Bhakti in upanishats

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Let us understand where and how term 'Bhakti' is used in the Upanishats?

 

This is needed because, any time any shAstraic word such as jnAna, bhakti,

Brahman, Atma, dvaita, or advaita is used, we need to be aware of how they

are used for the first time, which one can get an idea by studying veda.

Sri VedavyAsa wrote eighteen purANas, itihAsa, and any pourushEya Agama

gets its validity only when it follows Veda.

 

The 'Hindu culture' in terms of art, music, sculpture, dance etc is

developed by different set of people living in different regions speaking

different languages, thus providing a rich cultural heritage that India has.

The root of all this is purANas and vEda.

 

Songs and bhajans in praise of the Lord have been written in every

language called Bhakti-geeta.

 

In the Bhagavad-geetha there is a chapter 12 which goes by the name

Bhakti-yOga. Sri Sunder had recently posted many relevant shlOkas from

the Bhagavad-geetha. In the opening article, Sri Gummurulu Murthy has

given relevant shlOkas from Bhagavatha explaining nava-vidha-bhakti.

 

Here is an attempt to understand the term 'bhakti' from upanishats.

 

For this we go to the last shlOka in shwEtAshwatara-upanishat.

 

"yasya dEvE parA bhaktihi yathA dEvE tathA gurou |

tasyithE kathithA hyarthAha prakAshantE mahAtmanaha

prakAshantE mahAtmanaha ||

 

(It is that great man ( mahAtma) who has supreme devotion ( parA bhakti)

to dEva and also to Guru just as he has devotion to Deva (yathA dEvE)

to whom all these things that are expounded ( tasya etE kathithA )

become known ( arthAha prakAshantE).

 

Thus, the Highest Guru and the Highest Deva or Parabrahman is One.

One who has supreme devotion to Parabrahman, has no occasion to

have devotion to any other being.

 

Guru in the ordinary sense can only impart the knowledge that he has.

Guru in the Highest sense is the principle of all knowledge. It is jnAna-prada.

 

The word 'dEva' is explained by the same upanishat as

 

"ekO dEvaha sarvabhootEshu gooDaha sarvavyApee sarvabhootAntarAtmA"

 

Deva is not something that is occupying a place in a hidden way,

but it is something that is sarva-bhootAntarAtmA.

 

Thus 'Deva' is both sarva-jnAna-pravartaka, sarva-jnEya-parvartaka. Similarly

Deva is both the prakAsha and prakAshaka.

 

Such a 'Deva' or parabrahman, can only be the Highest Guru.

 

This Upanishat makes it clear that Veda and the meaning taught by Veda

i.e, parabrahman become known only to those who are devoted to Deva

as their highest Teacher.

 

This is how term 'bhakti' is used in the upanishats.

 

Harihi Om tatsat.