To attain Paramatattva (The Supreme Stance), there are three recognized means – jiṋána (intellectual knowledge), karma (action), and bhakti (devotion). Everybody has accepted, and Shaḿkarácárya, who has been considered the greatest philosopher in India, has also said in unambiguous language, that “Mokśa kárańasamagráḿ bhaktireva gariiyasi” – for salvation, devotion is the best approach. Bhakti is greater than jiṋána and karma. What is bhakti? The root word “bhaj” and the suffix “ktin” make the word “bhakti.” “Bhaj” means moving towards that Supreme Entity without any second thought. When all your sentiments, all your aspirations, move towards that Singular Entity without any second thought, then that psychic movement of yours if called “bhakti.” The flow of this very devotion is prema (divine love). When this flow is not towards anything else, but towards Viśńu, it alone is prema. “Ananyamamata” viśńormamatá premasauṋgatá. “Mamatá” means “mine-ness” – “Mama” means “one’s own”, and the abstract noun derived from it is “mamatá” – meaning, thereby “mine-ness.”

Who is Viśńu? The entity which is all-pervading (sarvánusruta) is Viśńu. “Vistára sarvabhutesu viśńorvishvamidaḿ jagat.” The entity which is all-pervading in this Cosmos is Viśńu.

There should not be any amalgamation in devotion. For example, people mix copper in gold, but there should be no mixture in bhakti. Bhakti should be shuddhá bhakti, unadulterated devotion; that is, there should not be any covert desire in the mind. If there is a second thought, it might be that that desire will be satiated; but Parama Puruśa will remain unattained. The covert desire was your main desire, and devotion was a show. This will not do.

What is this shuddhá bhakti? “I want nothing from you. I love you. I love you because by loving you I get pleasure.” This alone is rágánugá bhakti or shuddhá bhakti.

But this rágánugá bhakti is not final. In rágánugá bhakti, the idea is that you love Him because by doing so you derive pleasure. Greater devotees don’t even like this. They love God, not because they get pleasure, but because He gets pleasure. To give him pleasure is what they want. “I don’t even want pleasure for myself. I want to please you; therefore I love you.” This alone is the supreme devotion. This is known as “rágátmiká bhakti”. “Gopayate yah sah gopah” – those who do this rágátmiká bhakti are known as “gopa”. In Laokika Saḿskrta, “gopa” means “one who rears cows.” But, in philosophical language, it is not so. “Gopayate” means to give pleasure. So, those whose nature is to give pleasure to Paramátman are Gopa. In devotional scriptures it is said that Paramátman is a slave to the Gopas.

Hence, everybody should encourage rágátmiká bhakti, because this alone is the most blissful means of attaining emancipation. There is no alternative.