Saguna and Nirguna Bhakti in Classical dance forms
Saguna and Nirguna Bhakti in Classical dance forms.
Bhakti means devotion. Bhakti can be categorised into Saguna and Nirguna.
Saguna Bhakti means form of God, with 'living' attributes.
Nirguna Bhakti means form of God, with "sleeping' attributes.
Bhakti is always Saguna... there can't be a nirguna Bhakti !!!. For I think Meditation and Mantra can be Saguna or Nirguna.
But bhakti is always Saguna, as one's deity has attributes with whom the bhakta falls in love.
There is never a Bhakti or Love, where the subject has no attributes. Eg. Saguna bhakti is worshipping Krishna as a human form with all his gunas , leelas , etc while Nirguna bhakti is simply worshipping the brahman aspect of Krishna.
Nirguna bhakti means w/o material qualities ie.pure devotion. Pure bhakti is never Saguna because it comes from God’s internal potency-“Svarupa Sakti”
Source(s): Bhagavad Gita.
Though if one tries to practise Nirguna Nhakti, we cannot directly reach 'Nirguna Bhakti' without practicing Saguna upasana. With a form and attributes when we worship God with bhakti, it constitutes Sagunopasana. When you are able to meditate on Truth which is formless, then it is termed as Nirguna bakthi but all cannot practice it since we are with a body and name etc. which finally lands us to practise Saguna Bhakti.
Speaking about the God and Goddesses, if we are speaking about them and they have shape, texture, form …they automatically tend to be Saguna. In this way doing a Nirguna bhakti is nearly impossible. Some of the very few saints and in religions like Jainism seem to be practicing Nirguna Bhakti but again the question arises whether a human being with form, name be able to practise Nirguna Bhakti? Leaving the question for you to answer, I move ahead for seeing Bhakti practised in classical dance styles as for me only in the form of Saguna.
Firstly, speaking about one of the experimental production done in Hindustani classical music and
Bhakti means devotion. Bhakti can be categorised into Saguna and Nirguna.
Saguna Bhakti means form of God, with 'living' attributes.
Nirguna Bhakti means form of God, with "sleeping' attributes.
Bhakti is always Saguna... there can't be a nirguna Bhakti !!!. For I think Meditation and Mantra can be Saguna or Nirguna.
But bhakti is always Saguna, as one's deity has attributes with whom the bhakta falls in love.
There is never a Bhakti or Love, where the subject has no attributes. Eg. Saguna bhakti is worshipping Krishna as a human form with all his gunas , leelas , etc while Nirguna bhakti is simply worshipping the brahman aspect of Krishna.
Nirguna bhakti means w/o material qualities ie.pure devotion. Pure bhakti is never Saguna because it comes from God’s internal potency-“Svarupa Sakti”
Source(s): Bhagavad Gita.
Though if one tries to practise Nirguna Nhakti, we cannot directly reach 'Nirguna Bhakti' without practicing Saguna upasana. With a form and attributes when we worship God with bhakti, it constitutes Sagunopasana. When you are able to meditate on Truth which is formless, then it is termed as Nirguna bakthi but all cannot practice it since we are with a body and name etc. which finally lands us to practise Saguna Bhakti.
Speaking about the God and Goddesses, if we are speaking about them and they have shape, texture, form …they automatically tend to be Saguna. In this way doing a Nirguna bhakti is nearly impossible. Some of the very few saints and in religions like Jainism seem to be practicing Nirguna Bhakti but again the question arises whether a human being with form, name be able to practise Nirguna Bhakti? Leaving the question for you to answer, I move ahead for seeing Bhakti practised in classical dance styles as for me only in the form of Saguna.
Firstly, speaking about one of the experimental production done in Hindustani classical music and