Psychology in the Indian Tradition by K. Ramakrishna Rao & Anand C. Paranjpe

Author:K. Ramakrishna Rao & Anand C. Paranjpe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer India, New Delhi

The transmuting of phenomenal rasa as experienced in ordinary human relationships into a transcendental and “absolute” bhakti rasa is not as easy as playing a role as a Hanumān in the drama of Rām Līlā played in front of large crowds every year. Indeed, if it were that simple, we would have saints galore all over India. It is obvious that the most common form of expression of bhakti in India is prayer and worship whether at home or in temples, and this form does not imply any role-playing. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa mentions nine forms in which its bhakti often manifests in the behavior of people.

It may be noted that the first six forms of the expression of bhakti from the list of nine do not involve any role-playing. They imply very little if any degree of intimacy with God; He is simply the object of reverence. Acts such as salutation (offering namaskāra), offering flowers, food (naivedya) or incense, and even singing prayers (ārati, stotram), whether individually or collectively, are primarily periodic rituals that are often made rather casually and without much emotion. Most of these, for much of the time, are engaged in with a minimum of ego-involvement. The seventh and eighth forms, namely serving Him, respectively, as His servant or dealing with Him as a friend, are different from all forms mentioned before; they involve role-playing vis-à-vis the Divine. The last item on the list is “offering one’s self to Him” (ātmanivedanam), is different from role-playing as such, and this needs some explanation. To this end, we may turn to Rūpa Goswāmī’s view, which is summarized in Table 6.3.Table 6.3Varieties of devotional moods and the corresponding emotions

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