BHAKTI

Apart from all reading on Bhakti consult the narada bhakti sutras in translation even to get a grasp on it. Bhakti is internal and placing oneself upon a higher principle. There is no one who can fulfil your wants other than God. the acting Principle at all times. He manifests his grace in the form of friends and opportunities. Respect and with discretion and acknowledgement, act on. Bhakti is total surrender. It will be stress free. prabhakar


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Jai Guru Datta! Om Namahshivay! World is an intriguing manifestation of our collective knowledge, choices deeds. Trying to find God in the world before finding Him within us is like trying to pick out a clean instrument with dirty hands. Finding God within ourselves is Self Realization. Bhakti is a great way to do this according to Gita.
Bhakti is paramount without which Karma Yoga [self-less service] is harder to practice; Sri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa says "to get to the level of fully knowing that Devotion to the people is the Devotion to the Supreme, seeker must first develop Bhakti [love for God] who is ever present in every thing".
How does one know or love someone? by reading, listening, discussing, thinking and meditating about that someone and thats when we begin to develop a certain feeling in our hearts. Puranas [Divine History from the heart] are an expression around a story with respect to our getting a grasp of how a particular Divine manifestation came about. We are sort of the directors for depicting the puranic story with words, feelings expressions in full glory.
Through all such depictions, our collective knowledge about the God figure develops a certain sacred notion that upholds the best of all attributes with the noblest of emotions about Him, which when played out in our being as thoughts in meditation or as words in our narration, brings out tears of joy realization for that God Figure washing away our selfish little notions lifting us up to a higher vibration. The more joyous we feel, the closer we are to open our hearts to let His grace to flow.
In summary, how we develop Bhakti is meditating on Lord's stories step by step where we play the role of the Lord down to our noblest, kindest purest expression until we feel that "Satyam, Shivam Sundaram" in our being. In such ecstacy where we are so joyous, His grace will flow and miracles are simply byproducts further deepening our conviction.
With Bhakti, self-less service become easier which reduces thoughts. As Bhakti deepens, each puranic story finds a place in one's own evolution toward Self realization [for example, Churning of Milk Ocean is about Meditation to realize the Self] thus developing seeker's Jnana which provides a proper direction for thoughts; thus, quality thoughts [gentle pure] in a correct direction leads to the broader field of Truth where the thoughts stop consciousness expands - the beginning of Self Realization.
Sree Guru Datta!
ShivMallik