18 September 2026
Friday
Bhakti (devotion) denotes a feeling of friendship coupled with awe. For one who is a creature of the gunas (satva, rajas, tamas), to understand what transcends the gunas, an attitude of humility and reverence is required. “Bhaja Sevayam ” (worship the Divine through Seva). Bhakti calls for utilising the mind, speech, and body, and the three gunas, to worship the Lord. Devotion and love are inseparable and interdependent. Bhakti is the means to salvation. Love is the expression of bhakti. Narada declared that worshipping the Lord with boundless love is bhakti. Vyasa held that performing worship with love and adoration is bhakti. Garga Rishi declared that serving the Lord with purity of mind, speech, and body is bhakti. Yajnavalkya held that true bhakti consists in controlling the mind, turning it inwards, and enjoying the bliss of communion with the Divine. Another view of bhakti is the concentration of the mind on God and experiencing oneness with the Divine. Although many sages have expressed different views about the nature of bhakti, the basic characteristic of devotion is love.
From Swami’s discourse of 8 October 1986
Bhakti (devotion) denotes a feeling of friendship coupled with awe. For one who is a creature of the gunas (satva, rajas, tamas), to understand what transcends the gunas, an attitude of humility and reverence is required. “Bhaja Sevayam ” (worship the Divine through Seva). Bhakti calls for utilising the mind, speech, and body, and the three gunas, to worship the Lord. Devotion and love are inseparable and interdependent. Bhakti is the means to salvation. Love is the expression of bhakti. Narada declared that worshipping the Lord with boundless love is bhakti. Vyasa held that performing worship with love and adoration is bhakti. Garga Rishi declared that serving the Lord with purity of mind, speech, and body is bhakti. Yajnavalkya held that true bhakti consists in controlling the mind, turning it inwards, and enjoying the bliss of communion with the Divine. Another view of bhakti is the concentration of the mind on God and experiencing oneness with the Divine. Although many sages have expressed different views about the nature of bhakti, the basic characteristic of devotion is love.