Bhakti-bhāva 2: Uttama-bhakti Part 1
Channel: Consciousness Research Centre
Date: 19/07/2017

This series is classified Viśiṣṭādvaita-vāda | Bhakti-yoga | Svapna | Anāhata-cakra

anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ karmā-jñāṇādy-anāvṛtam |
ānukūlyena ātmānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā ||

“One must be completely devoid of other desires, one’s real nature uncovered by practice of the four yogas, and constantly cultivate service favorable to the Self: this is pure, unexcelled Bhakti.”

Symptoms of Uttama-bhakti:
 • Svarūpa-lakṣaṇa: intrinsic characteristics
     • “Constantly cultivate service favorable to the Self: this is pure, unexcelled Bhakti.”
     • Postive actions (to be done): yama. 
 • Taṭāstha-lakṣaṇa: extrinsic characteristics
     • “One must be competely devoid of other desires, one’s real nature uncovered by practice of the four yogas”
     • Negative actions (not to be done): niyama.
 • Anuśīlanaṁ: constant cultivation
     • Activity and sentiment; action and emotion
        • Action: bhakti-sādhana
     • Emotion: bhakti-anubhāva
        • Sāttvika-bhāva: ecstatic symptoms
        • Spontaneous ecstasy: permanent (sthāyī-bhāva) and transitory (anubhāva)
 • Ānukūlyena: service performed completely free of any attitude that is unfavorable or hostile to the Self. 
     • Corollaries:
        • Activity that is externally pleasing or favorable to the Self but done without devotion is not Bhakti. 
        • Activity that is extrinsically hostile or unfavorable to the Self but is done with devotion is Bhakti. 

Uttama-bhakti gives spontaneous loving ecstasy (vyābhicārī-bhāva)—reciprocation from the Self! Uttama-bhakti is the ocean of complete bliss. Uttama-bhakti is without any offenses. Uttama-bhakti gives complete enlightenment when it matures into rāja- and jñāṇa-yoga. Uttama-bhakti leads to full surrender to the Self, nirvikalpa- and savikalpa-samādhi.

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