Ten Bhakti Commandments

Ten Bhakti Commandments

by Swami Sivananda

Develop devotion through Japa, Kirtan, Sattvic food, worship (Puja), etc. Yearn for God-vision. Love Him with all your heart. Remember Him constantly.

Keep the company of saints, the righteous and the wise. Study devotional books like the Gita, the Bhagavata, the Ramayana, the lives of saints.

The name of the Lord is Divine Nectar. Name is your sole Refuge, Prop and Treasure. Name and Nami (God) are one. Always chant His Names with devotion. Do Kirtan. This is the principal Sadhana in Kaliyuga.

Pray to the Lord from the core of your heart: I am Thine. All is Thine. Thy Will be done. I am an instrument in Thy Hands. You do everything. You are just. Grant me faith and devotion.

Feel the presence of God with you. See God in every face. Behold the whole world as the Lord.

Practise Sadachara (right conduct). Cultivate virtues and eradicate vices. Be good. Be kind to all. Be humble. Be pure. Speak the truth. Control anger. Have a large heart. Develop compassion.

Teach the eye to behold the Form of the Lord. Teach the ear to hear the Lord’s Lilas and Glory. Teach the hands to serve the saints and the poor.

Take refuge in the Lord. Do total, ungrudging self-surrender. Live for Him. Offer your actions to Him. His Grace will descend on you.

Have perfect trust in God. Faith is necessary to attain God. Faith can take you to the inner chambers of the Lord.

Constantly repeat some inspiring verses (praises of God’s glory) or some Mantras, or the Names of God. This will be your Divine background of thought.

Ten Bhakti Commandments – Devotion, Surrender, and Divine Love

Ten Bhakti Commandments are practical spiritual guidelines for seekers who want to grow in devotion and live closer to the Divine. Bhakti is not only singing, worship, ritual, or emotion. It is a complete transformation of the heart. True devotion purifies thought, softens ego, strengthens faith, and turns ordinary life into a sacred offering.

The path of devotion is simple, but it requires sincerity. A devotee may live in a family, work in society, serve others, and perform daily duties, yet inwardly remain connected with God. The real test of devotion is not only what one does in a temple or prayer room, but how one thinks, speaks, acts, forgives, serves, and remembers the Divine in daily life.

Ten Bhakti Commandments begin with love for God. The first commandment is to keep the Divine as the centre of life. Worldly duties may continue, but the heart should not forget its highest goal. A devotee should remember that God is not merely a helper in difficulty, but the very source of peace, strength, wisdom, and love.

The second commandment is regular remembrance. Repeat the Divine Name, chant a mantra, pray sincerely, or remember God silently while walking, working, eating, and resting. Constant remembrance slowly purifies the mind. When the mind is filled with holy thought, lower desires and useless worries lose some of their force.

The third commandment is purity of conduct. Devotion cannot become deep if life is filled with dishonesty, harshness, jealousy, pride, greed, and selfishness. Truthfulness, kindness, humility, forgiveness, and self-control are necessary. A pure heart becomes a fit temple for divine love.

Ten Bhakti Commandments also teach purity of heart. The fourth commandment is to avoid hypocrisy in devotion. One should not worship outwardly while nourishing hatred inwardly. God looks at the heart more than outer display. Simple prayer offered with sincerity is greater than grand worship performed with ego.

The fifth commandment is surrender of ego. The ego says, “I am the doer, I am the owner, I am superior.” Bhakti says, “O Lord, all strength, talent, opportunity, and success come through Thy grace.” This attitude does not make the devotee weak. It makes action humble, pure, and free from pride.

The sixth commandment is selfless service. Serve others as forms of the Divine. Help the poor, comfort the suffering, respect elders, speak kindly, and perform duties without selfish expectation. Service expands the heart and removes narrowness. When work is done as worship, every action becomes spiritual practice.

Ten Bhakti Commandments become practical through selfless service. The seventh commandment is good company. Stay near people, books, music, thoughts, and surroundings that increase faith, purity, and devotion. Negative company can disturb the mind and weaken spiritual aspiration. Satsang, noble reading, and association with sincere seekers keep the heart inspired.

The eighth commandment is control of speech. A devotee should avoid gossip, lies, criticism, harsh words, and useless argument. Speech should be truthful, gentle, and helpful. The tongue that repeats God’s Name should not be used to wound others. Sweet speech is a natural ornament of devotion.

The ninth commandment is acceptance of God’s will. Life brings success and failure, pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame. A devotee should do their best and accept the result with faith. Acceptance does not mean laziness. It means working sincerely without losing peace when life moves differently from personal desire.

Ten Bhakti Commandments are incomplete without surrender. The tenth commandment is constant gratitude. Thank the Divine for breath, food, shelter, family, teachers, opportunities, lessons, protection, and even difficulties that bring growth. Gratitude removes complaint and opens the heart to grace. A grateful devotee feels rich even in simple circumstances.

These commandments should not remain only as words. They must be practiced in daily life. Begin the day with prayer. Repeat the Divine Name during work. Speak kindly. Serve someone without expecting praise. Control anger once. Forgive one mistake. Offer one worry to God. Small sincere acts, repeated daily, create a powerful devotional life.

Bhakti does not demand perfection from the beginning. The seeker may fall, forget, become angry, or feel dry at times. This should not create despair. Begin again with humility. God values sincerity more than outer perfection. Every prayer, every tear, every act of surrender, and every attempt to love purely brings the devotee closer to the Divine.

The fruit of devotion is inner peace. As love for God grows, fear becomes weaker, ego becomes softer, desires become moderate, and compassion becomes stronger. The devotee begins to see divine presence in all beings. Worship then expands beyond ritual and becomes a way of living, serving, forgiving, and loving.

In the end, Ten Bhakti Commandments show that devotion is a path of love, remembrance, purity, surrender, service, good company, gentle speech, acceptance, gratitude, and constant faith. When these principles are practiced sincerely, the heart becomes pure, the mind becomes peaceful, and life becomes an offering to God. Such devotion leads the seeker toward grace, wisdom, and liberation.

Points on Bhakti Yoga