Category:That Is Bhakti - Devotional Service to God
Theme Analysis
The philosophical essence of this category defines the true nature of bhakti (devotional service). Far from being a state of idle sentimentalism or inactivity, bhakti represents the highest platform of purified action where the senses are completely engaged in satisfying Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses. While ordinary material life is driven by personal sense gratification, bodily designations, and the desire to accumulate wealth, followers, or liberation, pure bhakti requires making all such self-interested desires zero (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam). A pure devotee acts solely to please Kṛṣṇa, offering love through practical, unconditional service. Whether one is a businessman, an engineer, or a preacher, true bhakti means transforming one's occupational duties into loving offerings for the Supreme Lord, devoid of the tinges of karma (fruitive action) and jñāna (philosophical speculation).
- The Definition of Pure Devotion: True bhakti means engaging all one's purified senses exclusively for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, completely free from the motives of karma and jñāna.
- Freedom from Designations: Spiritual life begins when one stops identifying with the temporary material body and its related social designations, understanding oneself eternally as a servant of God.
- Action, Not Inaction: Bhakti is not idle meditation or stopping activities; rather, it is the transformation of one's consciousness from working for personal sense gratification to working actively for Kṛṣṇa's pleasure.
- Unmotivated Love: A pure devotee does not approach God with demands for daily bread, wealth, or followers. True bhakti means offering causeless, unalloyed love and service to Kṛṣṇa, birth after birth.
- Pleasing the Lord as the Ultimate Test: The sole business of a bhakta is to determine whether Krsna is pleased by their actions. Doing whatever is favorable to Kṛṣṇa, even if it contradicts personal preferences, constitutes pure devotional service.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Service Without Self-Interest - That Is Bhakti.
Pages in category "That Is Bhakti - Devotional Service to God"
The following 74 pages are in this category, out of 74 total.
1
A
- Arjuna's desire was not to fight, but Krsna's desire was to fight - just the opposite. Arjuna ultimately agreed to Krsna's desire: "Yes," karisye vacanam tava (BG 18.73): "Yes, I will act according to Your desire." That is bhakti
- As we are active in the karma, karmi life, so bhakti life is also activity. It is not sitting down idly or gossiping. One must find out some job to serve Krsna. That is bhakti life
- At the present moment we are jiva-bhutah. We are thinking that I am this body, but when you come to the platform that I am Brahman, I am part and parcel of Krsna, or God, then my duty changes. That is called bhakti
B
- Bhakti does not mean stop your work. Bhakti does not mean sentimental fanaticism. That is not bhakti. Bhakti means to engage all your senses for the satisfaction of the proprietor of the senses. That is called bhakti
- Bhakti is not applicable anywhere except in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is bhakti
- Bhakti means application of love. Bhaja sevaya. When you love you serve somebody. That is called bhakti
- Bhakti means the bhakta's only business is to understand whether Krsna is pleased by my activity. That is bhakta's business
- Bhakti means the business between Bhagavan and bhakta. That is bhakti. If there is no Bhagavan then where is bhakti
- Bhakti means the platform where only liberated person can act. That is bhakti platform
- Bhakti means three things: bhakta, Bhagavan, and the service. That is bhakti. They're individual
- Bhakti means to engage all your senses for the satisfaction of the proprietor of the senses. That is called bhakti
- Bhakti means when you engage your senses for the service of the master of the senses, Hrsikesa. That is called is bhakti. Bhakti is not sentiment
- By gradual process, to bring one to the platform of vasudeve pritir, that is bhakti. Pritir means love, how to love Vasudeva, Krsna. That is civilization - to bring one to the platform of loving Krsna
- By the order of Krsna, whatever you do, that is bhakti. Karmis cannot see
D
- Devotee means he can act anything and everything for the Lord. That is bhakti-yoga. But under the direction. Not whimsically
- Devotional life means renounced life. Vairagya-vidya, vairagya means renunciation. Anyone who has no more interest in materialistic way of life, that is bhakti-yoga
