​Why do we feel enthusiastic initially in bhakti but later that enthusiasm goes away?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So in the initial stages of bhakti, there is a lot of enthusiasm and there are emotions also.
But over time those emotions don’t seem to stay. So how are they related exactly? There are two aspects to this. First is that in the initial stages, things are new even from the material perspective.
And in general, the human mind is always looking for something new and is enthusiastic about new things. So that’s one aspect because of which you may feel enthusiasm, you may feel newness and you may feel emotions at that time because you are exploring something new externally. And as you keep practicing bhakti, then the newness goes away.
And that’s why those emotions and enthusiasm may wane. The other aspect is that in the initial stages, Krishna may also give some free samples, some characteristics, some experiences of the advancements of bhakti for us to be inspired to move onwards. On my website, I answer questions.
So recently one devotee asked a question. When we go for yatra, you know, we experience such wonderful spiritual emotions. But then I come back and I feel I have come back to square one.
So what has happened? Is it that we advanced spiritually and then we fell back again? So I explained it’s not like that that we fall back. Rather, in the yatra, the whole cumulative energy of the sangha of devotees that takes us much forward than what we are presently. So the spiritual momentum of the association of devotees, it gives us temporary glimpses of what lies ahead of the path of bhakti.
And then after the yatra gets over, that momentum is not there. So we come back where we are. It is not that we go back.
It is not that we have gone ahead and we have come back. Rather, we just got glimpses of what lies ahead. And those glimpses, we can see them as inspirations for moving onwards steadily and reaching there.
So Krishna may give us the experience of advanced bhakti occasionally. In the initial stages or sometimes in the association of devotees. And also in the initial stages, if some of us may have practiced bhakti in a previous life, practiced spirituality in a previous life, then purvabhyasena tenaiva riyate yavasopisah.
Krishna says that because of the previous practice, one is helplessly attracted towards Krishna. Say suppose somebody has practiced bhakti till 30% in a previous life. And then they are born in a pious but a non-devotional family so much.
And then they start practicing bhakti. In the initial days, it is that uncovering from 0 to 30% is happening. The 30% was always there, but it was not manifested.
That uncovering from 0 to 30% happens and because that spiritual advancement was already there. So there is not much effort required to do that. It’s just quickly uncovering.
But from 30 to 31%, there is all a steady purificatory of an effortful growth. So what happens? There are emotions, but when there is effort required for getting those emotions and when you don’t put in the effort, then the emotions don’t come. Initially the effort, if we have already done some spiritual advancement, then the effort is minimal and the result is dramatic.
You feel so much spiritual growth. It’s not actually spiritual growth. It’s more of spiritual recovery of what we had.
But then afterwards when we have to spiritually grow, at that time, we have to put in the effort and it’s slow and steady growth. So that’s why because more efforts are required for actually growing rather than just uncovering. So that’s why later on we may not feel those spiritual emotions.
And that’s why we need the association of devotees, especially association of like-minded devotees who can inspire us to move onwards in the path of bhakti when we have our ups and downs. So when we have our downs, others lift us up. When others have their downs, we lift them up.
So we need good association. We need encouraging association, at the same time cautioning association which helps us move onwards. And that association of devotees will help us to move onwards even when we do not feel the spiritual emotion.
And as I said earlier also, if we can find out something which we can be committed to in the service to Krishna, then that will also give us some, maybe not a very high level of emotion, but some steady emotional connection, steady connection of some level of emotional fulfillment will be there if we are doing some activity which is within the realm of bhakti and which also inspires us. And that way we can move onwards towards steady spiritual growth.