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Bhakti yoga (Sanskrit: भक्ति योग), also called Bhakti marga (भक्ति मार्ग, literally the path of bhakti), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity.[1][2] It is one of the three classical paths in Hinduism which lead to moksha, the other paths being jnana yoga and karma yoga.
The tradition has ancient roots. Bhakti is mentioned in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad where it simply means participation, devotion and love for any endeavor.[3][4] Bhakti yoga as one of three spiritual paths for salvation is discussed in depth by the Bhagavad Gita.[5][6][7]
The personal god varies with the devotee.[8][9] It may include a god or goddess such as Krishna, Radha, Rama, Sita, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, Parvati, Durga, and Surya among others.
The bhakti marga involving these deities grew with the bhakti movement, starting about the mid-1st millennium CE, from Tamil Nadu in South India. The movement was led by the Saiva Nayanars[10] and the Vaisnava Alvars. Their ideas and practices inspired bhakti poetry and devotion throughout India over the 12th-18th century CE.[11][10] Bhakti marga is a part of the religious practice in Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism.[12][13][14]
- ^ Karen Pechelis (2014), The Embodiment of Bhakti, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195351903, pages 19-24
- ^ Cutler, Norman (1987). Songs of Experience. Indiana University Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-0-253-35334-4.
- ^ Paul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120814684, page 326
- ^ Max Muller, Shvetashvatara Upanishad, The Upanishads, Part II, Oxford University Press, page 267
- ^ John Lochtefeld (2014), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Rosen Publishing New York, ISBN 978-0823922871, pages 98-100, also see articles on bhaktimārga and jnanamārga
- ^ Klostermaier, Klaus (1989). A survey of Hinduism. SUNY Press. pp. 210–212. ISBN 978-0-88706-807-2.
- ^ Karen Pechelis (2014), The Embodiment of Bhakti, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195351903, pages 14-15, 37-38
- ^ Bhakti, Encyclopedia Britannica (2009)
- ^ Karen Pechelis (2011), Bhakti Traditions, in The Continuum Companion to Hindu Studies (Editors: Jessica Frazier, Gavin Flood), Bloomsbury, ISBN 978-0826499660, pages 107-121
- ^ a b Embree, Ainslie Thomas; Stephen N. Hay; William Theodore De Bary (1988). Sources of Indian Tradition. Columbia University Press. p. 342. ISBN 978-0-231-06651-8.
- ^ Flood, Gavin (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press. pp. 131. ISBN 978-0-521-43878-0.
- ^ Rinehart, Robin (2004). Contemporary Hinduism: ritual, culture, and practice. ABC-CLIO. pp. 45, 51. ISBN 978-1-57607-905-8.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Brannigan2010p18was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Samrat S Kumar (2010). Bhakti – The Yoga of Love: Trans-Rational Approaches to Peace Studies. LIT Verlag Münster. pp. 35–37 with footnotes. ISBN 978-3-643-50130-1.