‘By the strength of their (Gopikas) attachment to Me, they became oblivious of their individuality and the whole objective world, just as the mind of a contemplative in Samadhi and the river merged in the ocean overcome all distinction created by name and form
Lord Krishna
Jñāna and Bhakti in Advaita Vedānta
There are two connotations of bhakti in the Advaita Vedānta. The adoration of the Lord of the universe is essential to attain purity of mind, which makes one eligible to reach the highest goal. It is upheld in an age-old saying: ‘Īśvarānugrahādeva pumsām Advaita-vāsanā; one can get the tendency for practicing Advaita or non-duality only through the grace of Īśvara, the supreme Lord of the universe.’
The devotion that is practiced with faith for self-purification is termed preparatory bhakti. But as that bhakti becomes pure and mature, we begin to feel our oneness with the eternal Reality.
Acharya Shankara says in his Vivekacūḍāmaṇi: ‘Svasvarūpānusandhānam bhaktirityabhidhīyate; bhakti is the state of absorption in one’s own real nature as Ātman or Brahman.’ This can be considered as the highest state of bhakti.
True love is the state of dearness, where one feels complete identity with one’s beloved
Harmony in the Upaniṣads
The Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad says that Ātman (self) is the dearest entity in the world, because, ‘Ātmanastu kāmāya sarvam priyam bhavati; everything becomes dear, for the sake of one’s own Self.’ The idea of ‘dearness’ in jñāna is identical to the idea of ‘love’ in bhakti. True love is the state of dearness, where one feels complete identity with one’s beloved. Jñāna indeed is such an experience of the Ātman that is dearest to one.
The same Upaniṣad says that in that state, one becomes ātmakāma, one who finds fulfilment of all of his desires in one’s own Self. This state is also the state of ātmarati, state of enjoying the bliss of Ātman, and ātmakrīda, the state of gaiety born out of one’s identity with Ātman.
The Taittirīya Upaniṣad says that one becomes blissful on attaining rasa, the essence of the whole existence. The idea of ‘rasa’, the cause of eternal joy is the same as that of ‘dearness of Ātman’, enunciated in the Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad.
The Gītā says that jñāni, the man of knowledge, is the foremost among the devotees.
Harmony in the Bhagavadgītā
The Gītā says that jñāni, the man of knowledge, is the foremost among the devotees. Sri Krishna also declares that jñāni is his own Self as there is no difference between him and the jñāni.
Acharya Shankara in his commentary on the Gītā says that, only a true jñāni can become a real bhakta. The Gītā statement of ‘Vāsudevahsarvam iti; Lord Vāsudeva is everything’ is the meeting point of the goals of both knowledge and devotion.
The Gītā also says that it is the state where one becomes ātmatṛpta, fully satisfied in one’s own Self and ‘ātmani eva ca santuṣṭah, one derives one’s happiness entirely from one’s identity with the Ātman’. The elements of satisfaction and happiness are the common characteristics of both jñāna as well as bhakti.
Total surrender leads to tattva-jñāna, the unitary consciousness which elevates one to sāyūjya, the state of universal love, where one feels the presence of Divine everywhere.
Harmony in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa
According to the Bhāgavata, a deep appreciation of divine excellences leads to śānta bhakti, a loving devotion devoid of any personal element, which ends in complete surrender.
Total surrender leads to tattva-jñāna, the unitary consciousness which elevates one to sāyūjya, the state of universal love, where one feels the presence of Divine everywhere.
Bhāgavata says that the highest type of devotee is one who sees the glory of Bhagavān reflected in all beings, high or low, and also perceives all beings as dwelling in Him. Śānta bhakti is based on the sense of unity and understanding that ‘I am He’ in contrast to prema bhakti that leads to the feeling of ‘He is mine’.
Madhusudana Sarasvati
Advaita Devotee
Opines that a higher form of bhakti will blossom only after the realization of unitary consciousness. He says that in the initial stages, bhakti is vṛtti-rūpa, of the form of mental mode directed towards God. In the ultimate state, bhakti is rasa-rūpa or bhagavat-rūpa, where the mental mode takes the form of the essence of whole existence or the very form of the Lord of the universe.
Sri Ramakrishna
Great Devotee of Kali
Ramakrishna says that ‘What is Jnana in the highest sense? Says the Jnani, “O Lord, Thou alone dost act in all this universe. I am but the smallest of tools in Thy hands. Nothing is mine. Everything is Thine. Myself, my family, my riches, my virtues – all are Thine.
Harmony to Culmination
Ideal way of Sadhana
The spirit of jñāna lies in the true love of one’s own divine nature and the core of bhakti is in the perfect understanding and identification with one’s object of love. The core of jñāna is bhakti and the essence of bhakti is jñāna. Hence, the very question of contrast is redundant since, in its highest sense, jñāna is an expression of bhakti and bhakti is a manifestation of jñāna. In simple terms, ‘to know is to love and to love is to know’
— Om Tat Sat —
Keep your mind peaceful and joyous. Increase the time spent on prayer and meditation.
Swami Chinmayananda
India an Eternal Land for Wisdom & Spirituality 