SmartSurat  #  Hinduism

Bhakti

Strictly speaking bhakti was a movement or movements in Hinduism chatacterized by ecstatic devotion to the manifest aspects of Brahman in the forrn of Visnu or Siva, but the term has come to be used much more generally almost as a synonym for devotional practices in Hinduism: indeed Biardeau has commented that ' For my part, I know of no so-called "local" cult which does not contain the general beliefs of bhakti '. The word bhakti comes from the Sanskrit root bhaj which means `to be attached to', `to resort to' `to partake of', or `to share in', `belong to'. Such concepts express well the idea of the devotee belonging to a particular deity, sharing reciprocal love with that deity and partaking of the grace of the deity. But bhakti as a term denotes much more than devotion, for it involves a passionate yearning and ecstatic emotion which is essentially loving-devotion, for it implies total surrender of the devotee in loving-devotion to his or her personal deity. It began in the southern parts of India, the less Aryanized Tamil region. Some see its origins as dating back to about the second century CE, but it is certainly articulated in the Gita dated to the early centuries BCE, while others consider its real origins to be in the sixth century at the time of the devotional saint poets who epitomize bhakti. The origins of bhakti as well as its nature as a piesent phenomenon are well expressed by Lannoy when he says:      In origin it is a non-Brahman movement of popular religiosity which emerged in South India among classes which, were resistant to the pressures of caste hierarchization; it is still very much a living force.      Despite its origin in the south of India it was not exactly a single movement since it manifested itself variously in different sects. The diverse nature of bhakti and, indeed, of the- devotional aspects of Hinduism in general, are exemplified well in the scriptures themselves. Thus we find a somewhat lofty and controlled view of bhakti in the Bhagavad Gita approprite for the conception of Krisna as the deity warrior of considerable wisdom. This stands in sharp contrast to the perspective of bhakti in the Bhagavat - Purana which is more intimate and passionate in character, corresponding . to the more fun-loving portrayal of the cowherd Krishna.      In character bhakti is a dualistic concept, though not exclusively so. It allows for the kind of personal relationship with the divine which has produced what might be called a `full-blown theism'. It was in many ways a protest against formal religion and was characterized by highly experiential communiacation with the deity which was not at all emotionally subdued. As such, it was open to all classes and castes and also to women: God became accessible to all, could be loved by all, and all could be recipients of his grace. It was the inner experience of love of the deity which was such an important aspect of bhakti but which had its outward expression in ecstatic behaviour of singing and dancing:. The ecstacy of communion with God was balanced by the sheer agony of separation from him and, while the deity was viewed with the deepest possible love, he was also viewed with reverence and awe as well as with obedience and humility which, Lannoy suggests, sometimes went as far as `morbid, self abasement'.      It is the Bhagavad Gita which is the first scripture to highlight bhakti, presenting it as one of the most desirable paths to God and to moksa. Then, in the sixth and seventh centuries in the south of India bhakti reached its high point with the Tamil poets, and a great surge of devotional poetry to Visnu and Siva ensured that the devotional path to God would remain in the hearts of many Hindus. The poets travelled widely singing their poetry in praise of God in the vernacular, so that it was readily accessible to all who would listen. The Saivite poets were called nayanars (lords, leaders), while the Vaisnavite poets were called alvars ' divers ' into religious truth. But such devotionalism was not confined to the south for it spread to the north of India with the same fervour, attracting people of all classes: indeed, one famous poet, Tukaram (1598-1650), was a Sudra. Some see the origins of bhakti in the early Vedic period in the kind of devotion offered to deities such as Agni and Varuna who were appealed to in a very personal way and were approached for their bestowal of grace on their devotees. And there must have been similar devotional practices evident at the village level. However, from what we have seen of the nature of bhakti and its emphasis on the concept of love, it is better viewed as a distinct phenomenon in Hinduism which may have had some vague roots in the Vedic or pre-Vedic past, but which flowered independently. Moreover, bhakti, as devotional aspects of Hinduism today, is characterized by an emphasis on the reciprocal love of devotee to deity and of deity to devotee. This is a quite distinctive characteristic beautifully expressed in the words of Krisna in the Bhagavad Gita:      Hear again my supreme and most secret word of all: I love you dearly,therefore I shall speak to you what is for your good.      Fix your mind on me, be devoted to me, sacrifice to me, bow down to me, then I promise you in truth you will come to me, for you are dear to me.      Having abandoned all dharmas, take refuge in me alone. I shall liberate you from all evils; grieve not.      This expression of the essential love of God for his devotee is the kind of love which typifies devotional Hinduism. Love is the important relationship between individual and deity in a way in which it never was in the Vedic period and is a love universally available. It is not surprising that the devotional path in Hinduism became so important.