Bhakti and the Bhakti Movement

This book establishes that the accepted academic definition of bhakti is a modern construction; and that it was artificially formulated by certain Western Indologists of the 19th century with the aid of criteria which had no relevance in the context of Hinduism. The process of its formulation has been examined historiographically in this critique to show how it had gradually taken shape between 1846 and 1909. The reasons for its subsequent incorporation in modern Indian scholarship have also been made clear. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach in this book, Dr. Sharma has grappled with many vital issues related to the bhakti theme. This is a reprint of the 1987 classic.