Srī Shankara Bhagavatpāda hints at bhakti while commenting on the sūtra – āvr̥ttirasakr̥dupadēśāt. A devoted disciple or a loving wife thinks of the beloved all the time and longs for him. Similarly, when one repeats Bhagavannāma with autkaṇṭhya without any distractions and is immersed in thoughts of the divine, such a state may be termed as bhakti. Bhakti is also illustrated through the word praṇidhāna in the Yōgasūtra – īśvarapraṇidhānādvā, where praṇidhāna means to offer to īśvara all actions with devotion, renouncing the fruits of the action. śāṇḍilya describes bhakti through the sūtra – sā parānuraktirīśvarē iti. That intense love, devotion, or attachment to the divine, which arises in a being after the cognition of the divine form, greatness, glory, etc. of the Lord, is Bhakti. Sage Nārada describes bhakti as: sā tvasmin parama-prēmarūpā. Prēma means love. Love for the Supreme, which is limitless and unconditional, is termed bhakti. Here, the great Guru Nārada does not prescribe devotion to any particular form of Lord like Shiva, Shakti, Nārāyaṇa, or to something that is distant and different from the self. The reference here is to sādhya bhakti and not sādhana bhakti. The final word on the definition of bhakti seems to be that of śāṇḍilya, who simply describes it as ātmarati or reveling in the Self, ātmaratyavirōdhēnēti śāṇḍilyaḥ. It can thus be safely concluded that the Parā-bhakti described here is non-different from jñāna. Bhakti is the sādhana and Parā-bhakti is the sādhya or the goal. Bhakti can never really be expressed in words (anivarcanīyam prēmasvarūpam), similar to the experience of taste by a dumb person.
What is generally known as Bhakti, where the devotee expresses devotion to the Lord as a distinct entity separate from himself, is technically sādhana bhakti. The usefulness of this form of devotion is to lead towards sādhya bhakti, where the former “that” Ishwara, considered as separate from oneself, is then realized as “this” or the self. It is by the realization of this sādhya bhakti alone that one is freed from every desire. He experiences no more grief, hatred, happiness, or excitement. It is this bhakti that Shuka Brahman describes as śānta bhakti in Bhāgavata. The same is expressed in the sūtra – yatprāpya na kiñcit vāñcati, na śōcati, na dvēṣṭi, na ramatē, nōtsāhī bhavati. The true form of this bhakti is accomplished by nirōdha or renunciation (nirōdharūpatvāt) which in other words is karma sannyāsa (nirōdhastu lōka vēda vyāpāra nyāsaḥ). Two key concepts that characterize nirōdha are ananyatā and udāsīnatā. Ananyatā means relinquishing all external support machinery and udāsīnatā means indifference to all worldly affairs and karma.
The extremely useful sādhana bhakti is again classified into two, mukhya and gauṇa. That devotion which is free of attributes (guṇarahitam), free of desires (kāmanā rahitam), increasing every moment (pratikśaṇa vardhamānam), avicchinnam (uninterrupted), sūkṣmataram (extremely subtle, due to guṇarāhitya), and most importantly, of the form of an actual experience (anubhavarūpam) is called mukhya bhakti. Gauṇī bhakti, classified into three, is based on sattva, rajō, and tamō guṇas of the aspirant. These three directly maps to the three kinds of bhaktas, jignāsu (who seeks knowledge or the realization of the supreme), arthārthī (who seeks specific worldly goals), and ārta (who seeks divine intervention to rid himself of distress).
The practical directives for a bhakta are described below:
1. Lōkahānau cintā na kāryā – A bhakta never worries about worldly affairs as he is always immersed in the love of the divine. This does not necessarily mean that one should give up every interaction and karma but it only means that the fruits of such actions should be renounced.
2. Abhimāna ḍambhādikam tyājyam – pride, pretense, etc should be given up
3. Every activity should be directed towards the Lord, including emotions such as desire, anger, pride, etc. Instead of suppressing these emotions, one should surrender these to the Lord which is the easiest way to overcome them.
4. Scriptures that teach Bhakti should be studied and the teachings therein should be contemplated upon. And not just that, but also one should engage in activities that evoke and sustain Bhakti.
5. Without thinking of pain, pleasure, gain, loss, etc. for even a minute, one should engage in the contemplation of the divine (through any of the nine forms of Bhakti: śravaṇa, kīrtana, smaraṇa, pādasēvana, arcana, vandana, dāsya, sakhya, ātmanivēdana) without wasting a single minute.
6. Non-violence, truth, internal and external purity, compassion for all beings, and other such qualities should be developed.
7. Every moment, the Lord should be contemplated on, uninterrupted by thoughts and worries.
The various ways in which bhakti can manifest are described in the scriptures:
1. Guṇamāhātmyāsakti: love to the divine expressed through the glorification of the ananta kalyāṇa guṇas of the Lord, like that expressed by Nārada, Vyāsa, etc.
2. Rupāsakti: love of the mesmerizing beauty of the Lord, like that expressed by the Gōpikās of Vr̥ndāvana.
3. Pūjāsakti: love to the divine expressed through worship, like that expressed by Ambarīṣa.
4. Smaraṇāsakti: love to the divine expressed by constant remembrance, like that expressed by Prahlāda.
5. Dāsyāsakti: love to the divine expressed through service, like that expressed by āñjanēya.
6. Sakhyāsakti: love to the divine expressed through friendship, like that expressed by Arjuna.
7. Kāntāsakti: love to the divine expressed like that of a wife towards her husband, like Mahālakṣmī.
8. Vātsalyāsakti: love to the divine expressed like the mother’s love for her son or daughter, like that expressed by Yaśōdā and Kausalyā.
9. Paramavirahāsakti: love to the divine manifested as the pain of separation from the Lord, like that experienced by Rādhikā.
10. ātmanivēdanāsakti: love to the divine expressed through complete self-surrender, like that expressed by Vibhīṣaṇa.
11. Tanmayāsakti: love to the divine experienced through complete absorption in the divine, where the Lord and the Devotee cease to exist as different entities, like in the case of Sanakādayaḥ, śuka, etc.
That said, in general, bhakti indeed is a meditative state but without effort or pariśrama. In dhyāna, there is a conscious effort on the part of the sādhaka but bhakti is sahaja and without pariśrama.
ब्रह्म स्मरामि कमलेक्षणमभ्रनीलम् ||