Dāsya
Dāsya · dāsya, “service, servanthood”
Grammar: neuter noun, from dāsa (servant): “the state of being a servant”.
Meaning: service; in bhakti, the attitude of a servant (dāsa-bhāva) towards Śrī Hari, offering all one’s acts as his service.
In the scriptures: when Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his son what he had learned, Prahlāda answered that bhakti is of nine kinds: hearing the līlās of Śrī Hari, singing their glory, remembering, serving the feet of Śrī Hari, pūjā, namaskāra, the attitude of a servant towards Śrī Hari, friendship, and offering oneself to Śrī Hari; if the sādhaka performs such bhakti directly to Śrī Hari with the attitude of offering, that is the highest study (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 7, Chapter 5).
On the rāsa night the gopīs said to Śrī Kṛshṇa: “O Purushottama, destroyer of pāpas! We have left our homes with husbands and the rest, and have come to the root of your feet with the longing to serve you. Be gracious to us. Our hearts are burning with longing to see your beautiful smile. Grant us your dāsya, to be your servants” (Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10, Chapter 29).
Related terms: Bhakti · Sevā · Sakhya · Ātma-nivedana · Pāda-sevana
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 7, Chapter 5; Skandha 10, Chapter 29