Bhakti  (Divine love-in-action)

What is bhakti?

Pure bhakti to Krishna:

anyabhilasita – sunyam

jnana-karmady-anavrtam

anukulyena krsnanu

silanam bhaktir uttama

„The cultivation of activities that are meant exclusively for the pleasure of Sri Krsna, or in other words the uninterrupted flow of service to Sri Krsna, performed through all endeavours of the body, mind and speech, and through the expression of various spiritual sentiments (bhavas), which is not covered by jnana (knowledge aimed at impersonal liberation) and karma (reward-seeking activity), and which is devoid of all desires other than the aspiration to bring happiness to Sri Krsna, is called uttama-bhakti, pure devotional service.”

What is the nature of bhakti?

Krishna´s hladini-sakti has a property called extreme happiness. It continuously enters the hearts of the devotees and exists in them as ‘love for God’. Therefore when Sri Bhagavân feels that love, He too is extremely pleased with His holy devotees. Bhakti is an intense combination of hladini- and samvit-shakti.  It enters the heart of a devotee and gives Sri Bhagavan immense pleasure. Therefore it is so powerful that it controls Sri Bhagavan. Here intense combination means

„tatsaratvancha tannitya-parikarashrayak tad-anukulya-bhilasha-visheshah“

Bhakti is the desire that forever exists in His eternal associates and benefits Sri Bhagavan. This bhakti flows like the River Mandakini from the eternal associates in disciplic succession of devotees (Guru-parampara) in the material world.

Who is qualified for bhakti?

If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and chanting My glories, such a person, being neither very disgusted with nor attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20.8

Bhakti is the way: 

Vaidhi-bhakti

When there is no attachment or spontaneous loving service to the Lord, and one is engaged in the service of the Lord simply out of obedience to the order of the Guru or in pursuance of the scriptures, such obligatory service is called vaidhi-bhakti.

– BRS 1.2.6

Everywhere in the world people worship Me according to scriptural injunctions.

But simply by following such regulative principles (vaidhi-bhakti) one cannot attain the

loving sentiments of the devotees in Vraja.

– CC Adi 3.15

Raganuga-bhakti

“O men of virtue! If consciousness which is infused with the mood of the gopis’ love for Sri Krishna is available anywhere, then buy it at once, without delay. The only price to get it is laulyam, an intense longing  (transcendental greed) to obtain vraja-bhava. Without this divine greed, it cannot be obtained even by performing pious activities (karma-misra-bhakti or vaidhi-bhakti) for millions of births.”

– CC Madhya-lila 8.70

Devotional service imbued with spontaneous, profound love and attachment (ragatmika-bhakti), is vividly expressed and manifested by the eternal residents of Vrindavana (Vrajavasis). Devotional service that follows their devotional mood is called raganuga-bhakti, or devotional service following in the wake of the ragatmika-associates of Sri Radha-Krishna in Vraja.

– BRS 1.2.270

The five essential limbs of bhakti as given to us by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:

sadhu-sanga, nama-kirtana, bhagavata-sravana,

mathura-vasa, sri-murtira sraddhaya sevana

– CC Mad 22.128

[Mahaprabhu said:] “Sadhu-sanga, chanting the holy name, hearing  Srimad-Bhagavatam, residing in Vraja mandala and worshiping the Deity with faith.”