Bhakthi (Devotion)

Bhakthi in Sanskrit means devotion. Devotion did not start now. It had been there from the period even before the Vedic age. There had been devotees seeking the god even then.

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BHAKTI AND JNANA

Those who tread the path of jnana and yoga are liable to become proud of their powers and wisdom. Bhaktas are humble, humility being the foundation of bhakti yoga.

Jnana yoga is the yoga of wisdom. It is the path of analysis and rejection. It is the path of endless negation, a very difficult path.

Raja yoga also is difficult. It is like stilling the waves of the ocean. You will have to still all the thought-waves. Karma yoga is also difficult. It is like climbing to the highest peak and tremendous will-power is needed. Bhakti yoga alone is easy. The Lord is stretching his hands to lift you up from the mire of births and deaths, but you will have to grasp his hands firmly. One thing is absolutely essential here: you should not have any other thought than that of God and God alone.

A devotee contracts, while a vedantin expands. The former contracts and enters the Lord through self-surrender, while the latter expands and becomes one with Brahman through assertion and identification.

The fruit of bhakti is jnana. Jnana intensifies bhakti. Even sages like Sankara, Madhusudana and Sukadev took to bhakti after realisation to enjoy the sweetness of loving relationship with God.

Knowledge or wisdom will dawn by itself when you practise bhakti yoga. Bhakti is the pleasant, smooth, direct road to God. Bhakti is sweet in the beginning, in the middle and in the end. It gives the highest, everlasting bliss.

Love the divine in thy heart, for this is the immediate way to the kingdom of God. Pray to the Lord, sing his glory, recite his name and become a channel for his grace. Seek his will, do his will, surrender unto the Lord. He will become your charioteer on the field of life. He will drive your chariot well and you will reach the destination, the abode of immortal bliss.
 - Swami Sivananda

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A Peaceful & Joyous Mind

In the field of devotion, one thing is absolutely essential. Devotees should learn to accept everything and all in the name of God. Especially, they must accept the fellow beings.

Generally, a thief is somebody whom we can never like or accept. But when you become a devotee, you cannot dislike a thief. His action is wrong and therefore, in a way, the actor is also wrong. You yourself need not thieve. You need not invite a thief to your house. You need not encourage him to thieve. You need not accept or store the stolen articles. But in the mind level, you must not hate him! Why? Because, the God whom you love and adore is present in everyone;  he is equally present in the thief. As He is present in the virtuous man, so also He is present in the vicious. When you recognize Him thus everywhere, you will see the  `oneness' of the universe.

Until the devotee reaches this wonderful realization of Oneness, I don't think the devotion has been fully accomplished. Without this, devotion cannot fulfill the devotee. This proposition may create a conflict and contradiction in the mind. It is natural. The buddhi will have to think repeatedly and rise above the conflicts and contradictions.

Do you want to have a mind that is peaceful, joyous, clear and expansive? Then you have to get rid of blamingness, and reach or at least strive for this wonderful state of love and oneness. Why this lack of fondness for each other? The cause is that there is no readiness; there is no effort and persistence in you. The austerity that keeps one in the path of expansion, is missing.

At every opportunity, develop fondness for each other. By loving anyone sincerely – not for using the person later, but genuinely – you will only be enriched. Love is a subjective personal affair. You may even have love for the thief! 'Poor boy is thieving – what can be done?' The mind should extend only sympathy. This is what the Maharishis felt when they saw Ratnaakara and the result was that the thief got transformed, to become later the famous Vaalmeeki. You may not be a maharshi, but can you not have at least a small part of the maharishi-element in you? - Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

Re: Bhakthi (Devotion)

Bhakti (Devanagari: ?????, Sanskrit: devotion, or portion)[1] in practice signifies an active involvement by the devotee in divine worship. The term is often translated as “devotion”, though increasingly “participation” is being used as a more accurate rendering, since it conveys a fully engaged relationship with God.[2] One who practices bhakti is called a bhakta,[3] while bhakti as a spiritual path is referred to as bhakti marga, or the bhakti way.[4][5] Bhakti is an important component of many branches of Hinduism, defined differently by various sects and schools.[6]

Bhakti emphasises devotion and practice above ritual. Bhakti is typically represented in terms of human relationships, most often as beloved-lover, friend-friend, parent-child, and master-servant.[7] It may refer to devotion to a spiritual teacher (Guru) as guru-bhakti,[8][9] to a personal form of God,[10] or to divinity without form (nirguna).[11] Different traditions of bhakti in Hinduism are sometimes distinguished, including: Shaivas, who worship Shiva and the gods and goddesses associated with him; Vaishnavas, who worship forms of Vishnu, his avataras, and others associated with; Shaktas, who worship a variety of goddesses. Belonging to a particular tradition is not exclusive—devotion to one deity does not preclude worship of another.[12]

The Bhagavad Gita is the first text to explicitly use the word “bhakti” to designate a religious path,[13] which the Bhagavata Purana develops more elaborately.[7] The so-called Bhakti Movement saw a rapid growth of bhakti beginning in Southern India with the Vaisnava Alvars (6th-9th century CE) and Saiva Nayanars (5th-10th century CE), who spread bhakti poetry and devotion throughout India by the 12th-18th century CE.[14][15] Bhakti influence in India spread to other religions,[16][17][18][19] coloring many aspects of Hindu culture to this day, from religious to secular, and becoming an integral part of Indian society.[15]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhakti