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John,
Bhakti, simply put, is an attitude of utmost love towards
God, the all-pervasive, inherently blissful, beloved Supreme Being.
As such, the concept of bhakti exists in most of
the world's major religious traditions -- Christianity,
Islam, Judaism as well as Vedanta (a philosophical tradition of
Hinduism).
Bhakti involves listening to the glories of God, singing
His (or Her, if you wish!) praise, contemplating on His unique
essence, seeing His presence in all things, and simply taking joy
in the fact that He is always there with us, caring for
us, looking after us, even if we do not fully recognize
or appreciate His presence.
In Vedanta, the culmination of this devotional process
is known as "bhakti-rUpa-panna-jnAna", or wisdom ripened
into the form of extreme love. This love of God, though
being a means to liberation, in many ways is an end in and
of itself; it is extremely satisfying and hints of eternal
bliss. We find, however, that advanced devotional mystics
long for the unbroken vision of God's essence, and are not
satisfied with the mere remembrance of fleeting glimpses
granted by His grace.
The mystic, unable to bear with these feelings of
separation, yearns and resolves to have unbroken
communion with the Highest Self. The Lord graces the individual
and grants the bhakta or devotee with everlasting liberation,
consisting of a true knowledge of reality sweetened by
joyous, blissful, communion with Him.
This, in short, is bhakti as outlined in the Upanishads
and the Bhagavad Gita, the primary scriptures of Vedanta.
Mani
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