If bhakti is triggered by external stimuli does such bhakti come from the heart?

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Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, if we say that the emotion is to be stimulated, triggered by certain externals, then it can seem like artificial or forced. Is it not coming from the heart? Yes, the attraction to Krishna is there in the heart.
But right now, it is not expressed. Because it is covered over by impurities. So, in the process of Bhakti, we activate that which is needed.
Prabhupada in the Naturopathic Devotional Introduction says that a child has the capacity to walk. And the parents have to train the child. But if the child had no capacity to walk, then the parents, no matter how much they train, the child would not be able to walk.
So, similarly, the attraction towards Krishna is there within our heart. And through the stimuli, we are actually triggering, activating that which is innate. And initially, the mother may have to encourage, come on, walk, no, even if you fall, don’t worry, you will get up.
May offer the finger, get the child to walk. But eventually, a child walks on their own because there is innate capacity. So, in the sadhaka stage, we do need stimuli.
So that we can become attracted to Krishna. So that our attraction to Krishna awakens. As the stimuli, as we become more and more advanced, the attraction to Krishna is there even in the absence of stimuli.
So, there is this understanding which is misunderstood by some people. In the Bhagavatam, it is said that that deity worship that is needed for the sadhakas, for the advanced devotees, deity worship is not needed. Some people misunderstand it and say that deity worship is for less intelligent people.
It’s not like that. For those who are very advanced devotees, even if there is no deity, still they will remember Krishna. But for those who are not so advanced, the presence of the deity is important for remembering Krishna.
So, it is not artificial. It’s more a matter of training. It’s more a matter of bringing out that which is within.
And if there is no core intention to bring that out which is within, then no matter how many external stimuli are provided, it will not awaken. Some people may just stay close to a temple. Some people may come to a temple every day also.
But if there is no desire to become attracted towards Krishna, then… I know once one of my friends came to a temple, Rala Gopinath. He was a carpenter in woodwork. So, he came to a temple, just caught in the Mumbai temple, a very beautiful woodwork over there.
So, he spent 35 minutes looking at the woodwork only. It was right in front of the altar, but he did not even spare one glance to look at the deities. And all that he remembers, Oh, your woodwork was very good.
So, what has happened, if the person has no desire to become attracted towards Krishna, no matter how many stimuli are there, that’s not going to help. So, the stimuli can help to strengthen the desire which is there within. To get that to manifest.
So, ultimately the stimuli alone will not be enough. Just like there are many people who live in Vrindavan, which is filled with immense spiritual stimuli. But then, they are living materialistic lives.
Because they have no desire to become attracted towards Krishna. So, without that core desire to become attracted towards Krishna, the stimuli will not help. But if the stimuli are there, the desire is there, then the desire will grow faster through the stimuli.
So, without the soul’s intention, purification cannot happen. Transformation cannot happen. But with just the intention, the transformation also will take a very long time to happen.
With the intention, when there is appropriate stimuli, then the transformation happens faster. So, Prabhupada gives the example. Say, in India, sometimes if a car doesn’t work, a car doesn’t start, then a number of people come around and start pushing the car.
And they push the car from outside. Inside, the person is trying to drive the car. And then, together, the car starts moving.
So, he says, like that, sometimes when we are trying to practice bhakti, somehow our anarthas, our weaknesses, they don’t allow us to practice. And then devotees come and push us. And we try internally, and devotees push us externally.
And then, our car starts moving. We start practicing bhakti. But suppose, the people from outside are coming and pushing the car.
But internally, this person is pressing the brakes. Then the car will not move. And afterwards, the other people will also say, why should we push the car? If we are not interested in moving.
Or the person inside goes to sleep. Why should they push the car? So, like that, if the car itself is not moving, the internal effort and the external assistance, both will get the car to move. So, like that, the internal effort is our own desire to move towards Krishna.
And all the stimuli, they are like external. So, both can work together. In the natural, healthy state of the car, even without the pushing, the car should move.
So, like that, then our love for Krishna has developed. Automatically, even when there is no stimuli, we will remember Krishna. Now, Prabhupada, once he saw a hotel continental, and he said, oh, this is Hotel Chintamani.
He was thinking of the spiritual world. He misperceived in a way that is devotionally favorable. So, even when there is no spiritual stimuli, devotee will see spiritual stimuli.
That is a very advanced stage. But at our stage, our intention and external assistance, both help us in moving towards Krishna. So, thank you very much.