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The Concept of 'devotion' with reference Haridasas History of Devotion/Bhakthi

The existence of relationship between God and devotee is not of now it is there

since the vedic times ie about 5000 years back. This relationship is considered

to be devotional. The beginning of bhakthi may be traced in the hymns of the

R^igveda where (Rg I, 62.11) "longing prayers are said to touch Indra who is

Longing just as a wife with desires gets her husband". This idea is amplified

in another hymn (Rg X, 43.1) which says "All my hymns in unison praise Indra:

as wifes embrace their husbands so do my thoughts embrace Indra the divine

bestrew of gifts. For the sake of a favor they cling to the liberal God (Indra)

as wives do their lords (or as a woman) does her handsome lover". In another

hymn (Rg VI 45.26), Indra is addressed as a friend and it is said that there is

no limit to his friendship and he gives cows to those who want cows, and horses

to those who want horses. Even bhakti is traced in Sindhu civilization

according to researchers who have traced in Harappa and Mohenjadaro research

sites which is very strange. In that research they found big buildings which

are identical of temples and concludes that their innovation reveals that they

found traces of existence of Shiva idols, Naga devataas, animals, trees, stone

idols and these are identified as worshipping deities at that time. Definition

Religion in India is more a direct experience than a code of conduct and from

an early age different systems or margas (paths) have been prescribed for

attaining the goal, variously called liberation, bliss and heaven. However, the

different margas were not contradictory and in some respects they supplemented

each other; for example proficiency in Jnana-yoga, Raja-yoga and Bhakthi yoga

are demanded from the highest sadhakas (devotees). The word bhakthi is derived

from the root bhaj by the application of the ktin suffix, which expresses an

action, (Panini III, 3, 94) and means among other things service, devotion,

attachment, loyalty, worship and homage. The Narada bhakti-sutra states that:

According to the son of Parsara (ie Vyasa) bhakti is attachment to worship of

God, etc. According to Garga, bhakthi is fondness for hearing the stories of

the various sports of Lord; According to Sandilya, bhakti is such attachment to

God which is opposed to self; According to Narada bhakti consists of offering

all activities to God and inducing a feeling of extreme restless ness and

misery at the slightest lapse in rememberance of God; and then the author of

Narada-bhakti-sutra adds asty-evam-evam, that is bhakti is exactly as described

above. Sri Sankara in his commentary on the Gita (VIII, 19, XIV, 26) says that

worship is bhakti (bhajanam bhaktih) and defines ananya bhakti (Gita XI 54) as

non-experience of anything other than Vasudeva. In explaining dhyana in the

Gita (XIII, 24) Sankara says that meditation is a continuous and unbroken

thought; like a line of flowing oil. The great protagonist of bhakti was Sri

Ramanuja, to whom meditation (dhyana) and devotion (bhakthi) were

interchangeable terms. Commenting on the first aphorism of the Brahmasutra he

states: 'Meditation' means steady remembrance that is continuity of steady

remembrance, uninterrupted like the flow of oil... steady remembrance of this

kind is designated by the word 'devotion' (bhakthi); for this term has the same

meaning as upasana (meditation or worship). Thus according to him, continuous

meditation or dhyana is bhakthi which is a synonym of upasana. According Sri

Madhvacharya bhakti and jnana are practically synonymous terms. In his

Anu-vyakhyana (III, 4, p 51) he writes "Jnana being a constituent of bhakti,

the latter is often referred to as jnana. Where the aspect of attachment is

sought to be emphasized, their fusion is designated by the term bhakti. As

mediacy and immediacy are integral parts of knowledge, similarly bhakti is

particular kind of jnana. Thus whenever the scriptures speak of jnana as the

means of release, bhakti is certainly indented. Sometimes the two are referred

to separately". In the same context Sri Madhva declares "By bhakti one attains

jnana, which leads to bhakti, when comes perception which again lead to bhakti;

then come mukti, which is of the essence of bliss and (in the nature of) an end

in itself". The supremacy of bhakti is made clear by Sri Madva in his

commentary on the Brahmasutra (III, 2.19) where he observes that the soul's

essential nature does not become fully manifested without bhakti. It is this

conception of bhakti as propounded by Sri Madhva which formed the basis of the

Haridasa Movement or bhakti movement. Haridasas and Bhakti Of the four sadhanas

(paths) to liberation or reality ie Karma Marga, Gnana Marga, Yoga Marga and

Bhakti marga most of the Karnataka Haridasas has recognised the last one, which

was the easiest and most fruitful in their early life. Of all the passions the

unappeased hunger of the heart of God, Bhakti is ultimate. Total surrender to

the almighty is signal on the path of devotion. Based on the Upanishads, the

Puranas and personal experience, the builders of the path of devotion have

chosen to reach God by their master-servant mother-child, preceptor-disciple

(Guru-Shishya), vatsalya (friendly) and madhura (love) Relationship. Love and

devotion lead one to release from the trammels of worldly sufferings. The royal

road starts with the directions in Bhagawatha Purana and the Geetha. Liberation

is devotion slave. The two scriptures, the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and Srimad

