BHAKTI. The Sanskrit term bhakti is most often translated in English as "devotion," and the bhaktimārga, the "path of devotion," is understood to be one major type of Hindu spiritual practice. The bhaktimārga is a path leading toward liberation (mokṣa) from material embodiment in our present imperfect world and the attainment of a state of abiding communion with a personally conceived ultimate reality. The word devotion, however, may not convey the sense of participation and even of mutual indwelling between the devotees and God so central in bhakti. The Sanskrit noun bhakti is derived from the verbal root bhaj, which means "to share in" or "to belong to," as well as "to worship." Devotion, moreover, may not suggest the range of intense emotional states so frequently connoted by bhakti, most of which are suggested by the inclusive English word love. God's love, however, whether answering...