________________ specific term meaning unswerving devotion to God. The term bhakti, according to the etymological meaning (bhaj sevayam) is the same as upasana. As already observed upasana and vedana are employed as interchangeable words in the Upanisads. Taking all these facts into consideration, Ramanuja comes to the conclusion that bhakti-yoga as the spiritual discipline is the upaya to moksa and that this view is in consonance with the teachings of the Upanisads and the Vedanta-sutra. Nature of bhakti-yoga What is the nature of bhakti-yoga which is advocated in the Vaisnavism of Ramanuja as the direct upaya to moksa? The principal Upanisads which generally speak of several Brahma-vidyas or upasana of different types do not throw much light on the method of practicing upasana except certain general characteristics of it. Nor does the Vedantasutra, which accords such an important place to it, the major part of the third adhyaya being titled sadhanadhyaya doos not present a comprehensive and consolidated account of its practice step-by-step, as the yoga-sutras of Patanjali describe the eight limbs of yoga. Though the later religious literature such as the Itihasas and Puranas with the exception of the Bhagavad-gita commend the practice of bhakti-yoga and other forms of yoga, they do not provide us a practical guide to the practice of bhakti-yoga. The only important Vedanta treatise which deals in detail with the bhakti-yoga is the Bhagavad-gita. Uffet Ramanuja, in his introduction to the Gita-bhasya openly states that the Gita is primarily intended to teach bhakti-yoga. In a characteristic way he says: "The Supreme Being, out of compassion towards humanity, incarnated Himself as Lord Krsna and under the pretext of inducing Arjuna to fight the war, taught bhakti-yoga aided by jnana and karma which is enjoined in the Upanisads as the direct means to moksa, the highest Goal of human endeavor"20. The words 'vedantoditam...bhakti-yogam' in this statement clearly establishes that bhakti-yoga taught in the Gita as direct sadhana is in accordance with the teachings of the Upanisads. He is therefore fully justified in advocating the doctrine of bhakti-yoga as the direct means to moksa and also incorporating all the details furnished in the Gita about yoga as sadhana along with whatever materialis available in the Vedanta-sutra. hazten 20 See fn. 11 1
