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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00154 Sep 2004

 
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Dear Smt Vedvalli,

Thank you very much for the reply.

Yes, Bhakti is not mere devotion but devotional service, as 
interpreted by SrIla prabhupAda in Bhagavadgita As It Is. I was very 
much excited when the AchArya (though not in our line) says that 
KrshNa Bhakti is service to KrshNa, at one point. What a wonderful 
observation?

KrshNa Bhakti or service to KrshNa, can be practised by anyone 
irrespective of caste, gender, race, whether upAya or not.

Now let us strike the word Bhakti at its roots.

Words like Bhakti, Bhajanam etc. come from the dhAtu "Bhak" 
indicating division. Division here means, being useful to PerumAL in 
different ways as willed by Him, as said in "SarIra bhEdai: tava 
SEshatAm gatai:" statement of yAmuna, which I explained earlier.

Since perumAL is sarva SEshI, entire world remains for Him. Does this 
mean all have Bhakti? No. Bhakti involves the knowledge that we 
remain for Him in all our states. Hence Bhakti is nothing but our 
SEshatva buddhi.

Due to our SEshatva gnAnam, we tend to be serviceable to Him. 
Needless to say that such tendency is associated with our love for 
Him.

Since we tend to do loving service to Him due to our SEshatva gnAnam, 
SrI ParASara Bhattar, in the beginning of SrI sahasranAma commentary, 
interprets Bhakti as our inclination to do sEvA to Him associated 
with our love for Him. He quotes pramANas from linga and mArkaNdEya 
purANas for this (see note at end).

Hence the interpreation you hesitated to give i.e. Bhakti = 
devotional service, is wonderfully right.

As I have been saying, SEshatvam is nothing but simply remaining for 
Him. Hence the nava vidha Bhakti you have mentioned, is our existence 
for Him in all those nine different states.

You are further right in saying that any activity done with pure 
devotion, is a service to Him.

dAsan
Vishnu

Note: I do not know whether linga, mArkaNdEya purANas are sAttvika. 
But nothing stops AchAryas like pArASara Bhattar from extracting 
Bhagavad Vishayam from wherever they want.

--- In ramanuja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, vedavalli ranganathan 
<vedaranga@xxxx> wrote:
> Dear Sri vishnu,
> 
>               devotional service is called bhakthi in
> sanskrit.all activities reg.mind,body and soul done
> with pure devotionwhich are connected with the supreme
> Person( Perumal)  alone is called  devotional
> service.In the scriptures it is said there are nine
> kinds of devotional service.they are sravanam,
> kirtanam,smaranam or remembering,vandhanam or paying
> obeisances,padhasevanam,  Dasyam, worshiping,treating
> as a friend, and Atma nevadhanam.
> 
> Sravanam--- Parikshit Maharaj
> Kirtanam --- Sukha dev goswami
> Smaranam --- Bhaktha Prahlad
> Vandanam ---  Akrura
> Padhasevanam --- Lakshmiji  always doing service to
> Maha vishnu
> Worshipping ----Prithu Maharaj
> Dasyam -----  Hanuman
> Worshipping ----   Prithu Maharaj
> Treating as a friend ---Arjuna
> Atma Nivedhanam  ----Bali Maharaj
> 
> Above said Personalities are example for pure
> devottees. And also Ambarisha Maharaj was always doing
> bhakthi with all his senses , mind and soul.Yes i
> admit i read bhagwath gita as it is .I heard Pillai
> Lokachariar  also had  given nine sambhanda reg.
> devotional service .I am trying to get that.If  any
> one know that please let me know that.
> 
> Krishna Dasee 
> 
> Vedavalli Ranganathan.




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