What is the types of bhakti , what is para bhakti / and apra bhakti?

Question

in which catagori we can take the bhakti of srigouranga maharaprabhu / and sri radharani ?

Answer 1

The Bhakti of Sri Gouranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Radharani comes under PARA BHAKTI - the highest form of Bhakti.

TYPES OF BHAKTI

Bhakti is of various kinds. One classification is Sakamya and Nishkamya Bhakti. Sakamya Bhakti is devotion with desire for material gains. A man wants wealth with this motive practices Bhakti. Another man wants freedom from diseases and therefore does Japa and offers prayers. A third one wants to become a Minister and does Upasana with this aim. This is Sakamya Bhakti. Whatever you want the Lord will certainly give you, if your Bhakti is intense and if your prayers are sincerely offered from the bottom of your heart. But you will not get supreme satisfaction, immortality and Moksha through Sakamya Bhakti.

Your Bhakti should always be Nishkamya Bhakti. God has already given you a good position, a good job, wife and children and enough wealth. Be contented with these. Aspire for Nishkamya Bhakti. Your heart will be purified and the Divine Grace will descend upon you. Be in communion with the Lord, you will become one with the Lord and you will enjoy all the Divine Aisvaryas (Divine attributes like wisdom, renunciation, power, etc.). All the Vibhutis (Special forms in which the Lord manifests) of the Lord He will give you. He will give you Darsan. He will help you to dwell in Him. At the same time He will give you all the Divine Aisvaryas also.

Another classification of Bhakti is "Apara-Bhakti" and "Para-Bhakti". "Apara-Bhakti" is for beginners in Yoga. The beginner decorates an image with flowers and garlands, rings the bell, offers Naivedya (food-offerings), wave lights; he observes rituals and ceremonies. The Bhakta here regards the Lord as a Supreme Person, who is immanent in that image and who can be propitiated through that form only.

He has no expanded heart. He is a sectarian. He dislikes other kinds of Bhaktas who worship other Devatas. Gradually, from "Apara-Bhakti", the devotee goes to "Para-Bhakti", the highest form of Bhakti. He sees the Lord and Lord alone everywhere and feels His Power manifest as the entire universe. "Thou art all-pervading; on what Simhasana shall I seat Thee ? Thou art the Supreme Light, in whose borrowed light the sun, the moon, the stars and the fire shine; shall I wave this little Deepa or light before You ?" - thus the devotee recognizes the transcendental nature of God. Para-Bhakti and Jnana are one. But every Bhakta will have to start from Apara-Bhakti. Before you take your food, offer it to God mentally; and the food will be purified. When you pass through a garden of flowers, mentally offer all the flowers to the Lord in Archana (offering flowers in worship). When you pass through the bazaar and see a sweetmeat shop, offer all the sweetmeats as Naivedya to the Lord. Such practices will lead to Para-Bhakti.

Bhakti is also classified into Gauna-Bhakti and Mukhya-Bhakti. Gauna-Bhakti is the lower Bhakti and Mukhya-Bhakti is the higher type of Bhakti. -

Answer 2

There are several ways to classify bhakti. One is Gaura bhakti versus Nishkamya bhakti, where the former is devotion for material desires and the latter represents devotion with no strings attached. Another way to look at it is Apara bhakti and Para Bhakti. The former represents devotion by doing arti, waving the lamp, and other rituals, because at this stage the devotee can only see the deity in the image of the statue or picture. Para bhakti is a more advanced state where the devotee can see the Divine in all aspects of life and is not confined to one source. Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Smt. Radharani definitely followed Para bhakti.

For more information, check out the site below.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Para Bhakti

Answer 4

Apara bhakthi is seeing God only in the altar. Para bhakthi is visualising god as a part and parcel of every living and non living thing.

no body can straightly go to para bhakthi. and apara bhakthi serves as a step stone.