Bhagavata purana are considered to be one of the basis of the bhakti philosophy

of the middle ages. The Gita as is well known is a part of the Mahabharata,

while the Bhagavata is an independent work. Haridasas Lineage centered their

affections on Vittala of Pandharapur as the patron deity of their order. There

is evidence to show that Karnataka had cultural sway over Pandharpur and its

neighborhood, where the worship of Vithala developed in ancient times, though

the later days, the region passed under the political and cultural hegemony of

Maharastra mysticism. Even as late as the time of the great Maharastra saint

Janesvara, Vittala of Pandharpur was still spoken of as the deity beloved of

the Karnataka Enshrined in Karnataka. The Dasas of Karnataka were thus the

first to develop the cult of devotion to Vitthala and make it a living faith

and a powerful instrument of mass uplift through the aid of their soul-stirring

music and bhajana in the language of their province. Their example was

subsequently taken up and carried further by the saints of the neighboring

province of Maharashtra like Ramadasa, Tukarama and others. But the essential

Features of this cult viz. emphasis laid on true devotion to Vithala and the

comparative unimportance of social and caste barriers in the Spiritual realm,

are to be found no less passionately voice in the songs of the early Dasas of

Karnataka than in those of the Maharashtra saints. The Dasa Kuta may therefore

be regarded as the earliest movement of religious devotionalism in the Deccan,

and then it spread to other parts of upper India and produced kindred

movements. Components of Bhakti Sri Narada-bhakti-sutra defines eleven

components of bhakti. They are Guna, Rupa, Puja, Smarana, Sakhya, Kanta,

Vatsalya, Madhurya, Atmanivedana, Tanmaya and Virah. Although bhakti is only

one; this has been defined based on the liking and interest of the devotees. In

the Srimad Bhagavata (II, I.21) it is stated that "being fully practised in

meditation one attains bhakti-yoga in a short time", which indicates that

bhakti is not a means to an end but the end itself. In the seventh chapter of

the Bhagavata (VII, 5.23) the nine components of bhakti are enumerated as

shrvana bhakti, kirtana bhakti, smarana bhakti, padasa sevana bhakti, archana

bhakti, vandana bhakti, dasya bhakti, sakhya bhakti and atmanivedana bhakti.

All Haridasas amazingly versatile compositions are illustrative of the above

modes of approach to Paramathma through bhakti. These modes of approach are

favored because of the difficulty of Jnana Marga, wherein God is conceived as

Nirguna and Nirakara, remote and transcedental. In the 14th verse of Gita, lord

Krishna says that the location of both Manas and Buddhi in Paramathma is

adequate for the realisation of the Divine. Thus, Bhaktimarga is unique in

transcending Karma Marga, Jnana Marga and Yoga marga and the easiest mode of

approach to reality. To illustrate the Nine Forms of Bhakti; K Vasudevacharya

has drawn a comparative study of Sri Thygaraja and Sri Purandra Dasa with their

compositions respectively. It goes like this

Comparative Study of Sri Thygaraja and Sri Purandara's Compositions on Nine Forms of Bhakti

Nine Forms of Bhakti

Sri Purandara Compositions

Sri Thygaraja Compositions

Shrvanam

kathA Shrvana mAdO

rAmakathA sudhi

kIrtanam

harinAma kIrtanE

rathadE dhanyudi nAma kIrtanaparadu

smaranaM

smaranavOde sAlade

smaranE sukhamU

pAdasEvanaM

bIde nInna pAdava

srI rAmapAdama

archanaM

karagaleradu nInnarchisali

nAmakusuM

va.ndanam

SharNu ninage.mbE

va.ndanumU raghUna.ndana

dAsyaM

dAsana madIkO

dAsOhaM

AtmanIvEdanaM

mAtapItaru ninaga.ndE mAridarEnna

sw.aMtamani sarOja mUnu sama^rpaNamUjEU

sakHyam

ya.ndapIko.mbhe

athadE..salpamanaya.du

Source : K.Vasudevacharya : A Comparative Study of Sri Thygaraja and other

Vaggeya Karas- Coimbatore, Sri Purandradasa Souvenir, 1964, 33p.

