Bhakti yoga

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bhakti-Yoga ( Sanskrit , m., भक्ति योग, bhakti yoga) is the name in Hinduism for the path of loving devotion to God , which is usually viewed as personal. Bhakti can be found in all main directions of Hinduism, Vishnuism , Shaivism and Shaktism . Bhakti uses feelings as a way to get close to God or to unite with him or her. Mostly this presupposes a dualistic conception of God, since one assumes that love needs an object. But bhakti also plays a role in the non-dualistic advaita philosophy, e.g. B. in devotion to a guru who is considered to be the embodiment of God or in the form of an Ishta Devata , i.e. H. a personal deity who embodies the absolute for the purpose of worship.

Worship can take many forms. Some traditional expressions of bhakti are:

  • Japa - The repetition of divine names or mantras in thoughts or words.
  • Kirtana - rhythmic alternating chant of divine names and mantras. A singer or the guru sings the mantra and the congregation sings it. The whole thing repeats itself with varying melodies and words.
  • Bhajans - Singing religious songs together. The content of such songs are mostly poems by saints like Mirabai , Kabir , Tukaram and many others.
  • Pujas - religious ceremony in which symbolic articles such as fruit, rice, light and a coconut are offered in front of a statue or an image of the deity (or a guru). The puja usually consists of an invocation ( avahanam ) to the deity, as well as praise. It can consist of a mixture of Sanskrit and the local language.
  • Seva - service to the deity. Every activity can be understood as a service to the deity and can be offered to it internally. In doing so, according to the Bhagavad Gita , one should not cling to the fruits of the action and not see oneself as the doer . This attitude is also called karma yoga .

Krishna-Bhakti

The motivation of Krishna devotees (Bhaktas) is to increase the joy of God. The perfected form of this mindset is comparatively rare to find. Most of the admirers are somewhere on the path to transcendent purity, where everything is determined by pure love ( prema ). Hence the Bhagavatapurana in the third book mentions the mixed bhakti mixed with the three gunas of the material world ( prakriti ).

In the Bhagavatapurana , a central text of the Krishna worshipers, Krishna explains :

Who wants nothing more for himself, the restrained one, the one filled with peace, whose soul recognizes the one in everything, who only finds his satisfaction in me, for him all regions of the world are full of happiness. He does not wish the glory of the creator of the world ( Brahma ), or the king of heaven ( Indra ), or rule over all earth or power over the realms of the underworld, neither yoga power ( Siddhis ) nor liberation ( Moksha ). He only wishes one thing, to surrender his whole being to me, otherwise he wishes nothing. (Bh. 11.14.13-14, quoted from "The Indian Love of God" by Walther Eidlitz )

Singing or speaking ( kirtana ) the names of God is emphasized by all four major schools of Vishnu -Bhakti. In many Krishna temples in India there is singing non-stop, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. “Bhaja Govinda”, “Haribol”, “Bolo Krishna” and “Bhaja Gauranga ” are just a few examples of how the scriptures or the vernacular draw attention to the name of God. The scriptures declare that the name of God and God Himself are identical. Whoever devotes himself to singing or speaking in the posture of bhakti will shine this inner knowledge. This is called Sphota (breaking the sense of the word). The previously only perceptible shadow cover of the name, the sound heard through the ear, withdraws, and the eternal, real name makes itself recognizable in its true essence on its own initiative. “Singing has the effect of awakening one's love for Krishna and experiencing divine bliss (ananda). Finally, one attains Krishna and receives the nectar of loving dedication, as if one were diving into a great sea of ​​love ” , is mentioned as the reason and goal of singing in Chaitanya Charitamrita (3.20.14).

The Brihan-naradiya Purana (38.126) emphasizes this by repeating it threefold: harer nama harer nama harer nama ... This verse emphasizes the meaning of the "name of Hari" (a name of Krishna / Vishnu) for our present age.

