Thread by @mayamadhava

9 modes of #Devotion

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ: smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā
(Srimad Bhagavatham 7.5.23-24) #Thread
@ShefVaidya @anuradhagoyal @Sai_swaroopa @vikramsampath 1/22

Nine types of #Bhakti are
1. Shravana
2. Keerthana
3. Smarana
4. Paada sevana
5. Archana
6. Vandana
7. Daasya
8. Sakhya &
9. Aatmanivedana.

Thus, a person can follow any of the given nine types of Bhakthi and can attain #Enlightenment. 2/22

1. #Shravanam: It means ‘to listen’. A devotee can demonstrate shravanam by listening to the Bhagawan’s qualities & stories related to his divine nature and form. Also, this is the easiest type of Bhakthi any devotee can practice. All it takes is for one to listen. 3/22

Unlike the other senses like the eyes or mouth, the ears are always open to listen. Additionally, the best Dharma in this world is to hear Bhagawan’s glories through which one can attain salvation. 4/22

As per Bhagavata purana, Parikshit was cursed to die within a week. He chose to spend the week by listening to the glories of Sri Krishna narrated by Sage Shuka. Thus, Shravanam helped king Parikshit to attain Moksha. 5/22

2. #Keerthanam: It's singing of Krishna’s glories. By singing his praises, devotee loses himself & becomes one with Divine. Singing makes some become extremely peaceful while others start dancing in ecstacy. Thus they see Sri Krishna within them & feel pure at heart. 6/22

Sage #Narada exemplifies Keerthana as he chants the praises of Shriman Narayana all throughout. Playing his divine veena ‘Mahathi’, he roams the worlds singing the praise of Bhagawan. Sri #Thyagaraja Bhagavatha Swamy is another example we can think of in this category. 7/22

3. #Smaranam: It is the remembrance of Shri Krishna at all times. To practice this, the mind must be totally engrossed in thinking of the Bhagawan alone. The focus should be such that one forgets the earthly pleasures & sorrows & concentrate on the divine form of Krishna. 8/22

Meditation/ Yoga can help one in practicing Smaranam.

Bhaktha Prahalada, though his father put him through several difficulties, he always remembered Shriman Narayana unwaveringly. In the end, Bhagawan manifested as Narasimha, destroyed Hiranyakashipu & protected him. 9/22

4. #Paada_Sevanam: It is serving at Bhagawan’s feet. Though it's not practically possible to serve Bhagawan in this realm, Padasevana can be done at temples & to the moorthy of Bhagawan. Service to the poor & needy can also be construed as service at the feet of Bhagawan. 10/22

No one does Padasevanam better than Goddess #Mahalakshmi, the supreme consort of Bhagawan Vishnu. Thus, Goddess Lakshmi offers the most supreme service to Shriman Narayana by offering obeisance at his feet. 11/22
@iamkamyabuch @VertigoWarrior @suresham_

5. #Archanam: It is worship of bhagawan thro' physical means through rituals & holy objects such as #Thulasi & flowers. One can also do Archanam thro' mind (manasika Archanam). A devotee visits various temples & offer prayers while performing various pujas. 12/22

King Prithu is considered the pioneer of this type of Bhakthi. Acc. to SBP, King Prithu was born in the lineage of Dhruva, the boy who was blessed by Maha Vishnu. He is famed for extracting all the riches from the Earth & hence Earth came to be known as Prithvi henceforth. 13/22

King Prithu demonstrated Angaarchana which was submitting each of his sense organs in worshipping the Supreme. 14/22

6. #Vandanam: It is prayer & prostration. Performing saashtaanga namaskaram towards Bhagawan with 8 parts of the body touching the ground . Vandanam with faith & total surrender helps the soul to be free of ego & makes it easy to attain the supreme. 15/22

#Akrura, the minister in the kingdom of Kamsa is a proponent of this type of Bhakthi. When he reached #Brindavana he saw the Shri Krishna’s footprints, he immediately jumped down from his chariot and saluted the sacred soil to get the blessings for Shri Krishna. 16/22 @keshav61

7. Daasyam: #Daasya_Bhakti is to reach God by being his humble servant. Since, Shriman Narayana is the supreme master, serving him without expecting anything in return is considered the ultimate surrender. It's called #shesha_sheshi bhava (servant-master relationship). 17/22

Shri Hanuman is a supreme example of daasya bhakthi. He had the privilege of serving the Lord wholeheartedly. 18/22

@GopalanVs2 @vanitajain21 @VandanaJayrajan @UshaNirmala

8. #Sakhyam: It is to establish a friendship-like feeling with bhagawan. Treating God as a friend makes him one among us. Also, it makes it easier to reach out to him without the overwhelming fear of his enormity, greatness & supremacy. 19/22

All earthly chores become mundane when we answer his call & we develop an unbreakable bond with him. There is no fear or guilt, but only endless affection in this relationship.

#Arjuna is a classic example of a devotee who showed Sakhya Bhava towards Shri Krishna. 20/22

9. #Atma_Nivedanam: It is self-surrender. It happens when the devotee offers his body & soul to the God. All other worldly pleasures & sorrows don’t matter anymore. One who has offered himself completely to God has no need to fear & will be completely under his protection. 21/22

King #Mahabali is the perfect example of Aatmanivedanam. When Naryana took the incarnation of #Vamana/ #Trivikrama and measured all the worlds with his two steps, King Bali offered himself as the measure for the third step thus performing Aatmanivedanam. 22/22