Chapter XVII

#	Sanskrit Original	Translation by Y. Subrahmanya Sarma	Translation by Swami Bhuteshananda	Translation by Swami Sivananda
81.	त्रिसत्यस्य भक्तिरेव गरीयसी, भक्तिरेव गरीयसी॥	For all the three divisions of time - past, present and future - Bhakti alone is preferable to other paths, Bhakti alone is preferable.	Devotion to the eternal Truth alone is the greatest.	In all the three periods of time i. e., past, present and future, devotion alone weighs heaviest (most glorious), devotion alone weighs heaviest (most glorious).
82.	गुणमाहात्म्यासक्ति-रूपासक्ति-पूजासक्ति-स्मरणासक्ति-दास्यासक्ति-सख्यासक्ति-वात्सल्यासक्ति-कान्तासक्ति-आत्मनिवेदनासक्ति-तन्मयतासक्ति-परमविरहासक्ति-रूपैकधाप्येकादशधा भवति॥	Though in itself one, this Bhakti manifests itself in eleven different forms: (1) attachment to the glorification of the blessed qualities of God, (2) attachment to His beautiful form, (3) attachment to His worship, (4) attachment to His remembrance, (5) attachment to His service, (6) attachment to His friendship, (7) attachment to filial love for Him, (8) attachment to wifelike love for Him, (9) attachment to self-surrender, (10) attachment to being filled with Him, and (11) attachment to an intense feeling of excruciating pain of separation from Him.	Though itself only one, Bhakti manifests itself in eleven forms: love of the glorification of the Lord's blessed qualities, love of His enchanting beauty, love of worship, love of constant remembrance, love of service, love of God as a friend, love of God as a son, love of God as the husband, love of self-surrender to Him, love of complete absorption in Him, and love of the pain of separation from Him.	Devotion, though one in kind, assumes eleven-fold forms or aspects according as it manifests in the form of attachment to the attributes and greatness of God (guna-mahatmya-asakti), attachment to His beauty (rupa-asakti), attachment to His worship (puja-asakti), attachment to His memory (Smarana-asakti), attachment to His service (Dasya-asakti), attachment to His friendship (Sakhya-asakti), attachment to parental affection towards Him (Vatsalya- asakti), attachment to Him as of a beloved wife (kanta-asakti), attachment to self-dedication to Him (atma-nivedana-asakti), attachment to self-absorption (tanmayata-asakti), and attachment to permanent self-obliteration (parama-viraha-asakti).