Bhakti as Collective Emotional Labor

Bhakti means devotion or loving service; it is labor in the most profound sense—the work of maintaining love and presence despite difficulty. When communities collectively mourn, they engage in bhakti: the sacred work of honoring the dead, metabolizing shared trauma, and renewing bonds. This perspective challenges the idea that grief is merely private or pathological; instead, it recognizes collective mourning as essential spiritual work. Mirabai's entire life was devotional labor—singing, dancing, witnessing to her love. Similarly, our collective rituals of remembrance, our conversations, our tears—these are forms of bhakti that strengthen social fabric. By naming this work as sacred rather than burdensome, we can approach it with intention rather than resentment. Communities that mourn together, that do this emotional labor publicly and honestly, create deeper resilience and mutual understanding.