abhidheya | अभिधेय
abhidheya (Devanagari: अभिधेय ISO15919: abhidhēya) refers to the means to attain the ultimate goal.
Every jiva seeks the ultimate goal which is eternal bliss. Scriptures describe three paths to attain it: karma, jnana and bhakti .
To determine the validity of a path, we must examine which path fulfils the following five conditions:
- anvaya - the path must directly lead to the goal,
- vyatireka - the goal cannot e attained without following this path,
- anyanirapekshata - the path must be independent and not rely on any other
- sarvatrakita - the path must be accessible to all
- sadatanatva - the path must be eternal and everlasting.
Upon careful examination, it becomes clear that both karma and jnana are dependent on bhakti. In fact, on their own, they cannot even grant their intended results—karma leads only to celestial abodes, and jnana results in atma-jnana (self-knowledge), neither of which fulfills the soul’s ultimate longing for bliss.
Thus, the only true abhidheya is bhakti—devotion to Shri Krishna.
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