This is a collection of thoughts and quotes on Bhakti - Unwavering Devotion - Hindu Religion.
At first the devotee starts as ‘I am the servant.’ The next stage of devotion is when he says and feels ‘He is mine.’ Lastly comes the stage, ‘I am He, Thou art myself,’ when the devotee is in a state of perfect union and oneness with the Beloved. In that state of devotion, the devotee, on account of oneness, feels that what he sees, hears, etc, is Vasudeva.
At first the devotee starts as ‘I am the servant.’ The next stage of devotion is when he says and feels ‘He is mine.’ Lastly comes the stage, ‘I am He, Thou art myself,’ when the devotee is in a state of perfect union and oneness with the Beloved. In that state of devotion, the devotee, on account of oneness, feels that what he sees, hears, etc, is Vasudeva.
Pandit Bhavani Shankar
the path of knowledge, and Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion and self-surrender.
With Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion … we find that no attempt is made to rid ourself of the ego at the very beginning. There are two egos, which Sri Ramakrishna called the unripe ego and the ripe ego. The unripe ego is that which denotes selfishness — that sense of ‘me and mine’, and of this ego we must rid ourselves; the ripe ego is that which unites itself with God; ‘I am a child of God, I belong to God’, and so forth. This ripe ego ultimately leads to egolessness.
Swami Prabhavananda
The word bhakti is derived from the verbal root bhaj, which
means ‘to serve’. But this signification does not amply reflect the connotative
depth of the term. In its profoundest sense, bhaj means to immerse oneself in
the reflection of the Ultimate. Thus its source may be traced back to the
Upanishads. But it was in medieval India that the Bhakti Movement, as it is
popularly termed by historians, found a special expression.
Dr Kana Chattopadhyay
In the Kali Yuga, the human intellect is neither suited for
the subtleties of Vedanta nor for the extravagant works and sacrifices of the
Treta Yuga. In this age human longevity and strength are limited, and it is not
possible for us to follow the ways of the other ages. That is why we have been told
to follow the path of devotion. Sri Ramakrishna would often refer to Narada’s
system of devotion as ideal for the Kali Yuga. What is Narada’s system? It is
the path of pure, unconditional love for the Divine. This supreme love for God
is termed bhakti.
Swami Bhuteshananda
What is called bhakti is a state of mind in which, being
melted by the force of spiritual discipline, the mind constantly flows towards
Bhagavan. (Bhaktirasayana, 1.3)
One’s own natural affection for one’s Chosen Ideal will
mature into extreme love; the absorbed state of mind then noticeable is called
bhakti, and its essence is love. (Bhaktirasamritasindhu, 1.2.270)
Among things conducive to liberation, devotion alone holds
the supreme place; (and) the search for one’s real nature is designated as
devotion. (Vivekachudamani, 31)
What is called bhakti is nothing but the enjoyment of the
Lord, the master of the senses, with the senses themselves purified by
intentness on Him, without laying down any condition whatsoever. (Narada
Pancharatra)
We generally identify bhakti with rituals and paraphernalia or
with weeping and such expressions of emotion. But bhakti is actual love for
God. Real bhakti refers to the total destruction of ‘I’
and ‘mine’—
no individuality, everything totally illumined by‘Thou and Thou alone.’ In this sense it is equivalent
to the spiritual realization attained through the path of knowledge. This is para-bhakti.
The same truth of one Reality —‘Thou and Thou alone’— when realized through the psychological path of
feeling is called bhakti. This is real bhakti, transcendental bhakti, para-bhakti,
Naradiya bhakti —
the absolute effacement of ‘I’ through love. (Swami Bhaskareswarananda)