Group 3

 Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti

marga, is a spiritual path or
spiritual practice within Hinduism
focused on loving devotion
towards a personal god. It is one
of the paths in the spiritual
practices of Hindus, others being
Jnana yoga and Karma yoga. The
tradition has ancient roots.
 The Practice
 Practitioners of Bhakti yoga, known as
bhaktas, or loving devotees, express their
religious devotion through prayer, ritual, and
chanting. Their purpose is to develop feelings
of unconditional love and devotion.
 Bhaktiyoga has been called "love
for love's sake" and "union
through love and
devotion." Bhakti yoga, like any
other form of yoga, is a path to
self-realization, to having an
experience of oneness with
everything
 The Sanskrit word bhakti is derived
from the root bhaj, which means
"divide, share, partake, participate, to
belong to".] The word also means
"attachment, devotion to, fondness
for, homage, faith or love, worship,
piety to something as a spiritual,
religious principle or means of
salvation".[
 The term yoga literally means "union,
yoke", and in this context connotes a
path or practice for "salvation,
liberation"]. The yoga referred to here
is the "joining together, union" of
one's Atman (true self) with the
concept of Brahman (true Reality).
 According to Samrat Kumar, bhakti
yoga is an Indian tradition of "divine
love mysticism", a spiritual path
"synonymous for an intimate
understanding of oneness and
harmony of the eternal individual with
the Divine (the universal Being) and all
creatures, a constant
delight".] According to Yoga Journal,
yoga scholar David Frawley writes in
his book that bhakti yoga "consists of
concentrating one's mind, emotions,
and senses on the Divine."[
 Bhakti yoga is one of
three yoga taught in Bhagavad
Gita.[13] Bhakti yoga is,
according to Peter Bishop, a
devotee's loving devotion to a
personal god as the path for
spirituality.[
 Panchayatana puja is a
form of bhakti found in
the Smarta tradition
of Hinduism.[32] It
consists of the
simultaneous worship of
multiple
deities: Shiva, Vishnu, D
evi or Durga, Surya and
an Ishta Devata such
as Ganesha or Skanda o
r any personal god of
devotee's preference.
 The Śaivasiddhānta tradition favors
Bhakti yoga, emphasizing loving
devotion to Shiva.[37][38] Its theology
presents three universal realities:
the pashu (individual soul),
the pati (lord, Shiva), and
the pasha (soul's bondage) through
ignorance, karma and maya. The
tradition teaches ethical living,
service to the community and
through one's work, loving worship,
yoga practice and discipline,
continuous learning and self-
knowledge as means for liberating
the individual soul from bondage.
 Bhakti of goddess is another
significant tradition, one found
in Shaktism.[46] The theology of
oneness and unity of "the divine
Goddess and the devotee", their
eternal fearless love for each
other is a theme found in Devi
Gita, a text embedded inside
the Devi-Bhagavata Purana. The
specific Bhakti yoga practices
amongst Shakta are similar to
those in other traditions of
Hinduism.[47][48] The Shakta
devotion is common in eastern
states of India, particularly West
Bengal. The personal god here
varies, and includes Durga, Tara
Ma (Buddhist influence), Kali and
to a lesser
extent Saraswati, Lakshmi, Bharat
Mata (land goddess)
 The Bhakti yoga
tradition has been
historically most
associated with
Vaishnavism. The
personal god here is
Vishnu or one of
his avatars. In many
regions, the loving
devotion is either to
Vishnu-Lakshmi
(god-goddess)
together, or through
Lakshmi who is
considered as
the shakti of Vishnu.
 In the Krishna-
oriented traditions
of Vaishnavism,
the Chaitanya
Charitamrita by Kris
hnadasa
Kaviraja interprets
the section 7.5.23-
24 of Bhagavata
Purana to teach nine
types
of bhakti sadhana,
in the words
of Prahlada.
 (1) śravaṇa ("listening" to the scriptural
stories of Krishna and his companions),
(2) kīrtana ("praising"; usually refers to
ecstatic group singing),
(3) smaraṇa ("remembering" or fixing the
mind on Vishnu),
 (4) pāda-sevana (rendering service),
(5) arcana (worshiping an image),
(6) vandana (paying homage),
(7) dāsya (servitude),
 (8) sākhya (friendship), and
 (9) ātma-nivedana (complete surrender of
the self).