How do we invest emotions in whatever we do?
Answer Podcast
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positive future for ourselves how do we invest emotions in whatever we do yes in the Bhakti Sama Chandu there is a word that is used, Uddipan Uddipan is spiritual stimulus Bhakti Sama Chandu is quite a technical text and Uddipan has a specific meaning within that text but I’ll simply say Uddipan means that which evokes emotion so the example can be given now mother naturally has affection for her child but say when the child comes back home and comes running towards the mother she sees the child, that sight of the child increases her maternal affection so when say Yashodamai sees Krishna coming back she already has affection in her heart but when she sees Krishna coming back and Krishna runs towards her into her embrace the emotion increases further so there is already emotion but the Uddipan causes the heightening of the emotion, so in this case for mother Yashoda, the sight of Krishna coming towards her, that is the Uddipan, so for all of us even at our sadhaka stage we do have some Uddipans so when spiritual emotion is lacking within us we can use those Uddipans to trigger some level of spiritual emotion so for example if we are doing japa and we are very distracted we are totally unconnected so at that time if there is some maybe one or two lines from some Vaishnava song which we like very much because at that time it is difficult to remember maybe have that ready somewhere as a card or as some note or somewhere and just recite that a few times the mind is taking a going on a ride everywhere and taking us but when the mind finds something which it can connect with at an emotional level also then that brings us back so or it might be some philosophical point also which we find very convincing it might be the darshan of the deities some deities darshan which we feel very attracted to or it might be the photo of our initiation when we committed to chanting our japa, whatever so when there is not when we feel there is a lack of emotion in our practice of bhakti we have to find out what are the our sources of spiritual emotion what are our uddhipan and we keep them accessible and then through that we can invest emotion and then as we invest emotion emotion grows so even small things make a difference that means if I am sitting and chanting if I lean against the wall physically then what is happening then I am letting my body relax a little bit and that may not be very positive that may cause the emotion of lethargy or sleep so like that a small reorientation if I am sitting in a room I look here and there and I look at a picture of Krishna so small adjustment may help in stimulating spiritual emotions so we have to find out what is it that stimulates spiritual emotions within us and then try to invest that emotion so initially we may not feel any emotion when I decide to recite a particular verse or sing a particular song or it may be a simple during japa we stop and sing the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra in a sweet musical tune one or two times that itself may orient the mind so we have to see that if the mind is going here and there it is not just I am helpless so bringing the mind back and investing it with some spiritual emotion is my responsibility and how I can do that if we take inventory of our spiritual life we will find out our uddhipani and then we can do that thank you very much Maharaj you want to add something to this