- Dharma is one. God is one. And you have to follow that one principle, how to approach Krsna. That is bhakti. So dharma is to approach Krsna, and the process is bhakti. And Krsna is the Supreme God
- Dhruva Maharaja worshiped Krsna with a motive. But after being perfect in devotional service he becomes without motive. When he saw actually Krsna, he said: "No, no, no. I don't want anything from You. I don't want any benediction." That is bhakti
H
- He (King Kamsa) was always in anxiety, wondering when Krsna would come to kill him. That kind of thinking will not help us. One should be thinking of Krsna in devotional love. That is bhakti. BG 1972 purports
- Hrsikesa-sevanam. Not hrsika-sevanam. Hrsika means senses. So when senses are used for sense gratification, that is maya. And when senses are used for the gratification of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. A very simple definition
I
- I am speaking to you; this is also kirtanam. And you are hearing; this is bhakti. Sravanam kirtanam, about Krsna. The chanting, dancing about Krsna, this is bhakti
- If you do business and you earn money and spend it for Krsna consciousness, that is also bhakti. That is also bhakti. Just like vivid example is Arjuna. Arjuna is a fighter, and by fighting, he became a devotee; not by chanting Hare Krsna
- In the Christian Bible there is, "Father, give us our daily bread." That is good - they are accepting the Supreme Father. But grown-up children should not ask from the father; rather, they should be prepared to serve the father. That is bhakti - devotion
- In the human form of life, one should understand that "Everything belongs to Krsna. So why I am hankering after satisfying my so-called body? Rather, I have got now the senses and the body. Let me serve Krsna." That is intelligence. That is bhakti
- It is the duty of the part and parcel of God to help Him enjoying. That is bhakti. Bhakti means anukulyena krsnanusilanam
J
- Jnanis want to become one with the Supreme or liberation, so it should be uncovered by the result of jnana and karma and fully devoid of any other desire. That is bhakti. So those who are bhaktas and desiring after liberation, they are not pure bhakta
- Just like in Christian Bible there is, "Father, give us our daily bread." That is good, they are accepting the Supreme Father. But grown-up children, they should not ask from the father, but they should be prepared to serve the father. That is bhakti
- Just simply to serve Krsna favorably, anukula, that is bhakti. So this bhakti is called avyabhicarini-bhakti: without any adulteration, without any mutilation; perfect bhakti
K
- Kamsa was always in anxiety, wondering when Krsna would come to kill him. That kind of thinking will not help us. One should be thinking of Krsna in devotional love. That is bhakti
- Krsna is asking me to tell lie. "Yes, I shall tell lie." That is bhakti. If I consider, "Oh, I never spoken lies in my life. How can I speak lie?" that is not bhakti. Because it is pratikula, against Krsna's desire. Common people cannot understand this
N
- Neither the Deity in the temple is stone, neither the spiritual master is ordinary human being, nor the Vaisnava belongs to any caste. This vision is perfect vision. When you come to this vision, that is bhakti
- Now the occupational duties have expanded, but it doesn't matter whether one is an engineer, a doctor or whatever. Simply try to serve Krsna by the results of work. That is bhakti
O
- One has to become anyabhilasita-sunyam - any desire, make it zero. Then what to do? I shall become dull and dumb? No. Anukulyena krsnanu-silanam (CC Madhya 19.167), you have to work favorably, as Krsna desires. That's it. That is wanted, that is bhakti
- One has to learn the science, how to see God. That is bhakti-yoga. One who is not in bhakti-yoga, he cannot see God, even God is present before him
- One should not be satisfied simply with knowing that one is Brahman. He must engage himself in the service of the Supreme Brahman; that is bhakti
- Our policy is not bhoga-tyaga. Our policy is satisfaction of Krsna. That is pure bhakti
S
- She (Kuntidevi) prays that her attraction be constantly drawn unto Krsna without being diverted to anything else. This is bhakti, pure devotional service, for as mentioned by Rupa Gosvami, devotional service should be unalloyed
- So this process, this changing of, transformation... To work for Krsna's sense gratification and to work for one's own sense gratification, this transformation change, this changing process, is called bhakti
T
- That is the test of bhakti: How much you have become disinterested with this material advancement. That is bhakti, advancement of bhakti
- The senses are not stopped, but when the gratification of the senses is directed towards Krsna, that is bhakti, and love. And when the sense gratification is directed towards personal self, that is lust. This is difference between lust and love
