Meaning of ‘From the heart’ in devotion

14 Mar

Meaning of ‘From the heart’ in devotion

What is this from the heart thing mean? Sometimes devotees… more some less some but some devotees use this phrase you know ‘from the heart’. Here is what our Acaryas have to say about that, starting with Rupa and Sanatan Gosvami. And those of you that know Rupa Gosvami’s writings, this is the key verse that the entire Nectar Of Devotion rests upon – that’s like this deeply held unchanging conviction of Rupa Gosvami; what bhakti is. And then everything else comes from what Bhakti is. Let’s say it together ‘anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁjñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtamānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā’. Those that put in big bold letters – SHILANAM, that’s the verse and Prabhupada’s translation of it includes, the highest Bhakti, that’s ‘Bhaktir uttma’ is defined as continuous service or emotions directed towards Krsna. Hmm service or emotions. So actually this is Jiva Gosvami’s rendering because Jiva Gosvami, Student of Rupa Gosvami, made commentary on ‘Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu’ and here is from his commentary. This word – ‘anushilanam’ because ‘Krsna anushilnam’ so ‘anushilanam’ must be understood only through the sense of its verbal root.I am not a Sanskrit scholar but I have heard it said many times in Prabhupada’s teachings. ‘Dhatu’.. means verbal root. You understand a word from its dhatu – verbal root, kind of sensible. There is a tree and the tree manifests from the root, so, if you understand the root you understand the tree. Anyway that’s linguistic rule – dhatu. So then he goes to the verbal root of ‘anushilna’ is ‘shil’- the signification of the verbal root ‘shil’ is two fold. The pravratti – expressing action that’s what you see, worship, practice,serve and nivritti – expressing the non action or to be intensely absorbed that’s the emotion part. Emotions you don’t see you see the behaviors or the worship or the practice – what’s that resting upon what you are contemplating, you don’t see the mind we know we have one, behaviors come from the mind, here we are, we are in Kishore Kishori Mandir temple room, legs brought us here but before the legs brought us here something happened in the mind and fortunately legs obeyed and brought us here. That’s the part you don’t see, the non action or to be intensely absorbed.  Shil means these 2 things act practice serve worship and meditate.