[Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** Re: Bhakti vs Jnaanam

[Srinath Vedagarbha]

Namaste,

On Wed, Jul 29, 2020 at 11:25 PM Kuntimaddi Sadananda via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

>
> The reason is Bhakti is an essential ingredient for both karma yoga and
> jnana yoga. Shankara defines Bhakti in the Vivekacudamani.
> moksha kaarana saamaagryaam bhaktireva gareeyasi, sva svaruupaanu
> sandhaanaam bhaktirityabhideeyate.
>
>
Dvaitin's definition of bhakti is quite different just FYI;

Srimad Anandatirtha defines bhakti thus: mAhAtmyaj~nAnapUrvakastu sadR^iDho
snehaH bhaktiriti prochyate:
That firm affection for the Lord, arising out of a full knowledge of His
Majesty, is Bhakti.

Here is an attempt to understand the term 'bhakti' from upanishats. For
this we go to the last shlOka in shwEtAshwatara-upanishat.

"yasya dEvE parA bhaktihi yathA dEvE tathA gurou |
tasyithE kathithA hyarthAha prakAshantE mahAtmanaha
prakAshantE mahAtmanaha ||

(It is that great man ( mahAtma) who has supreme devotion ( parA bhakti) to
dEva and also to Guru just as he has devotion to Deva (yathA dEvE)
to whom all these things that are expounded ( tasya etE kathithA )
become known ( arthAha prakAshantE).

Thus, the Highest Guru and the Highest Deva or Parabrahman is One. In this
spirit for Dvaitins,  Bhagavan Vyasa is both Highest Guru (of vedAnta) and
also highest dEva (as He is avatara of Vishnu per vyAsAya vishNu rupAya...
of VSN).

/sv