Bhakti
In Hinduism and Buddhism, "
Bhakti" is a technical term meaning "portion, share", from the root
bhaj- "to partake in, to receive one's share". It refers to religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine. Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Iṣṭa-devatā.
Bhakthi can be used of either tradition of Hindu monotheism, Shaivaism or Vaishnavism. While
bhakti as designating a religious path is already a central concept in the
Bhagavad Gita, it rises to importance in the medieval history of Hinduism, where the Bhakti movement saw a rapid growth of
bhakti beginning in Southern India with the Vaisnava Alvars and Saiva Nayanars, who spread
bhakti poetry and devotion throughout India by the 12th-18th century CE. The Bhagavata Purana is text associated with the Bhakti movement which elaborates the concept of
bhakti as found in the
Bhagavad Gita.