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Shri Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, has time and again emphasized that the Supreme being in whom all beings abide and by whom everything is pervaded, may be reached by unswerving devotion to Him alone. That, the Supreme being may be perceived, known and seen in His essence and entered therewith by devotion solely towards Him.<ref name=":9" /><blockquote>पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया । यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥८.२२॥<ref>Bhagavad Gita, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%83 Chapter 8 (Aksharabrahma Yoga)]</ref></blockquote><blockquote>भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहमेवंविधोऽर्जुन । ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परंतप ॥११.५४॥<ref name=":10" /></blockquote><blockquote>''puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyastvananyayā । yasyāntaḥsthāni bhūtāni yena sarvamidaṁ tatam ॥8.22॥''</blockquote><blockquote>''bhaktyā tvananyayā śakya ahamevaṁvidho'rjuna । jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena praveṣṭuṁ ca paraṁtapa ॥11.54॥''</blockquote>That is why, Shri Krishna says,<blockquote>मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु । मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे ॥१८.६५॥<ref>Bhagavad Gita, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%83 Chapter 18 (Moksha Sannyasa Yoga)]</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṁ namaskuru । māmevaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo'si me ॥18.65॥''</blockquote>Meaning: Merge your mind in Me, be My devotee, perform yajnas for Me, prostrate yourself before Me, you shall surely come to Me. I assure you. It is true that you are dear to Me.

Shri Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, has time and again emphasized that the Supreme being in whom all beings abide and by whom everything is pervaded, may be reached by unswerving devotion to Him alone. That, the Supreme being may be perceived, known and seen in His essence and entered therewith by devotion solely towards Him.<ref name=":9" /><blockquote>पुरुषः स परः पार्थ भक्त्या लभ्यस्त्वनन्यया । यस्यान्तःस्थानि भूतानि येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ॥८.२२॥<ref>Bhagavad Gita, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%83 Chapter 8 (Aksharabrahma Yoga)]</ref></blockquote><blockquote>भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहमेवंविधोऽर्जुन । ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परंतप ॥११.५४॥<ref name=":10" /></blockquote><blockquote>''puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā labhyastvananyayā । yasyāntaḥsthāni bhūtāni yena sarvamidaṁ tatam ॥8.22॥''</blockquote><blockquote>''bhaktyā tvananyayā śakya ahamevaṁvidho'rjuna । jñātuṁ draṣṭuṁ ca tattvena praveṣṭuṁ ca paraṁtapa ॥11.54॥''</blockquote>That is why, Shri Krishna says,<blockquote>मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु । मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे ॥१८.६५॥<ref>Bhagavad Gita, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%83 Chapter 18 (Moksha Sannyasa Yoga)]</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṁ namaskuru । māmevaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo'si me ॥18.65॥''</blockquote>Meaning: Merge your mind in Me, be My devotee, perform yajnas for Me, prostrate yourself before Me, you shall surely come to Me. I assure you. It is true that you are dear to Me.

That is why, Bhakti marga is considered the easiest, safest, surest and quickest way for attaining highest bliss or Supreme-realization. And for this reason, Maharshi Narada states that “Bhakti is greater than karma, jnana and yoga.”<blockquote>सा तु कर्मज्ञानयोगेभ्योऽप्यधिकतरा ॥२५॥ ''sā tu karmajñānayogebhyo'pyadhikatarā ॥25॥''</blockquote>Further more, the Narada Bhakti Sutra also states that Bhakti develops by hearing and singing the virtues and attributes of the Supreme being.<blockquote>लोकेऽपि भगवद्गुणश्रवणकीर्तनात् ॥३७॥ ''loke'pi bhagavadguṇaśravaṇakīrtanāt ॥37॥<ref name=":9" />''</blockquote>

That is why, Bhakti marga is considered the easiest, safest, surest and quickest way for attaining highest bliss or Supreme-realization.<ref name=":9" /> The Shiva Purana states that there is no other path as easy and pleasing as devotion in the three worlds, in all the four Yugas generally and in Kaliyuga in particular.<ref name=":14" /><blockquote>त्रैलोक्ये भक्तिसदृशः पंथा नास्ति सुखावहः ।। चतुर्युगेषु देवेशि कलौ तु सुविशेषतः ।। २.२.२३.३८ ।।<ref name=":15" /></blockquote><blockquote>''trailokye bhaktisadr̥śaḥ paṁthā nāsti sukhāvahaḥ ।। caturyugeṣu deveśi kalau tu suviśeṣataḥ ।। 2.2.23.38 ।।''</blockquote>In fact, Maharshi Narada states that “Bhakti is greater than karma, jnana and yoga.”<blockquote>सा तु कर्मज्ञानयोगेभ्योऽप्यधिकतरा ॥२५॥ ''sā tu karmajñānayogebhyo'pyadhikatarā ॥25॥''</blockquote>Further more, the Narada Bhakti Sutra also states that Bhakti develops by hearing and singing the virtues and attributes of the Supreme being.<blockquote>लोकेऽपि भगवद्गुणश्रवणकीर्तनात् ॥३७॥<ref name=":9" /> ''loke'pi bhagavadguṇaśravaṇakīrtanāt ॥37॥''</blockquote>

== नवविधा भक्तिः ॥ Navavidha Bhakti ==

== नवविधा भक्तिः ॥ Navavidha Bhakti ==

In the Bhagavata Purana (Skandha 7, Adhyaya 5) when Hiranyakashipu asks Prahlada to recite some of the excellent passages learnt well by him from what his teacher has taught him through the years, he elaborates on the nine forms of bhakti as follows:<blockquote>श्रवणं कीर्तनं विष्णोः स्मरणं पादसेवनम् । अर्चनं वन्दनं दास्यं सख्यमात्मनिवेदनम् ॥७.५.२३॥<ref name=":8">Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%AD/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%AB Adhyaya 5]</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pādasevanam । arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyamātmanivedanam ॥7.5.23॥''</blockquote>Meaning: There are nine forms of devotion to Vishnu -

In the Bhagavata Purana (Skandha 7, Adhyaya 5) when Hiranyakashipu asks Prahlada to recite some of the excellent passages learnt well by him from what his teacher has taught him through the years, he elaborates on the nine forms of bhakti as follows:<blockquote>श्रवणं कीर्तनं विष्णोः स्मरणं पादसेवनम् । अर्चनं वन्दनं दास्यं सख्यमात्मनिवेदनम् ॥७.५.२३॥<ref name=":8">Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7, [https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%AD/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%AB Adhyaya 5]</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pādasevanam । arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyamātmanivedanam ॥7.5.23॥''</blockquote>Meaning: There are nine forms of devotion to Vishnu -