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xxx11] Nature of bhakti
425 ulterior motive. It is vaidhi because here the prompting to the course of bhakti comes from scriptural sources (otherwise called vidhi, or scriptural injunctions). The vaidhi-bhakti is of various kinds, such as seeking of protection (šaranāpatti), association with good teachers and devotees, to listen to God's name and to recite His name and glories!. Of these saraṇāgati is the most important; it means seeking protection of God upon being driven to despair by all the dangers and sufferings of life. Thus in saraṇāgati there must be a driving cause which impels one to seek the protection of God as the sole preserver. Those who turn to God merely out of deep attachment for Him are also impelled by their abhorrence of their previous state, when their minds were turned away from God. It also implies a belief either that there is no other protector, or a renunciation of any other person or being to whom one had clung for support. One should leave all hope in the Vedic or smộti injunctions, and turn to God as the only support. Saranāpatti may be defined as consisting of the following elements: (i) to work and think always in a manner agreeable to God, (ii) to desist from anything that may in any way displease God, (iii) strong faith that He will protect, (iv) clinging to Him for protection, (v) to throw oneself entirely into God's hands and to consider oneself entirely dependent on Him, and (vi) to consider oneself a very humble being waiting for the grace of God to descend on him. Of all these the main importance is to be attached to the adoption of God alone as sole protector, with whom the other elements are only intimately associated. But next to the solicitation of the protection of God is the solicitation of help from one's religious teacher (guru) and devotion to his service, as well as to the service of great men, by whose association one may attain much that would be otherwise unattainable. One of the chief forms in which the vaidhi-bhakti manifests itself is in regarding oneself as the servant of God, or in considering God as our best friend. The sentiments of service and friendship should be so deep and intense as to lead one to renounce
1 atha vaidhi-bhedāḥ saranāpatti-sri-guru-ādi-sat-seva-sravana-kirtanā-dayah. Sat-sandarbha, p. 593.
saranāpatter lakṣaṇam vaişnava-tantre, ānukulyasya samkalpah prātikulya-vivarjanam raksisyatiti višvāso goptytue varanam tathā
ātma-niksepa-kārpanye şadvidhā saraņāgatih. Ibid. p. 593. Ibid. pp. 595-604.
