There are four kinds of devotees in Hindu religion.
- Arta – Distressed
- Arthi – Desirous
- Jijnasu – Inquisitive
- Jnani – knowledgeable
The jnani is considered to be the best, but the end result of jnana (knowledge) is moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death), which too has its base in bhakti.
As water cannot exist without earth, one can never has sustainable pleasure of moksha through jnana without bhakti.
In Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan says that he loves his devotees. Ramacharitamanasa and Srimad Bhagavad Purana also enunciates the importance of bhakti.
All are dear to Bhagavan and all are his creation, but bhagavan tells one truth again and again that there is no one more dear to me than my bhakta.
A bhakta is totally immersed in the ocean of love for God, and believes that God does everything through him; ye he never boasts of this and remains humble.