All the senses with their propensity to seek their objects in the external world now converge in God realisation. The sense of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ (a compulsive hurdle to the spiritual aspirant) that easily robs one of true identity is thus kept at a safe distance in such a state of mind.This feeling that one cannot be without the Lord is the underlying bhava of bhakti and the gopis exemplify this in their longing for union with the Lord. They were able to attain the goal that the greatest of rishis and seers have been striving for through austere penance and practices. They were able to eschew all worldly considerations and seek the Lord with single-minded love.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
