"Bhakti begins in wonder, a sense of awe in the presence of God's beauteous creation. The sense of awe and wonder gradually develops into emotions of admiration, gratitude and reverence. Gripped with a sense of wonder, the devout man views with inexpressible delight the handywork of God in Nature and is filled with adoring reverence for its mighty author on whose commands the heavens and the earth poised in their respective orbits."
P. Thirugnanasambandhan in his "The Concept of Bhakti" published by the University of Madras, 1971, aptly sums up this divine feeling that arises from within one's heart, blooms and flowers to consume him in love for the divine, and compassion towards his creation.
He refers to Madhusudanasaraswathi from his text "Bhakti Rasyana" to define Bhakti.
The mind that becomes supple, flows like a stream into God. That state of mind thus attuned to God is bhakti.
He adds that Bhakti gradually rises from a state of sadhna or means on to sentiment and love.
He quotes Sri Rupagosvami in "tracing the development of Bhakti in the case of aspirants."
First arises faith; then follows attraction, and after that adoration. Adoration, leads to suppression of worldly desire; and the result is single-mindedness and satisfaction. Then grows attachment which results in ebullition of sentiment. After this love comes to play.
He brings to us the poet mystic and muni Naradar's description of devotion as one of "intense love towards God which is of the nature of nectar, putting a stop to all painful and unpleasant contingencies of life and the cycle of births and deaths."
P. Thirugnanasambandhan beautifully describes the journey of an aspirant on the path of Bhakti.
"Experience of pain and pleasure is a fundamental fact of human existence. Men who have acquired merits in their previous births come to feel dissatisfied and helpless in finding themselves tossed about amidst such unending alteration of pain and pleasure. Then there arises in him Sraddha or belief that there is a Moral Governor of the world who regulates the destinies of souls according to the immutable laws of karma. Gradually he ceases to perform prohibited acts and begins to perform more and more acts prescribed. Even the act that he performs he learns to do without attachment to the fruit which they may produce but in a spirit of dedication. This is the Karmayoga which ends in the purification of the mind."Hence it is of utmost importance that one does not shed his responsibility towards the family and society.
"The second stage begins with the adoption of certain sadhanas. Sadhu Seva or the worship of pious men is the first act of worship."
The teachers on the Siddha path point us to the worship the Siddhas, pious men who had evolved and attained the state of divinity.
"Companionship of the Sadhus will produce a transformation in one's attitude to things of the world. Next follows occasional contemplation alternated with worship. This is followed by Asakti or attachment to the attributes and greatness of God. The attachment may be induced either by the perception of Aisvarya of the majesty and lordliness of God or by the perception of Madhurya or the grace and beauty of God. These are followed by Puja Asakti or attachment to worship. In these forms of attachment the devotee is possessed with the sentiment of awe and wonder and stands at some distance from the Lord giving expression to his insignificance and sinfulness on the one hand and the majesty and holiness of the Lord on the other. The first is the contemplation of the Lord as power and the second the contemplation of the Lord as Love."
The Saints Appar, Sundarar, Jnanasambandhar and Manikkavacakar are perfect role models of these attachments in the forms of closer personal relationship Dasya Asakti (Service at the feet of Shiva), Sakhya Asakti (Friend), Vatsalya Asakti (A young child) and Kanta Asakti (Beloved) respectively.
"When the devotee completely identifies himself with his will (the will of the Divine), he loses his separate existence in the wider existence of the Lord. That state is called Tanmaya Asakti. This is the sprouting stage of divine love. This grows into the state of Parama Viraha Asakti (Lovers in separation). This culminates in the devotee's realization of Divine presence in himself as well as outside him and verily lives, moves and has his being in Him. This is the Parama Prema, the consumption of love, a state which can only be experienced and not described."
So what are the Sadhana required to pursue successfully this path of Bhakti? P. Thirugnanasambandhan refers to the "Adhyatma Ramayana".
Sri Rama addresses Sabari in "Adhyatma Ramayana" enumerating the sadhanas or means of devotion that ultimately lead to salvation.
- the company of the good
- conversation about the Lord's achievements
- recital of his virtues or Tanmai
- expounding the Lord's words
- constant and sincere worship of the preceptor
- virtuousness, self restraint, attachment to worship
- reciting of mantras
- adoration of bhaktas, awareness of divine immanence in everything
- consideration of the essence of God.
Though excellence of character and these efforts are forerunners to attain salvation, an important element is vital in achieving the destination. Having put in these efforts, one awaits eagerly for "the grace of the great ones or from the touch of divine compassion"
The Sivapurana extols four progressive means to achieve a high state in devotion, namely,
- the performance of ritual and pilgrimage to sacred places
- the worship of symbols which are reminders of the supreme
- meditation and contemplation
- realization of God's presence in everything
Although the highest worship is to not expect the fruits of the worship, the devotee is granted merits accordingly to the nature, extent and depth of worship.
- Rajasadhama for securing material wealth, and boons
- Rajasamadhyama for seeking fame
- Rajasottama for seeking prosperity and bhogas
- Sattvikadhama to expiate one's sins
- Sattvikamadhyama to remove the distress of others
- Sattvikottama is worship of God in utter humility.
