On the Ethical Domain and Bhakti

It has been noted that unlike the Greek culture which spearheaded thinking about the domain of ethics, there is an absence of terminology in India which is meant to encourage reflection on ethics. This has raised the question: How is it possible to reflect on and reason about the domain of ethics when there is an absence of words to talk to about the domain? I would like to argue that words like bhakti, atman,…

Continue reading

I – On Bhakti: Loss of a concept?

Concept of Bhakti For those grown up in India, it appears, at least on the face of it, that the word bhakti needs no elaboration. The word is familiar to most of us and is a salient part of our lives. In our everyday conversations, we often talk about not just bhakti (as a noun) towards the gods, but also of matru bhakti, pitru-bhakti or of guru-bhakti. In music, we are told that Thyagaraja was…

Continue reading