INTRODUCTION Shivalingavva Akka (20th century) was a great saint and a holy lady. Shivalingavva Akka was born and brought up in the Jat village, New Delhi. Due to her great thirst in spirituality, she has become a saint, and she was the disciple of Sri.Bhausaheb Maharaj. Due to her goodRead More →
INTRODUCTION Kumara Swamy Desikar (1711–1810), was a Shaivite saint and a spiritual writer and contains great bhakti on Lord Shiva. He was born into a pious Desikar family in Kanchipuram. He wrote books based on the importance of Lord Shiva and used to compose and sing beautiful songs on Lord Shiva in theRead More →
VERKADALAI SWAMIGAL INTRODUCTION Verkadalai Swamigal (20th century) was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, and he was born and brought up in Chennai. It is believed that he has worked in the High Court as an assistant, and after office hours, he used to give discourses on Shiva Puran andRead More →
INTRODUCTION Chellappa Swamigal (19th century) was born in Jaffna into a pious Hindu family. His father was a farmer, and he had one sister and one brother. Chellappa studied well in the school and later worked under British Officials. Though he was good at work, he was very much interestedRead More →
INTRODUCTION Azhagammal (1864 – 1922) was the holy mother of Sri Ramana Maharishi. And she lived in Tiruchuli, and had four children, and one among them was Sri Ramana, who is considered to be a divine incarnation of Lord Shiva. After Ramana left his home at his younger age forRead More →
INTRODUCTION Sarada Devi (1853–1920) was the wife and the consort of Sri Ramakrishna. Sarada Devi is affectionately called by her devotees and disciples as the Holy Mother. Sri Sarada Devi is one of great woman saints who cultivated the bhakti among the people, and her noble life was an example for others. SheRead More →
INTRODUCTION Alukku Samiyar(19th century) was born in Pudur near Pollachi, in a pious Hindu family. From his childhood itself, he was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and used to worship him in the temples. He was not interested in playing with his friends at his younger age, but performed pujaRead More →
Benefits of Self Surrender Self surrender is the highest form of bhakti. Self surrender is also known as Atma Nivedana. Eg: Mira, Gopis of Vrindavan. In Kathopanishad it is said, “The Lord chooses that man who has surrendered himself, reveals Himself unto him and bestows the highest wisdom on him.”Read More →
Prayer Prayer or Prarthana in Sanskrit means pleading fervently. It is a form of communication with a deity or an object of worship or a spiritual embodiment. It is praise of God. Prayer could be through use of words or songs. Prayer is a religious practice of reaching out toRead More →
Introduction to Essence of Bhakti The nature of Bhakti is inexpressible. Bhakti can be partially explained but its totality is inconceivable and inexpressible. Just as it is difficult to explain the sweetness of sugar to a person who has not tasted it, so also the nature of Bhakti cannot beRead More →
How to cultivate/ develop Bhakti? Bhakti is training one’s mind and will towards God. It is a discipline through which a bhakta eliminates his ego and develops an intense attachment towards god. The bhakta attains a stage of self realisation where the ego and the Self are the same. HeRead More →
Meaning of Vandanam Vandanam means offering prayers and obeisance to the Lord. Prayer is an act of communicating with the Lord. Prayer requires immense faith in Him, as he is not visible to the naked eye. As one develops faith in the Lord, prayer becomes an indispensible part of one’sRead More →
Meaning of Smaranam Smaranam is one of the nine forms of bhakti, where the devotee constantly remembers the name and form of the Lord. Smaranam also includes remembering the stories, teaching and talking to others about the glories of the Lord, meditation on aspects relating to God etc. Japa isRead More →
There are nine different ways to express devotion for the Lord. Shravanam is the first form of Bhakti. Meaning of Shravanam Shravanam literally means listening. Shravanam is about listening to God’s lilas which is an important step in the spiritual journey. Shravanam also includes listening to God’s virtues, glories, stories,Read More →
Meaning of Sakhya Bhakti Sakhya bhakti is a form of bhakti, wherein the bhakta considers God as his friend at all times. The bhakta considers God as his friend, relative, and companion. In Bhagavatam, it is said, “Oh, how wonderful is the fortune of the people of Vraja of cowherdRead More →
Kirtanam is that form of Bhakti wherein the devotee chants and sings praises in the name of the guru or the deity. Such chanting and singing the name of the Lord breaks the shackles that tie people to worldly inhibitions and sufferings. In Kirtanam the Bhakta dances and sings inRead More →
Rasas are different kinds of emotions which a Bhakta experiences in his devotion to the Lord. God himself is Rasa “Raso Vai Sah.” “Rasam Hyevayaam Labdhva Anandee Bhavati”-“By attaining this essence one becomes blissful.” declare the Upanishads. Bhakti Rasa removes the ignorance of ego and the Atman or the SelfRead More →
Definition of Bhakti The word Bhakti is derived from the root “Bhaj” meaning to participate, or to receive a share. The root word (dhaatu) Bhaj is used in the sense of ‘seva’ (service). Bhakti, derived by adding a suffix (pratyaya) ‘kta’, means actions performed with sevA attitude towards God1. BhaktiRead More →
Meaning of Dasya Bhakti According to Swamy Shivananda, Dasya Bhakti is “to serve God and carry out His wishes, realizing His virtues, nature, mystery and glory, considering oneself as a servant of God, the Supreme Master”. Dasya is a form of bhakti wherein, the bhakta considers himself as a servantRead More →
Bhakti is viewed/categorized in many ways. These types or categories are not necessarily non-overlapping: a) Sakamya and Nishkamya Bhakti b) Apara (lower)and Para (higher) Bhakti c) Mukhya ((Primary) and Gauna (Secondary)Bhakti d) Ragatmika and Vaidhi Bhakti e) Vyabhicharini and Avyabhicharini Bhakti f) Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic Bhakti a) Sakamya andRead More →