THE SCIENCE OF DEVOTION (भक्तिः)
– Shree Basudeba Mishra Sharma
Devotion – BHAKTI (भक्तिः) is a commitment or dedication to some purpose. It is expressed as love, loyalty or enthusiasm for a person or activity. These traits arise out of our emotion, which is related to our mental faculty (चित्तवृत्ति) delimited by levels. The word Bhakti has come from the root Bhaj (भज्यते इति, भज् + क्तिन्) which has two meanings: service (भ॒जँ॑ से॒वाया॑म्) and separation (भजँ वि॒श्राण॑ने). Thus, it implies link between two (उभयेन भज्यते). Hence Narada says: it is always directed towards another – सा तु परप्रेम रूपा (some books write सा त्वस्मिन परमप्रेम रूपा, or its variants, which is wrong, as it does not make grammatical sense). There is no Adwaita – unification in Bhakti. It is always Dwaita – dualistic – affection or attachment of someone for someone else. The different levels manifests itself as devotion for God (ईश्वरभक्ति), father (पितृभक्तिः), mother (मातृभक्तिः), ruler (राजभक्तिः), provider (प्रभुभक्तिः), Nation (देशभक्तिः), etc., but never for self (आत्मभक्तिः). Of these the first one is said to be Supreme (परानुरक्ति ईश्वरे). Since it is a mental faculty, it is necessary to understand the science of attachment, before discussing the science of devotion.
Devotion is due to attachment to another. But how do people get attached to others? What is the science of attraction? People get attached due to four reasons:
a) By virtue of habit (अभ्यासात्). If we regularly come in contact with or do something, we fall in love with it. Food cooked by mother is the best.
b) By virtue of affinity (अभिमानात्). When we consider someone as “our own”, we love such a person.
c) By virtue of recollection (प्रत्यभिज्ञात्). When we find some long lost person suddenly, we develop a tendency of attraction towards such person.
d) By virtue of harmonious interaction (आत्मेन्द्रियार्थ सन्निकर्षात्). When we see, hear, taste, smell or touch something that appeals to our memory and senses, we are attracted towards it.
When we perceive something which harmonizes favorably with our memory, it generates an inertia (संस्कार) drawing from related experiences, which continues thereafter till it is destroyed by pain (कष्ट), getting the object of desire (प्राप्ति) or knowing everything about the object of desire (ज्ञानम्). Continued attachment for something is called affection (अनुराग, अनुरक्ति or प्रेम). When the attachment is for someone held in high esteem, it is called devotion (भक्ति). If the attachment is for someone held lower in order, it is called fondness (वात्सल्य). If the attachment is for someone considered equal, it is called friendship (मैत्री). All these are the attachment of one conscious being towards another conscious being. If such attachment is for some inert object including male/female body or gold, money, wine, etc., it is called lust (काम). If all these four types of continued attachments are concentrated in one place, it is called love (रति).
Love (रति) is possible only in two cases: with God or with own spouse. For this reason, Naarada describes love as immutable (अमृतरूपा च). He goes on to declare that those who are in love do not have any desire for anything else: they are free from grief or hatred; they do not rejoice over or do they exert themselves for anything. (यत्प्राप्य न किञ्चिद्वाञ्छति, न शोचति, न द्वेष्टि, न रमते, नोत्साही भवति). Anything that has a physical form is mutable. Love being a mental construct, is unphysical – hence not mutable. Relation with other male/female does not fulfill the above criteria as neither all four conditions for love are satisfied nor the symptoms described by Naarada are seen in them – hence it is lust for the inert body only (जाराणामिव – according to Naarada – सूत्र 23). Further, Naarada adds; the primary devotee follows only one (भक्ता एकान्तिनो मुख्याः – 67 ibid). Hence Bhartrhhari (भर्तृहरि) says: choose any one God and between having one wife or no wife (एको देवो केशवो वा शिवो वा. एका नारी सुन्दरी वा दरी वा). Amaruka (अमरुक) also says the same thing (कोऽयं काहमिति प्रवृतसूरता जानाति या नान्तरम् । रन्तु सा रमणी स एव रमणः शेषौ तु जाया पति). Jayadeva and Ramakrishna exemplified this when they saw God in their respective wives. Since love – being creative and anti-destructive – encompasses synchronization with natural principles to harmonize with Natural principles (धर्म) and leads to liberation from worldly bondage (मोक्ष) through taking mind away from other subjects, it combines two essential goals of all living beings (पुरुषार्थ) described in scriptures.
