The closest possible English word for Bhakti is “devotion” and the person who follows this path of devotion are called a “devotee”. But the Sanskrit connotation of the word Bhakti is much more than the word “devotion” as a westerner would understand.
Bhakti demands complete and absolute cessation of one’s ego and absolute and complete surrender to a deity or the desired divinity. And most importantly this devotion neither requires the enlightened knowledge of the Gyana Marga nor the dispassionate non-attachment of the Karma Yoga. And what it bestows on the bhakt or the devotee is sublime, spiritual ecstasy that transcends the devotee to the state of exuberance
The germs of the Bhakti Marga — the path of devotion — have always been there in the Hindu psyche since times immemorial ((see Nayanars and Alvars) but full expression to it was given by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534) who elevated the cult of Bhakti to an exalted state.
Born in a small town named Navadvipa in Bengal he developed keen interest in Lord Krishna, became a devotee and in a state of spiritual ecstasy roamed all over India, spending a long time in Vrindavan and finally returning to Puri near Bay of Bengal in Odisha where he passed his last days.
For the westerners and the Hindus brought up on western culture I am tempted to quote a poem by a Lebanese poet and writer Khalil Gibran that sums up the essence of absolute, spiritual surrender unto Him.
It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her,
she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear, forever.
But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk
of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that’s where the river will know
it???s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.
In Bhagwadagita chapter 12 verse 8 Krishna says:
मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय |
निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशय: || 8||
Fix your longings and mind/intellect on Me alone, thus you will always, doubtlessly, live in Me.
In the last and the concluding chapter 18 verse 66 Krishna tells Arjuna the crux of Bhakti/devotion:
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज |
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुच: || 66||
Having surrendered all your varied duties and karmas unto Me,
Come unto Me for I will liberate you from all sins and attachments.
The roots of the Bhakti Marg can be traced to the Rig Veda where praises and oblations are showered upon deities like Agni (fire), Indra (a god), Soma (an intoxicant plant), Rudra (god of winds), Vishnu (a god), Varuna (god of water and rain), Mitra (a friend/ally), Usha (god of dawn) and Savita (the Sun). In fact, the very first hymn of the Rig Veda is devoted to Agni:
Rig Veda 1.1.1 says:
अ॒ग्निमी॑ळे पु॒रोहि॑तं य॒ज्ञस्य॑ दे॒वमृ॒त्विज॑म् । होता॑रं रत्न॒धात॑मम् ॥
Prof. H. H. Wilson, an English orientalist and the first Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University has translated this hymn as : “I glorify Agni, the high priest of the sacrifice, the divine, the ministrant, who presents the oblation (to the gods), and is the possessor of great wealth”.
Prof. Telang Braj Bihari Chaubey of Benaras Hindu University has translated it as: I laud Agni, the first-placed, the illuminator of the sacrifice, the performer of the seasonal rites, the invoker (of the gods) and the excellent bestower of wealth.
In Rig Veda 3.62.10 (also called Gyatri Mantra) — a hymn revered the most by the Hindus — the Sun or Savita is adored so as to give us health and wealth.
ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्।
O’ Sun (Savitr) I worship thee. O’ pure and sublime divinity, I meditate upon thee!
Similarly in Rig Veda 1.156.2 Vishnu is adored by the Vedic sages. In fact, Rig Veda is replete with hymns and mantras in praise of gods and deities who are said to bestow honour, health and wealth upon their devotees.
यः पू॒र्व्याय॑ वे॒धसे॒ नवी॑यसे सु॒मज्जा॑नये॒ विष्ण॑वे॒ ददा॑शति ।
यो जा॒तम॑स्य मह॒तो महि॒ ब्रव॒त्सेदु॒ श्रवो॑भि॒र्युज्यं॑ चिद॒भ्य॑सत् ॥
Translation by H H Wilson: “He who presents (offerings) to Vishnu, the ancient, the creator, the recent, the self-born; he who celebrates the great birth of that mighty one; he verily possessed of abundance, attains (the station) that is to be sought (by all).”
Next: The Japa Marga