World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 709

i.e.,
(I invoke ) God, the rescuer, God, the Saviour, Mighty God, happily invoked at each invocation. God, Powerful, invoked by many, I invoke May God, the Bounteous, confer on us blessing.
(i)
On the basis of above delineation, the Vedic view of bhakti can be summed up in the following five aspects:
Bhakti as a prayer signifies the ritual aspect of singing eulo
gies to the divine, (ii) Bhakti as a means to the goal, both mundane as well as su
preme, has been well-reflected in the Vedas. Bhakti as a moral principle motivates the seeker for selfupliftment and encourages him to practice self elevation as well, while praying to the higher powers for help,
(iv)
Bhakti is a gesture of reciprocation wherein the devotee prays and seeks something from the divine while offering the best of his own.
Last but not the least, bhakti in the form of prayer is an expression of inner satisfaction experienced by the seeker after attainment of his desired goal.
The most remarkable feature of bhakti in the Vedas is that it is not just effortless seeking, rather it is an earnest quest of the devotee for winning the battles of life and attaining happiness with a full sense of determination and self-participation. It prays for divine help but insists on maximum effort by oneself:
Icchanti devāh sunvantaṁ na svapnāya sprhayanti Yanti pramādam atandrāh. (RV, 8/2/18) i.e., Nature's bounties favour those who
are active in work and do not indulge in sleep. They bless those who are not drowsy and who realize the ecstasy of joy. Na rte śrāntasya sakhyāya devāh. (RV, 4/33/11)
i.e.,
Not without toil, the divines get friendly with men.
Ordinarily, bhakti is associated with sentimentalism and deep sense
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