bhakti

Bhakti is a Sanskrit term meaning devotion, love, or attachment. In Hinduism, it denotes a spiritual path, bhakti yoga, oriented toward a personal deity or divine principle. Devotion is expressed as a loving relationship with the divine, rather than ritualism or mere intellect. Practices commonly associated with bhakti include kirtan (devotional singing), bhajan, japa (repetition of a name or mantra), puja (worship), darshan (seeing the deity), and seva (selfless service). Bhakti can be directed to Vishnu or Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Devi, or to the formless God, depending on tradition.

Historically, bhakti developed into a major religious and literary movement in medieval India. It drew from earlier devotional traditions and produced extensive vernacular poetry and song. The Bhakti movement spread across many regions between roughly the 7th and 17th centuries, with regional saints and theologians such as the Alvars and Nayanars in the South, Ramanuja and Madhva in the North, and later figures like Kabir, Ravidas, Mirabai, Namdev, and Tukaram. The movement often challenged ritual exclusivity and caste barriers, emphasizing accessible devotion and a direct relationship with the divine.

In Sikhism, bhakti is central through Naam meditation and communal worship, while in Hinduism it exists in multiple streams, including nirguna (devotion to a formless God) and saguna (devotion to a personal deity). Philosophically, bhakti is discussed within various schools: for some Vaishnava traditions it is the primary means of salvation; in Advaita Vedanta it can accompany knowledge but is not the final goal.

Bhakti remains an enduring facet of Indian religious life, shaping poetry, liturgy, and social practice.