Love relationships with God

The awakening and development of love for God (Prema) is considered perfection. Therefore, Bhakti Yoga is primarily about relationships. Rasa (divine taste) is the eternally fresh joy of the 5 main types of relationship in Vraja (Vraja is an in itself unlimited "locality" within the spiritual world and is considered by the Krishna-Bhaktas to be the highest love kingdom of God. Therefore Krishna becomes Rasaraja in the scriptures , the king of all love tastes , or Akhila-rasa-amrita-murtih , the container of all kinds of love tastes .)

The 5 main relationships with God
  • Shanti-bhava : The neutral relationship thatfillswith the deepest divine peace ( Shanti )in the certainty of the love of God that carries it.
  • Dasya-bhava : The tireless love of a faithful servant for his beloved master.
  • Sakhya-bhava : Friendly love. In Vraja, the young playmates belong to this group. Through divine influence, these friends forget the almighty position of the Lord so that loving feelings of friendship and equality are not hindered.
  • Vatsalya-bhava : parental love. Krishna reveals himself as a child and the bhakta is convinced by divine influence that he is my own child whom you lovingly care for. Yashoda and Nanda and also the wet nurses and neighbors in Vraja belong to this group.
  • Sringara-bhava : Also called Madhurya-bhava . Love of God, much like a wife loves her husband or a lover loves her lover, with no intention of personal happiness. Within this group, the Gopis (cowherd girls) in Vraja form the most intimate circle of God lovers.

These relationships take place on a level of transcendence where everyone involved has an eternal spiritual body, free from the spirit of exploitation, free from selfish intentions.

Essence of Krishna-Bhakti

The Vaishnavas , those who worship Krishna / Vishnu or their avatars through the process of Bhakti Yoga, see themselves as monotheists. The highest Lord is One. According to their teaching, Krishna (God) always remains One, although he can multiply without limits. This is considered an aspect of unlimited power and at the same time demonstrates his ability to make himself accessible to the love of each individual in the most diverse ways.

Shiva-Bhakti and Devi-Bhakti

Bhakti-Yoga can also be found in Shaivism and Shaktism. In the early days of the Bhakti movement, Shaivism was strongly represented, while later groups and philosophies were also strongly ritualistic and spiritualistic. The popular Puran Shaivism, however, contains strong devotional components in the sense of Bhakti Yoga. From the 12th century the movement of the Virashaivas or Lingayats rebelled against Vedic-Brahmanic traditions and formed a Shiva-Bhakti movement. Some Shivaite groups such as the Aghoris and the Gorakhnathis also revere their founders, who are viewed as embodiments of Shiva. Many groups considered to be Vishnuitic also worship Shiva. One of the largest groups of ascetics who celebrate the Shivaratri festival are the Vishnuit Ramanandis. The Bhakti to the goddesses in Shaktism is even more pronounced than in Shaivism. The number of chants and hymns dedicated to Devi and their manifestations is extensive and the worship of the goddess can hardly be distinguished typologically from the Krishna-Bhakti.

Other forms of classical yoga

In addition to Bhakti Yoga, Hinduism defines two other spiritual paths, which are among the classic paths to salvation ( Moksha ).

Some teachers of Hinduism, such as Swami Vivekananda , add a fourth way:

Quotes

So some come to me free from fear, free from desire and passion. They keep their hearts focused on me, and are cleansed by the fire of love, and enter my existence at death. (Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, 4.10)

Think of me, be my bhakta, adore me and give me your respect. In this way, unshakably connected to me, you will attain me, the highest goal. (Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, 9.34)

Whoever does not want evil to any being and is free from hatred and selfishness and merciful ... surrenders completely to me ... he is dear to me. (Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, 12.13-14)

In Devi Bhagavata , an important text in honor of the goddess, Bhakti includes love for one's neighbor and lets the goddess herself say about her Bhakta, her devotee: He sees all individual souls (jivan) in me and loves me as he himself loves himself. He makes no distinction between the individual souls and me because he sees the same spirit manifested in everything. (7.37.11-20)

literature

Web links