bhakti — devotion

The supreme devotion is establishing in ultimate existence

Having understood the theory of bhAvanAs in last post, now a practical tip is provided to the worshipers. For each bhAvana, there is an opposing bhAvana. For a simple no, there is a simple yes. For a most complex bhEda bhAvana, there is equally complex abhEda bhAvana.

So, it is important to raise above the bhAvanas i.e., emotions as well.

Upadesa saram 9: (Telugu)

bhAva balambu cE bhAvanAtIta bhAva sthiti munulu para-bhakti aniri.

Same verse in Sanskrit:

bhAva SUnya sadbhAva susthitiH, bhAvanA balat bhaktiruttamA.

Having emptied all the emotions or bhAvAs, resting on the basis of existence called sat+bhAva is called bhakti by seers.

After getting on to pUja, japa, cintana ladder one should climb to a position called bhakti or devotion. One need to remember that this ladder is taking the climber to the source. Raising above the action, we started investigating the emotions or bhAvanas. Having negated the pairs of bhAvanas by taking right amount of effort to nullify them, one can see the basis of them.

Some think, it is nothing. (SUnya). But It is not SUnya or nothing. It is the core of existence called ‘sat’. A bhava signifying this sat is called sadbhAva which forms the bridge between the individual existence and universal existence.

Being firmly established in this sadbhAva and resting everything else on this sadbhAva is verily called bhakti.

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