Prayer Prayer or Prarthana in Sanskrit means pleading fervently. It is a form of communication with a deity or an object of worship or a spiritual embodiment. It is praise of God. Prayer could be through use of words or songs. Prayer is a religious practice of reaching out to God for the fulfilment of one’s desires, guidance or help. It is the awakening of the divine consciousness which is within oneself. God will answer the prayers if one prays earnestly and sincerely. A bhakta resigns himself to God and considers himself as a mere instrument in His hands. He…
Author: hinduscriptures
Introduction to Essence of Bhakti The nature of Bhakti is inexpressible. Bhakti can be partially explained but its totality is inconceivable and inexpressible. Just as it is difficult to explain the sweetness of sugar to a person who has not tasted it, so also the nature of Bhakti cannot be explained. Bhakti is indescribable as love or service to God itself is indescribable. An example is to understand the love of devotee to God is that of a dinner served by a mother to her child which is invigorating. Here knowledge of the recipe does not matter, but how lovingly…
How to cultivate/ develop Bhakti? Bhakti is training one’s mind and will towards God. It is a discipline through which a bhakta eliminates his ego and develops an intense attachment towards god. The bhakta attains a stage of self realisation where the ego and the Self are the same. He gets the highest knowledge of the Self, the Absolute and realises God as all pervading. Sri Ramanuja Charya advocated the following eleven basic factors for development of Bhakti: 1) Abhyasa or practice. Abhyasa is a sustained and persistent effort to achieve mastery or gain control over a certain object. The…
Meaning of Vandanam Vandanam means offering prayers and obeisance to the Lord. Prayer is an act of communicating with the Lord. Prayer requires immense faith in Him, as he is not visible to the naked eye. As one develops faith in the Lord, prayer becomes an indispensible part of one’s spiritual journey. The depth of prayer is proportional to one’s spiritual progress made, not only in this life but through several previous births. It is through constant prayer the bhakta, develops a relationship with the Lord. The Lord becomes his father, mother, friend and Lord who can be talked to…
Meaning of Smaranam Smaranam is one of the nine forms of bhakti, where the devotee constantly remembers the name and form of the Lord. Smaranam also includes remembering the stories, teaching and talking to others about the glories of the Lord, meditation on aspects relating to God etc. Japa is another form of remembering the Lord. A few individuals keep a small mala which they especially use during Japa. Remembering the Lord continuously invigorates the devotee and brings him a step closer to the divine. Thus the bhakta is equipped to handle any or all obstacles he may face along…
There are nine different ways to express devotion for the Lord. Shravanam is the first form of Bhakti. Meaning of Shravanam Shravanam literally means listening. Shravanam is about listening to God’s lilas which is an important step in the spiritual journey. Shravanam also includes listening to God’s virtues, glories, stories, sports connected with His Divine Name. Scriptures have encrypted truth of the universe in various forms, and listening to them will guide each individual towards enlightenment. In the Bhagavad Gita Sri Krushna counsels Arjuna, and instills in him his true duty towards the Almighty. While touching upon this aspect of…
Meaning of Sakhya Bhakti Sakhya bhakti is a form of bhakti, wherein the bhakta considers God as his friend at all times. The bhakta considers God as his friend, relative, and companion. In Bhagavatam, it is said, “Oh, how wonderful is the fortune of the people of Vraja of cowherd Nanda whose dear friend is the perfect, eternal Brahman of Absolute Bliss!” Characteristics of a devotee Following are some of the characteristics of a devotee practicing Sakhya bhakti. In Sakhya bhakti, the bhakta does not distinguish between himself and God. He believes that whatever belongs to him belongs to his…
Kirtanam is that form of Bhakti wherein the devotee chants and sings praises in the name of the guru or the deity. Such chanting and singing the name of the Lord breaks the shackles that tie people to worldly inhibitions and sufferings. In Kirtanam the Bhakta dances and sings in the praise of the Almighty. The connection to the egoistic mind is broken. Such singing and praising also alleviates Bhaktas from all suffering, and strikes a chord deep within the devotees hearts. In practicing this method of devotion, a Bhakta’s heart gets tuned to the praise of the Lord, and…
Rasas are different kinds of emotions which a Bhakta experiences in his devotion to the Lord. God himself is Rasa “Raso Vai Sah.” “Rasam Hyevayaam Labdhva Anandee Bhavati”-“By attaining this essence one becomes blissful.” declare the Upanishads. Bhakti Rasa removes the ignorance of ego and the Atman or the Self is revealed. Forms of Rasas According to Bharata, the author of Natyarasa, there are nine different forms of rasas: Sringara (erotic), Vira (heroic), Karuna (pathetic), Adbhuta (marvellous), Hasya (ludicrous), Bhayankara (terrible), Bibhatsa (disgusting), and Raudra (furious) are the eight kinds of Rasas. To the list of eight, the ninth Rasa,…
Definition of Bhakti The word Bhakti is derived from the root “Bhaj” meaning to participate, or to receive a share. The root word (dhaatu) Bhaj is used in the sense of ‘seva’ (service). Bhakti, derived by adding a suffix (pratyaya) ‘kta’, means actions performed with sevA attitude towards God1. Bhakti is an intense attachment to God or deep interest in God or with matters concerned with God. Bhakti is participation in activities involving Bhajan, worship, and praise of God with a feeling of anurag, prem, priti or love. Bhakti is supreme love for God for God’s sake. There is no…
Meaning of Dasya Bhakti According to Swamy Shivananda, Dasya Bhakti is “to serve God and carry out His wishes, realizing His virtues, nature, mystery and glory, considering oneself as a servant of God, the Supreme Master”. Dasya is a form of bhakti wherein, the bhakta considers himself as a servant or a slave of the Lord. Dasya bhakti includes serving and worshipping the images or idols of the Lord, cleaning or sweeping the temples, serving Gurus or saints, serving the needy and devotees of God with an attitude of servitude or as a slave serving his master (here the Lord…
Bhakti is viewed/categorized in many ways. These types or categories are not necessarily non-overlapping: a) Sakamya and Nishkamya Bhakti b) Apara (lower)and Para (higher) Bhakti c) Mukhya ((Primary) and Gauna (Secondary)Bhakti d) Ragatmika and Vaidhi Bhakti e) Vyabhicharini and Avyabhicharini Bhakti f) Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic Bhakti a) Sakamya and Nishkamya Bhakti: In Sakamya Bhakti, a devotee prays to god for material gains. Here the Bhakta prays to God for wealth, happiness, good health, prosperity etc. If the Bhakta prays sincerely to the Lord, his wishes may be granted, but then the satisfaction is momentary. After the fulfilment of one…
The devotion felt to Lord Sri Krishna is expressed using different terms. Below, is a brief given about the various terms. Bhakti Rasa Rasa in Sanskrit refers to “essence’ or “juice’. In the context of Bhakti, Rasa means “mellow”. Mellow means “sweet and full flavoured from ripeness, as fruit”. Thus mellow refers to the sweet taste of a fruit, the Rasa or the juice which is the essence of sweet taste. Bhakti Rasa refers to the sweet taste savoured when the body, mind and soul of a bhakta is engaged in transcendental or devotional service of the Lord. Bhakti Rasa…
Meaning of Atman Nivedana Atma Nivedana is Self Surrender. In this form of bhakti, the devotee surrenders his body, mind and soul to the Lord. He keeps nothing for himself. Characteristics of a devotee Following are some of the characteristics of a bhakta practicing Atma Nivedana: a) The devotee gives up his Self for God. b) He does not have an independent identity different from god. He considers himself as a mere instrument in the hands of the Lord. He says to the Lord, I am thine. All is thine. Thy will be done”. c) The devotee has complete faith…
Meaning of Archanam Archanam is one of the Nava Vidha forms of Bhakti where the bhakta worships the Almighty in a certain form. To the bhakta, the idol, picture of the Lord is not merely an idol or a picture, but a form in which the Lord lives. All actions are done with the awareness that God is present in the idol. Archanam in Sanskrit means offering flowers or leaves during worship of God. Archanam is not limited to the worship of the Lord in form, but can even be mental, i.e without an image or an idol. Archanam is…
The significance of animals and birds can also be found in the mythological legends and epics.
A devout Vaishnavite marks all the twelve parts of the body with tilaks.
The Banyan tree or the Vata Vriksha is considered most sacred amongst all other trees.
Amongst the sacred trees of India Peepal or Ficus religiosa stands foremost.
Bilva (Aegle marmelos) leaf is an embodiment of Lord Shiva and hence Bilva tree is considered extremely sacred in Hinduism. The tradition of using Bilva leaves in Shiva puja is prevalent all across India. Bilva in Various Languages There are different names for Bilva in different Indian languages and these are as follows – Bilua in Sanskrit Bel in Bengali and Hindi Bili in Gujarati Kusoalu in Malayalam Villuvan in Tamil and Maredu in Telugu. Religious Importance The spiritual significance of Bilva permeates the Hindu religious customs. It is said that by worshiping Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati with…