Bhakti

It is funny as someone who was raised in the West, I have always thought of Bhakti with a negative association. Advaita appeals to my Western, Englightenment-infused philosophical bent. But likely due to my childhood samskaras I orient towards Bhakti in a more natural way.

The nine forms of devotion (Navadha Bhakti) are and the practices associated with them:

• śravaṇa: Hearing
  • Stories, scriptures, and teachings.
• kīrtana: Chanting/singing
  • Japa, mantras, prayers
• smaraṇa: Remembering
  • Meditation
• pāda-sevana: Serving the Feet
  • Serving the community.
• archana : Worship
  • Worship at home or in the temple.
  • Making the home itself a temple.
• vandana: Prostration/Offering Obeisance
  • Prayers
• dāsya: Servitude
  • Selfless work
• sākhyatva: Friendship
  • Prayer in the form of conversation
• ātma-nivedana: Self-surrender

What is interesting in the context of Bhakti is that I also find the Desert Fathers of Christianity and the Sufis of Islam to be very similar in their approach to devotion and there is much to learn from them.