Bhakti or love for God is a natural expression of man. The spark of God is within us and it pulls us towards God without anyone teaching us about Divinity or Supreme Power. We instinctively know about hunger, thirst and other things. In the same way, instinctively, we also know that there is a Supreme Power which creates, sustains and nourishes the entire Universe. We all love God for different reasons. In Bhagwad Geeta, Sri Krishna classifies four different kinds of bhaktas(lovers of God) – Artha, Artharthi, Jijnasu and Jnani.
Artha – He is the suffering devotee. He is distressed and in pain and sorrow. He could be suffering from sickness, incurable diseases, be in danger from wild animals or attack from other humans, or be in trouble due to earth quakes, storms and other natural calamities. He craves for the Grace of God to relieve him from suffering. He could also be facing small minor problems for which he wants quick fix from Divinity without any effort from himself.
Draupadi was Artha- Bhakta. When Dussasana dragged her and tried to disrobe her in front of all present in the court, she called out to Sri Krishna and sought help to keep her honour and respect. Gajendra – the elephant king is also another example. His leg was caught by the crocodile and despite all his efforts and help from his group, he was not able to free himself. So he plucked a lotus from the water and called out to the Primeval Supreme Power for rescuing him. Before the exams, students are often found at temples praying to God for help in passing the exams. The sick and his well wishers seek healing from the Healer of the Universe. Most of us are in this category. It is definitely better to ask God for help than be at mercy of others.
Artharthi – He is one who seeks wealth and worldly possessions. He seeks wealth to have a happy life. All his prayers are focussed on appeasing God in order to win His favour and amass wealth. He craves for money, wife, children, position, name, fame and power. Sugriva was Artharthi bhakta. He made friendship with Sri Rama in order to get Sri Rama’s help in killing his brother Vali and taking over the kingdom and getting back his own wife. A huge majority of the people in this world are Artharthi bhaktas. They seek God and perform worship and poojas and japas only to amass wealth, get wife, children, cars, homes, and a long list of other material possessions. We seek God not for sake of God but for the gifts He can give us.
Jijnasu –He is a seeker of knowledge. He is the enquirer. He is dissatisfied with the world as he feels that what is apparent is not the reality. He wants to know the reality. He is aware that the material world with its sensual pleasures does not give eternal happiness. He seeks relief from the sufferings and miseries of the earthly existence. He wants to know about the everlasting bliss. There is an emptiness in his life which cannot be filled by wealth, relationships and possessions. He seeks God for sake of knowledge and wisdom. He wants to know more about God and His Universe. Uddhava was a Jijnasu. He sought Sri Krishna for knowledge and wisdom and found eternal bliss.
Jnani – He is a man of wisdom. He is satisfied with the Self. He is contented in the Self. He has no desires. He is freed from desires, he has fulfilled all desires, and his only desire is the Self. The Jnani considers his own Self as the All-inclusive God. Sage Suka, the son of Ved Vyas was a Jnani. He narrated the Srimad Bhagvat to Parikshit Maharaj and helped him to receive the Highest Grace.
Sri Krishna says that He carries the burden of the bhakta who has surrendered to Him completely. All others are ego stricken and have forgotten their real self. They live in ignorance and chase material things and desires. They are born again and again due to their karma and desires. They suffer endlessly due to their urges, want and past actions. Only repeated pain makes them aware that they are going wrong somewhere and then they ask questions and seek God to know about Him. The jnani is the only one who can surrender truly to God and seek Him for the sake of Himself. Such a jnani is most beloved to Him. Let us rise from our huge egos and endless wish lists of desires and learn about the Supreme Power and Love God for sake of Love.
