'bhakti' in Shruti

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TO understand where and how the term 'bhakti' is used

in Shruti, let us study quotes from vyOma-samhitaa.

 

The question that is often asked is,

"If bhakti is a form of jnAna, and jnAna is generated by vEda,

then what about people who don't study Veda?"

 

vyOma-samhitaa removes this difficulty as:

 

"antyajA api yE bhaktAha nAmajnAnAdhikAriNaha .....

traivarNikAnAm vEdOkte samyak bhaktimatAm harou"

 

Bhakti in shAstra is different from bhakti in the popular sense.

Bhakti in the popular sense is a case of intensive faith. If it is

anti-intellectual in this form, then it has no place in shAstra.

In fact it makes Shastra impossible.

Therefore it is not an item in the fittedness (adhikAra) to study

shAstra. Other items being vairAgya, shama, dama etc.

 

Bhakti as adhikAra expresses itself in the study of shAstra,

adhyayana. Adhyayana is an evidence of bhakti. But there are

different kinds of adhyayana. Right adhyayana and wrong adhyayana.

Former is a sign of bhakti and latter absense of it. The evidence

of right kind of adhyayana is Shama, dama, etc. The evidence of

Shama, dama is vairAgya. The evidence of vairAgya is realizing

the absolute dependence on God, the evidence of absolute dependence

on God is karma-sanyAsa, karma-sanyAsa is in turn the origin of

bhakti. This bhakti is the origin of adhyayana.

 

Thus, it is an endless process in character. In this process there

is growth of adhikAra. adhikAra results in jignyAsA.

 

This is how, jignyAsA, bhakti, and shAstra-adhyayana are all

connected to one another. For this reason, taittareeya makes shama,

dama subordinate to adhyayana "shamascha svAdhyAya-pravachanE cha"

etc.

 

Coming back to vyOma-samhitaa,

 

Those that have devotion i.e, adhikAra or fittedness, can obtain

knowledge though names. ( nAmAdhikAra). Those that can't study vEda

can obtain knowledge through tantra, pancharAtra etc. Those who are

wholly devoted to Parabrahman can obtain knowledge through the

teachings of Veda.

 

Harihi Om Tatsat.