Four Kinds of Bhakts

A new term has now entered our vocabulary in the last 2 years amongst other new emerging words  and that is the word ‘bhakt’.  It is a much feared word and people speak of it only in hushed whispers, so I thought it needed explanation.

The Online Oxford Dictionary definition of Bhaka is:

Noun

Religious devotee

‘The glory of bhaktas is known only to themselves’

This is closely related to Bhakti which means ‘devotional worship directed to one supreme deity, usually Vishnu (especially in his incarnations as Rama and Krishna or Shiva, by whose grace salvation may be attained by all regardless of sex, caste, or class. It is followed by the majority of Hindus today.)

Bhakt as Re-defined by Google

But when you type Bhakt today in Google to find out the meaning of the word, be ready for a surprise, because this is what unfortunately  appears:

Bhakt (Hindi: , meaning devotee) is a controversial term used to describe people on Social Media who subscribe to the right wing ideology in India and support Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party, having close ideological and organisational links to the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak …

And then Google points out to various articles where several people have been trolled on Social media by Bhakts.  This is a most unfortunate development in the history of our country.

While some people have attempted a deeply intellectual analysis of bhakts with abuse and vitriol, I wanted to stick to the traditional meaning of bhakts and how they can be classified according to our old scriptures.

Traditional Meaning of Bhakts

According to tradition there are 4 kinds of bhakts.

I thought I would quote from Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (Divine Life Society) because I am a follower of both his yoga and his philosophy and he says that there are 4 kinds of Bhakts : Arta, Jijnasu, Artharthi and Jnani.

1. Arta is the distressed devotee who is suffering very much and who craves for the grace of God, in order to get himself relieved from pain and sorrow.

Obviously these are the people  who are looking to get more recognition from the current government/party.  Currently they are downtrodden but believe that by showing unequivocal support and defending the powers that be, will make way for their promotion internally.  This person is most likely to be a Social Media Troller.  He is anxious to prove himself.

Jijnasu is the seeker after knowledge, who feels that he is ignorant, and who wants the grace of God in order to have Wisdom. ( He who knows not and knows, he knows not – he is asleep, wake him )

These people are likely to be more genuine. They are there to learn. They are earnest and are truly looking to be enlightened. This kind of person is unlikely to be a social Media Troller partly because trolling doesn’t necessarily  add to his knowledge.

Artharthi is the seeker of wealth, who longs for earthly possessions, money, land, etc., in order to enjoy a happy life, and who propitiates God to get His grace to amass wealth. 

This person is obviously is in it for the money. Given the nature of corruption in India there are plenty of opportunities for the person without qualms and a conscience.  This person is most likely to be a social media troller. He is looking for quick recognition only for quick financial gain.  It doesn’t take much effort to troll and is it is an easy way to make your way up the echelons and to get rich quickly.

Jnani is the wise, the sage who is satisfied with the Self, who is contented in the Self, who has no desires, who is freed from desires, who has fulfilled all desires, whose only desire is the Self; who considers his own Self as the All-inclusive God. ( He who knows, and knows he knows, follow him.)

Again these are the intellectuals in the government and there are many of them. They are learned, they know their subject, they are confident when they speak and they are driven to do good for the country and its people. They take pleasure from being able to give of themselves, by being in important positions in the Government.   They are unlikely to be social media trollers.

Now that you have a fair idea of what bhakts are, you may  be in a better position to handle them the next time you get trolled. Bhakts are there is any form of organisation whether corporate or government and it is not restricted to any particular kind of political party.  Only it is unfortunate that the word was coined in reference to the current government in power.