Bhakti

Usually we relate bhakti to our daily poojas, visits,to temples and all the rituals we follow in our life.There are several types of Bhakti,to quote a few Vatslaya Bhakti,Mitra Bhakti,Madurya Bhakti,Nayika Bhakti,Kamyarta Bhakti.
We pray to God always asking for one thing or the other.It is generally never just a prayer because we Love to Pray and Think OF HIM.Not that it is incorrect but just to point that it is always asking for something.

I happened to have the good fortune of listening to a wonderful Srimad Baghavtha Upanyasam by SriSri Premi Anna, where a whole new meaning of Bhakti was explained so wonderfully.
Bhakti is the unconditional Love, PREMAA one has, it is total surrender.This was explained beautifully with a story of Krishna.
Krishna was ruling as King of Dwaraka and he decided that he should have a gathering where all could meet.Krishna wanted all his near and dear ones who had never met to meet each other.Devaki&Vasudeva had never met Nandagopa and Yasoda,Rukmini had never met Draupadi,Radha &the gopis of Brindavan, had only heard about them from Krishna.
So a huge gathering lasting four months(Chathur masya) is organised at Kurukshetra and everyone comes.The arrival of Yasoda, Nanda and the gopis was so beautifully explained,I wonder if I am even fit to write about it here.Anyways I just wanted to put down what ever little I could register from the upanyasam.
He says,all of them (Nanda and his group)come to Kurukshetra as simple villagers and are dazed at the dazzling look of Dwaraka and feel so proud that their Dear Krishna is the KING of this place.They look around and ask people there, where they can find Krishna, and that they have come from Brindavan to see HIM.
They are shown the direction and they walk with so much enthusiasm and Love and thrilled that they are going to see their Krishna after 100 years now.He left Brindavan as a young lad and never went back to Brindavan.Yasoda carries butter and curd for him still visualising him as the child Krishna who left Brindavanam.
Krishna who is in the midst of Kings from various different states hears Nandagopa's voice and comes running out to greet them, and the meeting is so overwhelming and filled only with emotion and Love.One can very easily visualise the scene.Krishna rushes to Mother Yasoda,gives her a huge hug,sits on her lap(remember he is now 100 years)and enjoys all the pampering including eating Vennai&Thair which Yasoda has so affectionately brought for HIM.
Vasudeva& Devaki come out too and they meet Nanda&Yasoda for the first time and are so pleased to see each other.Each considers the other more blessed.
Next, Krishna meets the gopis and Radha Rani.He so very sweetly tells her,"Radhe I told you I will come soon,but I had so much work, that I would always tell myself, I will go after this,after this and so soon 100 years have passed by.He asks Radha, How are you Radhe??Radhe is choked with LOVE and tears simply flow down and Radhe falls on his shoulder. All this is so wonderfully put in the upanyasam,it was like taking us to the scene there at Kurukshetra,a real feast for the mind I must say.Krishna introduces Radhe and all the Gopis to Rukmini and all his 16000+wives and Draupadi.
It is said that though it is 100 years later that Krishna sees them all, they are all as Young as when he left them.
Draupadi who is a great Bhaktai of Krishna asks Rukmini and all the other 16000+wives about their Bhakti and how they got Bhakti for Krishna.They all say that though they are his wives they are all his servants and would like to be a broom in his house, not even a maid.Though all them have plenty of maids all over the house, they always do everything personally for THE LORD.They are waiting to be of service to him in whatever way they can.They say they have learnt only from the Gopis and their love and bhakti for Krishna.Just imagine the Bhakti of the gopis if (Goddess Lakshmi)Rukmini Devi says she has learnt to do Bhakti only from the gopis,from all the stories Krishna told her everyday about Radhai and her Bhakti and pure love for Krishna.
The gopis pray that they may always cry for HIM and that is how he will be in their hearts always.That is the kind of Bhakti they had, total surrender.They never wanted him to come back and be with them, they wanted to remember him and cry.Such was their Bhakti.Bhakti is LOVE(UNCONDITIONAL) is what I have understood from this upanyasam.

Lord Krishna too showered his love and affection on each and every one.When Sudama comes to Dwaraka to meet him Krishna's eyes are filled with tears and he showers him with unbelievable with Love and affection.Just his Kataksham his glance was enough to give Sudama everything in this world.
Another close friend Of Lord Krishna Was Udhava.The lord says Udhava is closer to him than even Rukmini devi.
Oh it was a wonderful discourse yesterday, I am unable to do justice to all that I heard.Our prayers have to be filled with LOVE for the Lord and not a duty bound affair.
I wish everyone has the good fortune of listening to such divine discourses.
JAI GURUDEV!!!