RG ST 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Vyasa, Puranas, Theism
Document Summary
Mainly for devotional worship directed to one supreme deity, usually shiva, vishnu or krishna, or devi. Offerings can be made to gods to show devotion. Bhakti is described according to moods & emotions of the devotee. These moods (bhava) & emotions (rasa) based on human relationships such as: Parent to child (parental love & concern) Lover to beloved (all 3+ passionate love) The young women feel intimacy with god along with senses of union and joy. When passionate love is stressed, bhaki contrasts with the ideals of renunciation, detachment, Like the upanishads, bhakti movements are concerned with moksha, but employ less extreme austerity (tapas) practices. Trend towards conceiving absolute in personal terms develops in bhagavad-gita (c. 2nd century. Most widely read scripture in hindu tradition. Read, studied, chanted, consulted, and cited by hindus of all backgrounds. Gita teaches devotion to god as a means to liberation (moksha)
