Bhakti भक्ति

Bhakti भक्ति

Devotional Love for the Divine (Sanskrit)

Standard Definition:

Bhakti (भक्ति) is a love of deep spiritual devotion, often directed toward a higher power, the divine, or the universe.

Poetic Meaning:

A love that bows, a love that rises. It is the song of surrender, the dance of the heart reaching toward eternity.

Storytelling Etymology:

Derived from the Sanskrit Bhaj (भज्), meaning "to serve, to revere," Bhakti emerged in ancient Hindu scriptures as the highest form of love—one that dissolves the self in devotion to the divine. In the Bhakti movement, this love was seen as a path to enlightenment.

Cultural Context & Symbolism:

Bhakti is central to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, where it represents love expressed through prayer, song, and meditation. Saints and poets of the Bhakti movement saw it as the ultimate path to unity with the divine, transcending the physical world.

Poem:

I close my eyes, yet see You near,

A love that sings, too vast to hear.

No distance, no self, no time, no fear,

Bhakti, the love that makes all clear.

Reflection:

Bhakti reminds us that love is not just for people—it is the force that binds us to the infinite, the longing that leads us home.