- The senses must have engagement. And how? That is in the service of the Lord. That is real activity. So bhakti is not that it is simply negation. There must be positive action. That is bhakti
- The smell is creation of God, or Krsna, punyo gandhah prthivyam ca. Therefore the smell should be used for Krsna's pleasure. This is bhakti, not for my pleasure. This is called tyaga. Tyaga means that actually it should be used for Krsna
- These boys, they are playing mrdangas, they are playing cymbals, dancing, every item is taken into account. Every item. Not that it is going futile. No. That is Krsna consciousness, that is bhakti-marga
- These Mayavadi philosophers, they think to stop activity is the highest perfection. No. Our philosophy is stop foolish activities and begin real activities. That is bhakti. Bhakti is not stopping activity
- This is bhakti definition. When one becomes freed from all designation. "I am American." This is designation. "I am Indian." This is designation. "I am brahmana." This is designation. "I am ksatriya." This is designation
- This is bhakti-marga, devotional service, to become very humble, meek, always pray to Krsna, "Kindly consider me as one of the particle of the dust of the lotus feet of Your Lordship," this very simple thing
- This is bhakti-marga, means simply to satisfy Krsna. That is bhakti-marga, no other desire, no other motive
- This Krsna consciousness movement is bhagavata-dharma, to teach throughout the whole world that God is great and we are small particle part and parcel of God, our duty is to serve God, that is bhakti
- This Krsna consciousness movement is so nice that one should forget that he's Indian or Hindu or Christian or American or Indian. Everything should unite as servant of Krsna. That is bhakti-marga
- To have a very beautiful, obedient wife. These (good family, high aristocratic family, or good follower, leader, minister) are the aspirations of material life. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu said: "I do not want all these things." This is bhakti life
- To render service to God, that is bhakti. We are rendering service to so many things. That is not bhakti
- To satisfy the senses of Krsna, not to satisfy my senses. That is bhakti. That is called prema, love for Krsna. - Ah, Krsna likes this. I must give Him this
- To understand yourself, that you are not this body, you are Brahman, and when you act factually in that Brahman stage, that is called bhakti
- To work for Krsna's sense gratification and to work for one's own sense gratification, this transformation change, this changing process, is called bhakti. Process is the same, simply account should be changed
W
- We have to learn how to forget to serve this material nature. That is bhakti-marga
- We have to see what is favorable to Krsna, not sense gratification, not favorable to me. Or to my country, or to my society. No self-interest. Only Krsna's interest. That is bhakti
- When I do not act for any material purpose, that means my sense activities are purified, and that is bhakti
- When there is not a tinge of karma and jnana, that is pure bhakti. That is Krsna's mission. So everything is there, direction is there. We can guide you, not according to our whims, but according to sastra
- When there is question of hearing, there must be speaking or chanting. So we are speaking and chanting about Krsna. That is bhakti. Simply always be engaged in hearing and chanting about Krsna. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh
- When this (material) consciousness is purified, tat-paratvena nirmalam . . . nirmalam means completely cleanse. That is the bhakti platform
- When you employ your senses in the service of the proprietor of the senses, that is called bhakti. That is called bhakti. So that is real yoga, bhakti-yoga. Otherwise artificially if you try, one or two may be successful but mostly they will fail
Y
- Yes, we are doing everything for Krsna, but whether by that thing Krsna is pleased, that is to be seen. That is bhakti. Otherwise, you cannot do without Krsna. That's a fact
- You can become a perfect devotee simply by service. There is no other method. Bhaktya mam abhijanati (BG 18.55). Bhakti means service, simply. That is bhakti
- You cannot enjoy Krsna, or God, for your sense gratification. That is not possible. He can use you for His sense gratification. That is bhakti-marga. The bhaktas, they never claim to be purusa. They are always subordinate
- You have to work according..., favorably, as Krsna desires. That's it. That is wanted, that is bhakti
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