NAVA VIDHA BHAKTI.
NAVA VIDHA BHAKTI.
There are nine different form of loving God – namely the nine forms of Bhakti.
They vary depending on which of our ‘Indriams’ we employ in doing Bhakti.
The first form of the ‘nava vidha bhakti’ is ‘Sravanam’ or listening to the glories of our dear Lord. King Pareekshit attained mukthi by his sravnam of BhAgavata MahA purAnam sung by Suka muni in just seven days.
The second form of bhakti is ‘Keerthanam’ or singing the Lord’s glory.
Suka muni sang the glory of Lord in BhAgavadam and everyone who listened to it benefited immensely.
The third form of bhakthi is ‘Smaranam’ the continual remembrance of God’s names and form. Bhakta PrahlAd is the best example for this form of Bhakti. In spite of the dire threats and cruel punishments imposed on him by his father, he never failed to utter the name of Sri Hari even for a second!
The fourth form of bhakti is ‘pAda sEvA’ . Lakshmi Devi is the most blessed in this form of bhakti as She is continuously doing pAda SEvA to Lord Vishnu.
The fifth form of bhakti is ‘Archanai’ to God with pure and fresh flowers. Pruthu maharAj was famous for doing Archanai to his dear Lord.
The sixth form is ‘Vandanam’ or do saAshtAnga namaskAram. AkrUrar got Lord’s blessings by doing Vanadanam.
The seventh form of bhakti is ‘DAsyam’ – to be a humble servant of the Lord. None can beat HanumAn in his spirit of DAsyam and the services rendered to Lord.
The eighth form of bhakti is ‘Sakhyam’ or friendship with Lord – based on equality with Him. PandavAs and especially ArjunA is the most famous for Sakhya bAvam to Lord.
The ninth form of bhakti is ‘Atma nivEdhanam’ or total surrender to the Lord’s lotus feet. MahA Bali became the best example for this kind of Bakti, by offering to God everything he possessed including his bloated ego!