Popular Culture Review Vol. 10, No. 2, August 1999 | Page 126
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Popular Culture Review
the perfect stage. If, however, you are unable to work in this con
sciousness of me, then try to act giving up all results of your work
and try to be self-situated. If you cannot take this practice, then
engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowl
edge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renun
ciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can
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attain peace of mind.
It is thus clear that the conception of Bhakti is closely tied to Sankhyayoga and Karma-yoga. In the subsequent chapters. Lord Krishna also mentions
that all material and spiritual activities are undertaken by people in one of the three
modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance. Bhakti, also, is performed in the re
spective modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance and is rewarded accordingly.^®
Bhakti, the Tradition, and the Social Order
Bhakti is dissociated from the bondages of both the Shastracharas (scripturally prescribed and sanctioned conduct) and the Lokacharas (traditionally pre
scribed and accepted conduct) in the folk tradition and becomes a matter of love,
faith, devotion, reverence, duty, and persistence. The Bhakti tradition also does
not recognize the bondages of the social order, caste system, and social norms. It
respects the tradition and goals and ideals of life, but is restricted by neither. The
tradition remains tolerant of different paths to self-realization and Moksha and it is
stressed that these goals may be achieved through the available numerous paths in
the mode of Jnana (Knowledge), Karma (Actions), or Bhakti (Devotion) — each
path being equally valid and yielding the same results. In Mahimna Stotra, this
sentiment has been eloquently stated as follows: “All these paths, O Lord,...lead
but to Thee, like the winding river that at last merges into the sea.” The BhagavadGita also emphasizes the same.
A Closing Remark
Over the centuries, many saint-poet-philosophers have tried to instill in
the people love and devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the
Vishnu, Krishna, Rama, Shiva, and Shakti deities. The folk tradition has also played
an important role in this regard. Successions of foreign invasions threatened the
Hindu civilization in a determined and ruthless manner, starting with the 8th cen
tury A.D. invasions and lasting into the eighteenth century. Hindu civilization,
nevertheless, has survived these attacks and a significant credit goes to the saintpoet-philosophers of India and the Bhakti movement. The Bhakti movement has
brought greater unity and understanding among people of different faiths and creeds
and bridged the gaps among religious sects. The movement enriched the Indian