To realise the ultimate truth there are various paths in the scriptures and bhakti is considered as one of the most important path. Bhakti means devotion.
The word bhakti comes from the root ‘bhaj’ which means to serve and to adore. It is incomplete without trust, love and surrender. Bhakti can be categorised as para bhakti (transcendental devotion) and apara bhakti (primary stage of bhakti) which is practiced by the sadhaks as sadhana and slowly it leads to the higher or the transcendental form of devotion.
Bhakti was explained in Narada’s bhakti sutra, Sandiyiy bhakti sutra, Srimad Bhagabat Gita, Srimad Bhagavtam,Adhyatma Ramayana, yoga vasistha and not only in these scriptures but also in other puranas, sastras and subsequent literatures bhakti has been explained.
Later on it is explained by many realised beings according to the level of understanding of the disciples for the evolution of the humanity as a whole. Bhakti is such a powerful tool that it can illuminate the vrajagopis in the light of parabrahman and unite them with the Lord, it can transform the poison into nectar in the case of Mira Bai, it can emerge the body of Srichaitanya Mahaprabhu with the vigraha of Lord Jagannatha, it can make all the life threatening events smooth and ease in case of the small child Prahllada, it can change the dead body of Santh Kabir into a huge bunch of flowers and it can make oneself able to communicate directly with the divine mother in the case of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and many more of miracles with other Bhaktas.
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In the kali yuga, by taking the names of lord one can cross the ocean of samsara and attain the highest goal of life. The path of devotion is easy, simple and safe for anyone. Just by changing the attitude behind all the actions with absence of doer ship and enjoyer ship those can be the worship to the lord the real worship’ to perform all the duties and obligations of life with the attitude as a medium of Lo who works through all the beings.
Though our awareness is self centered in a lo plane and when we expand this selfish nature from one to two, from two to three a gradually reaching to more and more, and one day that will leads to universal love That is the real love or worship to lord as we know “service to mankind is to serve to God”. God eat, God sleep and God become happy when all the beings eat, sled and happy; if we believe in the transitory and transcendence nature of God.
If some is hungry God is hungry, if someone is thirsty God is thirsty and if somebody is suffering. And if one can cultivate this attitude for others and act accordingly, that known as atmabhava or sarvatmabhava. It is highest form of Bhakti.