The Five Attitudes of Bhakti

Five Attitudes of Bhakti Yoga

The technique in Bhakti Yoga of integrating the sentiments and emotions towards cultivating one’s relationship with God takes the form of five “attitudes.”

1. Shantabhava—The Peaceful Attitude. You love God in the quietness and serenity of your mind without any distinct outward expression. Bhishma in the Mahabharata symbolizes this form of worship.

2. Dasyabhava—The Attitude of Being a Servant of God. You feel God is the Master and you His servant. “It is His Will that operates through me.” Not only are you gradually advancing in the perception of Love for God, but you are also becoming more selfless in the expression of your love.

First, your attitude is indistinct as in Shantabhava. Then your attitude becomes a distinct expression—a feeling that you are a servant and God is the Master. Therefore, a great sense of security arises within the Devotee because the Master carries the burden of all the responsibility, while the servant merely does the Master’s bidding. Remember that this concept is different from the ordinary concept of slavery and servitude. To be a servant of God is a powerful means of surrendering to God’s will.

3. Vatsalyabhava—The Attitude of a Motherly Love towards God. This stage of devotion is the tender, selfless devotion to God, like a mother’s love for her child. A mother does not have to force herself to love her child, and she does not ask for anything in return. Rather, there is the joy of loving the child unconditionally, without any expectations. Similarly, you love God as though He were your child. Instead of asking something from God, you simply love Him. God becomes completely encompassed by your loving consciousness. This is represented beautifully in the form of Mother Mary’s love for baby Jesus or Yashoda’s love for baby Krishna.

4. Sakhyabhava—Cultivating a Friendly Attitude towards God. As you advance spiritually, you discover that God is your close friend and companion. You can have a friendly chat with Him, you can command Him to do certain things for you, or even scold him because of an internal conviction that you and God are inseparable friends. This is depicted in the Bhagavad Gita where Krishna and Arjuna were friends. Krishna was the Divine Self and Arjuna had developed a friendly attitude towards Him. This is an advanced level of devotion.

5. Madhuryabhava—The Attitude of a Lover towards his Beloved. This literally means, “The Sweet Attitude,” and is the highest form of devotion. God becomes the Supreme Beloved of the soul. The soul and God become so blended together in Divine Communion that they become inseparable—the worshipper and the worshipped become one!

An aspirant can choose to love God through any of these five attitudes according to his temperament or nature. The truth is, God is not far, out there somewhere, but within our hearts, closer than our very breath. Through the different attitudes make God come “alive” in your life. As these attitudes are practiced, all aspects of your personality become integrated. You feel the Divine Presence at all times, and your life becomes a supreme expression of Divine Love.

From the book Integral Yoga: The Secret to Enlightenment by Swami Jyotirmayananda, published by the Yoga Research Foundation. © Swami Jyotirmayananda. All rights reserved.

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