Assumptions of Five Forms of Bhakthi (pancha vidha bhava bhakti kalpane) The

components of bhakti has been narrated from narada-bhakti-sutra and Srimad

Bhagavata and out of these components or aspects Five forms has been derived in

order to explain the nectars of bhakti to elicit more knowledge from the

haridasa sahitya. This is called pancha vida bhava. This five division of

bhakti is only to excercise and to get more mileage out of it. The five forms

of bhakti is :

dasya bhava sakhya bhava madhura bhava vatsalya bhava shanta bhava dasya bhava

carries the meaning that devotee is servant or God is treated as his holiness,

master, swamy, king (dore), sir (dani), leader (odaya) etc. to him. While

worshipping Sri Hari these forms are considered. Those who considered Sri Hari

as King (odaya) and devotee as servant is called Haridasas. If you go further

into the compositions, understanding of Haridasas these aspects can be further

divided in to the following types :

Ambition to become Haridasas and taking refuge with God for the same knowing

much about how haridasas will be eager to join or mingle with other haridasas

preaching yourself and others to become haridasas By pure devotion charging to

become dasa and considering Bhagavantha (God) as King (odaya) and others are

his servants and achieve the goal. sakhya bhava is knowing or have

understanding of the knowledge that Sri Hari is utmost/superior and worshipping

him in that mind is sakhya (friendly) bhakti bhava. In this form devotee himself

considers that God is his friend and always will be with him. At time the

devotee will question, punish, rag him (God) thinking that he is his friend and

even he will show his anger towards him. But suddenly he will consolidate and

comeback to normal. These things has been explained by Haridasas in their

compositions very well. The importance of of sakya bhava is realized by the

saint, for, he knows for good or evil a man's moral and spiritual outlook is

altered by the ineffable influence of his comrade. Friendship is an

incalculable enlargement of human responsibility, because it constitutes us, in

a measure, as guardians of each other's soul, for there is a fuller and deeper

self realization on either side. It is deliverance from bondage, a refuge from

pride. The great gifts of the Lord as a comrade, makes the Bhakta recognizes

his own deep unworthiness and how his head in unspeakable gratitude. The

friendship of the Lord is not checked or foiled by the discovery of faults or

blemishes in the Bhaktha, whom he has taken into His life; for the essence of

friendship is entirety, a total magnanimity and trust. madhura bhava In this

form devotee-bhagavantha are considered to be husband-wife form and worship is

called madhura bhakti. The form is called madhura bhava. In this form there is

no physical (body) relationship and it is only through atma-paramathma's

evolution is madhura bhava. Some of them are considered that the sex which is

very existence in man is the basement for this bhava. But only with pure love

worshipping with Sri Hari is madhura bhava. In this bhava the devotee will be

reach ecstasy when he gets Sri Hari and also suffer heavily when he feels

separation with him. From the compositions of Haridasas madhura bhava may be

again further divided into five fold to understand better. They are:

inclination of Gopikas to see Krishna and invitation to him one seeing him and

after his knotty plays; requesting him not to do the same reporting/complaining

to Yashoda Gopikas abandonment (viraha) and other seperation assumptions. This

form of bhakthi may cease to be sensual prurience of rebellious adolescence and

become the true soul's ardor of a Radha to Krishna; then earthly beauty may be

seen to be but a tiny, evanescent spray of the Immortal ineffable sea of

splendor; the life may be deemed as a travail of the spirit towards fuller and

longer realizations, and death not as grisly phantom, but as merciful awakening

into a more spacious existence. The Bhaktha seeks the companionship of God all

through, and the Paramathma is always a fellow traveler with him. He limps when

the pilgrim limps, walks with the Bhakta when he walks, and induces him to move

on till the very end. Samsara or family existence is full of sorrow and the

individual is committing daily, either through the flesh or mind or the senses,

sins of the spirit or of the flesh from which there is no escape except through

th bhaktimarga. vatsalya bhava Though there is saying that 'mat^ru devObhava,

pit^ru devObhava' devotees will consider God as their child and they consider

them selves as mother for the God child. Having such assumption they will flow

their vatsalya or parental fondess towards Sri Hari and look after him in that

angle. This form is pure love which is equal to mother-child affection. It is

this association that binds the two with the tie of blood as in the case of the

mother and the child, and the little one is never weaned away from the mother,

whose existence and movements are intuitively sense by the child. Like any

mother who is considerate for her kid for whatever misdeeds they do when the

kid gives smile she will forget everything and gives everything in her life for

the welfare. All Haridasas has expressed this form through their songs in praise

of Krishna and Yashoda. Haridasas fondness towards mother Yashoda and Krishna

can be put into four different ways. They are:

Mother Yashoda's fondness towards Krishna Hearing Complaints and knotty plays

from Gopikas by Yashoda and Krishna's answer for all those complaints. Praising

Yashoda's virtues and Haridasas happy feeling Other assumptions

Haridasas have shown their own life that bhaktas do not fly from passions, but

they transform them and raise them to a higher level where life is freed from

the limitations of sense. The deepest and most intense of early passions of

Bhakti for God then attains unlimited satisfaction and the marriage of soul and

God is a harmony without discord, freedom without bond, reality without

illusion, satisfaction without striving, love without longing, and life without

death.

 

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