For the devotees of Krishna - what are the 3 levels of bhakti and what is the difference between the 3 levels?

Question

Pls quote from the shastra only no speculation

Answer 1

i know three level of bhaka and nine level of bhakti

here are the three level of bhakta

SB 11.2.45: Śrī Havir said: The most advanced devotee sees within everything the soul of all souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Consequently he sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord and understands that everything that exists is eternally situated within the Lord.

SB 11.2.46: An intermediate or second-class devotee, called madhyama-adhikārī, offers his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent and disregards those who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 11.2.47: A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a prākṛta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position.

Answer 2

There are four types of Bhakti:
Ârtha,
Arthârthi,
Jignâsu and
Jñâni.

An Ârtha prays to God intensely when he is in dire distress. He pleads for relief from difficulties and sufferings. God grants relief and blesses him with worldly happiness. An Arthârthi prays for money, power, position and prosperity. God grants his wishes too. A Jignâsu prays to God to enlighten him with self knowledge. His aim is to unravel the mystery of existence. God fulfills his longing by sending a Guru to enlighten him. A Jñâni is one who sees in every one and in every thing divinity.

Draupadî is an example of Ârtha bhakti. Prahlâda [SB: Canto 7, Ch. 5-10] and Sakku Bai (a famous Krishna devotee) are other examples of this bhakti; Dhruva, Sudhama and Arjuna are Arthârthis; Uddhava is an excellent example of Jignâsu; S'uka Maharishi is an example of Jñâni.-

Answer 3

For the devotees of krishna - there are 4 levels not three they are....

1. Karma- yoga
2.Jnana- yoga
3.Raja- yoga
4.Bhakti -yoga

These are 4 steps of ladder to get the last stage of bhakti .
OR
For Krishna's Bhakti no level required because in "Gita"
written that krishna said you only chant my name(mantra) it is much enough
Krishna's mantra is

" Hare krishna hare krishna , krishna krishna hare hare
Hare ram hare ram , ram ram hare hare"

Answer 4

1=Sadhana-bhakti - the practising stage of devotion; a stage of bhakti in which the various spiritual disciplines performed for the satisfaction of Sri Krsna are undertaken through the medium of the senses for the purpose of bringing about the manifestation of bhava, or spiritual prema.


Srila Rupa Gosvami has described the definition of sadhana bhakti in this way.

krti-sadhya bhavet sadhya-bhava sa sadhanabhidha
nitya-siddhasya bhavasya prakatyam hrdi sadhyata

(Bhakti-Rasamrta-Sindhu, Purva-vibhaga 2.2)

"Sadhana-bhakti is the performance by the present senses of that suddha-bhakti by which bhava is achieved. The final goal of sadhya-bhava is nitya-siddha. That is to say, it is an eternally established phenomenon, but sadhana is the means by which it is manifested within the heart."

This sadhana-bhakti is of two types, vaidhi and raganuga. In vaidhi-bhakti, sravana, kitana, and the limbs of bhakti are not undertaken out of a natural affection and inclination; rather, they are performed only because of the discipline of the sastra, out of fear of the scriptural laws. In the shastras the duties which have been prescribed for the jiva are called vidhi. When the jiva's engagement in bhakti is out of fear of this scriptural discipline it is called vaidhi bhakti. (ibid, p. 391-392)



2=Bhava-bhakti - the initial stage of perfection in devotion. A stage of bhakti in which suddha-sattva, or the essence of Sri Krsna’s internal potency consisting of spiritual knowledge and bliss, is transmitted into the heart of the practicing bhakta from the heart of one of His eternal associates and softens the heart by different kinds of tastes. It is the first sprout of prema, or pure love of God. Bhavabhakti is the seventh of the eight stages of development of the bhakti-lata, the creeper of devotion.

These are the symptons of Bhava


ksantir avyartha-kalatvam
viraktir mana-sunyata
asa-bandhah samutkantha
nama-gane sada-rucih
asaktis tad-gunakhyane
pritis tad vasati-sthale
ity adayo nubhavah syur
jata-bhavankure jane

“When the seed of ecstatic emotion for Krsna fructifies, the following nine symptoms manifest in one’s behavior: forgiveness, concern that time should not be wasted, detachment, absence of false prestige, hope, eagerness, a taste for chanting the holy name of the Lord, attachment to hear the descriptions of the transcendental qualities of the Lord, and affection for those places where the Lord resides—that is, a temple or a holy place like Vrndavana. These are all called anubhava, subordinate signs of ecstatic emotion. They are visible in a person in whose heart the seed of love of God has begun to fructify.”
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.3.25–26)

3=Prema-bhakti - a stage of bhakti which is characterised by the appearance of prema (see below); the perfectional stage of devotion; the eighth and fully blossomed state of the bhakti-lata. Prema-dharma - the religion which has as its goal the attainment of unalloyed love for Sri Krsna

Prema = love for Krsna which is extremely concentrated, which completely melts the heart, and which gives rise to a deep sense of mamata or possessiveness in relation to the Lord (this is the general definition of prema given in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, 1.4.1). (2) When rati becomes firmly rooted and unchecked by any obstacle it is known as prema. When some cause arises that could conceivably ruin the relationship between the lover and beloved and yet their bond remains completely unaffected, such an intimate loving relationship is known as prema. When prema is augmented, it is gradually transformed into sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga, and bhava.

(Ujjvala-nilamani, 14. 59, 63).

Answer 5

why you always thinks about bhakti ? why you not think about karmyog?