How do we bring ourselves into a devotional mood then? There are several methods as outlined by Prahlada.
- Sravanam - listening to the glories of God
- Kirtanam - praising and chanting the glory of God
- Smaranam - constant reflection on the glory of God
- Padasevanam - resort to the feet of God
- Arcanam - offering fruits and flowers and chanting God's name
- Vandanam - offer obeisance to God
- Dasyam - service at the feet of God
- Sakhyam - friendship with God
- Atmanivedanam - self surrender
Bear in mind that these are not strict and fast rules nor are they exhaustive. Exceptions and miracles happen. Even the evil who exhibits hatred, jealousy, envy etc, is constantly thinking of God, figuring ways to sabotage the ways and means of the devotees of his.
As the whole world is animated, there is then no harm in worshiping idols. He created us and we create him. As P. Thirugnanasambandhan writes, "The South Indian mystic is very much aware of the iconic presence of God in the temples. For him the icon is a real and communicating presence of God and not merely a linga or pratika of God", I can vouch to this as I saw Supramania Swami watching without twitching the eye nor a limb, oblivious to the ritual of libation and all the movement that was going on at the samadhi sannadhi of his Guru Yogi Ramsuratkumar. He was immersed in deep contemplation and meditation with eyes wide open throughout the good one hour we sat there.
Are prayers then answered? P. Thirugnanasambandhan credits several instances.
"We have seen in the lives of Nayanmars and Alvars the God in the temple answering their prayers as vouchsafed in their songs on more than one occasion."
Thiruppanaalvar who was not permitted due to restrictions in the social framework of that period, prayed from a distance to Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam seeking to see him up close. Nandanar too stood outside the walls of Chidambaram desiring to see Lord Nataraja. The Lord in the temple in both places, bids the temple priests to usher the devotee in with all the ceremonial gaiety immediately.
Thiruppanaalvar experienced the bliss of Ranganatha and composed the "Amalan Adhipiraan" a poem describing the beauty from head to foot of Vishnu in ten verses and ultimately laid his life at the feet of the deity. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org)
The priests decide to put him through a fire ritual where Nandanar comes through it unscathed. "He emerges from the fire with a new holy body, with sacred ashes smeared all over and the holy thread. He is taken inside the temple by the priests. He worships Lord Nataraja, then disappears and unifies with Lord. Nandan's prayers to be with Lord Shiva are finally answered. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org)
P. Thirugnanasambandhan writes further that it was in temples that saints received gifts miraculously as a result of prayers, mentioning Saint Jnanasambandhar and Saint Sundarar, cymbals for the former and material wealth in the latter.
At Tirukkolakka Tiru Jnanasambandhar was given cymbals made of gold by Siva here. Since pure gold would not make any sound, the goddess Uma conferred the sound on the cymbals. (Source: http://www.arunachala-ramana.org)
When Sundarar went to Tiruppugalur he needed money. When he prayed for money Lord Shiva, the presiding deity in the temple, did not answer his prayers. Tired he was, both mentally and physically, slept in the temple front hall itself. But in a hurry, he made a pillow out of bricks that he found nearby. When he woke up, all the bricks under his head were gold bricks! (Source: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/teleportation-miracles-in-hindu-scriptures)
P. Thirugnanasambandhan writes,
"The experience of God that the devotees had in and through the icons they worshipped points to the fact that this kind of worship has sanctity and reality. The Arca is a symbol to remind men of the supreme spirit that God is. It does not exhaust God."He is quick to add that,
"But the mere formal worship of idols by a man who has no concern for the welfare of beings which are the seat of God is worthless!"
"The lives of Saint Jnanasambandhar and Appar who appealed to the God at Thiruvizhimizhalai and got monetary aid from him to relieve the local populace of hunger and starvation bear testimony to the saints concern for social well being."
P. Thirugnanasambandhan puts it beautifully giving us hope,
"It is Bhakti which gives the underdog that heart to face and brave the cruel rigors of fate shielded and protected by that powerful armament of soft love."
"A sadhaka is faced with setbacks in his chosen path of devotion on occasions when he feels dejected but always looks forward on such occasions optimistically to the goodwill of that reservoir of love, God. His pleadings do not fail and he finds the object of his adoration descending on his hrtpundarika, the temple where God himself longs to dwell, the secret meeting place of the soul of man and the soul of the universe."மோனா ஞான முழுதும் அளித்து
சிற்பரிப் பூரண சிவத்தைக் காண
நற்சிவ நிட்கள நாட்டமுந் தந்து
குருவுஞ் சீடனுங் கூடிக் கலந்து
இருவரும் ஒரு தனியிடந் தனிற் சேர்ந்து
தானந்தமாகித் தற்பர வெளியில்
ஆனந்த போத அறிவைக் கலந்து
ஈசனிைணயடியிருத்தி
மனத்தே நீயே நானாய்
நானே நீயாய்க்
காயா புரியைக் கனவெனவுணா்ந்து
எல்லாமுன் செயலென்ேற உணர
நல்லா உன்னருள் நாட்டந் தருவாய்
காரண குருவே கற்பகத் களிேற
வாரணமுகத்து வள்ளலே போற்றி