The Emergence of Bhakti or Loving Devotion in Hindu Texts

Subject Areas : Christianity

پریا الیاسی ¹ (ندارد)

Received: 2012-05-30 Accepted : 2012-08-01 Published : 2012-03-20

Keywords: Bhakti, Hindu Texts, Hindu Sects, Vishnu, Kishna, Monotheism,

Abstract :

Bhakti ("loving devotion") is a general term in Indian culture.Considering its broad meaning this term could be an integral part ofevery religion; but in India, from a few centuries before Common Era,bhakti gradually has been associated with specific gods, religiousbeliefs and practices, in as much as today it is the most importantcomponent of Indian religions. According to early Indologists, such asAlbrecht Weber and Friedrich Lorinser, the formation of bhakti wasinfluenced by Christianity so they paid no heed to its Indian roots.However other scholars such as Bhandarkar and Radhakrishnan tracedthe roots of bhakti to the Hindu texts and considered it as an indigenousconcept. The emphasis on Hindu texts was followed by later scholars inas much as it reduced the foreign influences to the secondary role andlimited it to the later development of the concept in the medievalperiod. So in order to understand the concept of bhakti and to trace itsroots, above all, it is necessary to study the Hindu texts.