What is bhakti?
Bhakti is selfless love for God and complete surrender to him, described in the Gita and the Bhagavatam as the simplest and highest path.
Answer
The word "bhakti" comes from the Sanskrit root "bhaj", which means to serve, to love and to share in. Bhakti means loving God without any selfish motive and dedicating one's life to him.
In the Gita, Shri Krishna says that he accepts even a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water offered with love, and in chapter 12 he describes the qualities of a devotee dear to him: free from hatred, friendly to all, compassionate, steady in joy and sorrow, and forgiving.
In the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the devotee Prahlada describes navadha bhakti, the nine forms of devotion: hearing about the Lord, singing his glories, remembering him, serving his feet, worshipping him, offering prayers, serving him as a servant, loving him as a friend, and surrendering oneself completely. Any one of these, followed with a sincere heart, leads to the Lord.
Bhakti has no conditions of birth, wealth, learning or age. The lives of Mirabai, Surdas, Narsinh Mehta and many other saints show that sincere love is what the Lord values most.
- Source
- Bhagavad Gita 9.26 and ch. 12; Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7