The Socio-Spiritual Terrain of Young Indian Widowhood: Exploring the Interplay Between Culturally Shaped Realities and the Ethos of Bhakti

Despite the recognized importance of spirituality and religiosity in bereavement coping, Indian devotional practices remain underexamined in existing literature. Anchored in the Dual Process Model of coping with bereavement, this study examines the role of bhakti (devotional love) in shaping grief experiences among young Indian widows. Drawing on 28 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with widows aged 21-40, the analysis situates devotional engagement within socio-cultural contexts marked by gendered norms and social constraint. The findings indicate that bhakti does not offer a permanent resolution to grief or structural hardship. Rather, it functions as a multi-dimensional, culturally embedded, and episodic coping resource that facilitates emotional catharsis, communal support, and meaning-making. Through these processes, widows oscillate between loss-oriented and restoration-oriented experiences, highlighting bhakti's role in supporting adaptive engagement with grief without negating its persistence.