All interactions involve two components. The interaction could by initiated from both sides (कर्म-कर्म सम्बन्ध) or by one side, where the other is passive (ब्रह्म-कर्म सम्बन्ध). The former can be of five types:
i) Exclusion like the Pauli’s exclusion principle (स्थानावरोध). Here, two interacting partners occupy their own space and do not allow the other to invade its space. One example of this is the modern tendency of feminism with the emphasis on bodily sovereignty of each – specially the female.
ii) Coexistence like the bosonic interaction (सामञ्जस्य). Here both coexist in the same place while maintain their individuality. The live-in relationship fall in this category.
iii) Self-destructive interaction (एकभाव्य). Here the two interact in such a way that both their characteristics are destroyed and a new characteristic comes up, like hydrogen and oxygen joining to form water. These can be separated through chemical processes. Homosexuality falls in this category where gender identity is neutralized.
iv) Total Unification (एकात्म्य). A permanent union, which is not separable except natural processes. The confinement of up quarks and down quarks are examples of this. Hindu and Christian marriages that terminate with death is one example.
v) Unilateral unification (भक्ति). When we hold an object and move, the force acts in downward direction whereas displacement acts in the forward direction. It is because the motion of our body is transferred to the object, which is separate from us and we transfer our motion to it. The attraction of negative charge to come up to positive charge is one example. Positive charge radiates out in all directions. Negative charge gravitates towards it and tries to confine it and merge with it (electron capture is one example). This property, aided by the neutrinos leads to formation of neutrons, which is virtually an electron confined by a proton. Similarly, the devotees are attracted by their God and try to be like Him or merge with Him.
This last interaction, where one tries to unite with the other by imitating its traits, is called devotion (BHAKTI – भज्यते इति। भजँ वि॒श्राण॑ने+क्तिन्।, वि॒श्राण॑नम् = वि+श्रणँ (म्) गतौ॑ दा॒ने च॑+णिच्+ल्युट्। दानम्। विभागः। गौणवृत्ति।). God or the Country etc., are non-interacting – at least, belief apart, no one has seen such interaction. How can devotion to God or the Country be initiated from both sides (कर्म-कर्म सम्बन्ध)? The answer is, through superposition (अध्यास). If we put a red flower near a crystal, the crystal appears to acquire the color and look red, though physically there is no change in it. Similarly, when one believes in the Almighty Creator, His attributes charm us. We are dragged by that Charm (अनुमोदनमीशस्य पूजायां भक्तिरूच्यते। पूजोपकरणश्रद्धा चापि भक्तिरुदीयते।). This leads to the characteristics of mutual interaction. We have seen such effect in mirror neurons that fires both when one acts and when the same person observes the same action performed by others. It “mirrors” the behavior of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. God is the analog totality. Individuals are the digitized version of that totality (समष्टिरीशः सर्वेषां स्वात्मतादात्म्यवेदनात्। तदभावात्ततोऽन्ये तु कथ्यन्ते व्यष्टिसंज्ञया।).
Since devotion is unilateral attempt for unification, we will discuss the interaction initiated by one, where the other is passive (ब्रह्म-कर्म सम्बन्ध). All interactions require a field. The field contains energy, but the field is not the same as energy. In Bhakti, one attracts the other while remaining in its position. But if one remains totally passive – like the Observer (PURUSHA – द्रष्टा पुरुष), while the other has a field day like the Observed (PRAKRITI – दृश्य प्रकृति), it becomes a totally different interaction. Something similar happened at the big bang. In such interactions, there cannot be exclusion of one by the other. They coexist. There cannot be any rule for unitary interaction. However, when different forces interact on one point, it leads to confinement of various scales (चिति). This leads to structure formation (चयन). This explains the difference between interactions of quarks (आदानविसर्गौ) and those between atoms (सङ्कोचविकाशौ).
Such interactions are primarily of two types: operational interaction (वृतित्वसंसर्ग) based on energy content (शक्त्याश्रयत्व) and formal interaction (स्वरूपसंसर्ग). The former leads to structure formation, while the later has divisions. These can explain various cosmic phenomena. Devotion appears in the second division: formal interaction (स्वरूपसंसर्ग), because, here our attention (hence actions) is directed in one direction. For this reason, it is related to changes in form. It has three sub-divisions.
When there is a difference in form (magnitude of mass and charge like the up quark and the down quark – अग्निर्जागार तमृचः कामयन्तेऽग्निर्जागार तमु सामानि यन्ति। अग्निर्जागारतमयं सोम आह तवाहमस्मि सख्ये न्योकाः – ऋग्वेदः 5-44-15) and the interaction leads to dominance of one by the other, the interaction is called confinement (बन्धसम्बन्ध). In devotion, it is called SAALOKYA (सालोक्य). When both combine to create a new substance (like protons or neutrons) while retaining their originality, the interaction is called coupling (योगसम्बन्ध). In devotion, it is called SAAJUJYA (सायुज्य). When both combine to create a new substance (like molecules) while surrendering their originality, the interaction is called chemical interaction (विभूतिसम्बन्ध). In devotion, it is called SAARUPYA (सारूप्य).
There are nine forms of devotion. These are:
Shravanam (श्रवणम्) – Hearing the names and glories of the Lord
Keertanam (कीर्त्तनम्) – Chanting His glories
Smaranam (स्मरणम्) – Remembering the Lord
Paada sevanam (पादसेवनम्) – Serving the Lord’s feet
Archanam (अर्चनम्) – Worshiping the Lord
Vandanam (वन्दनम्) – Offering obeisance unto the Lord
Daasyam – (दास्यम्) Serving the Lord as His servant
Sakhyam – (सख्यम्) Developing friendship with the Lord
Aatma Nivedanam (आत्मनिवेदनम्) – Total surrender of oneself to the Lord
