Devoted research into ones true nature; knowledge of the Self; devotion to and love of the Whole Bhakti is the highest form of devotion because it unfolds the awareness that the devotee and the object of devotion are forever one
Deep personal devotion to one's chosen god, a form of Hindu worship which arose in the early centuries AD as a response to Buddhism and in reaction against Brahmanic ritual The Bhagavad Gita is a culminating expression of this ideal Bhakti can be directed towards any god or goddess, but has been a particularly distinctive feature of the worship of Krishna since medieval times, and continuing on into the modern period
the spirit's expression of devotion to God that manifests physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually
(Hinduism) loving devotion to a deity leading to salvation and Nirvana; open to all persons independent of caste or sex
Southern Asian devotional movement, particularly in Hinduism, emphasizing the love of a devotee for his or her personal god. In contrast to Advaita, bhakti assumes a dualistic relationship between devotee and deity. Though Vishnu, Shiva, and Shakti (see shakti) all have cults, bhakti characteristically developed around Vishnu's incarnations as Rama and Krishna. Practices include reciting the god's name, singing hymns, wearing his emblem, and making pilgrimages. The fervour of South Indian hymnists in the 7th-10th centuries spread bhakti and inspired much poetry and art. Poets such as Mirabai conceived of the relationship between the worshiper and the god in familiar human terms (e.g., the lover and beloved), while more abstract poets such as Kabir and his disciple Nanak, the first Sikh Guru and founder of Sikhism, portrayed the divinity as singular and ineffable