04.11 – To get devotion in our life, let’s put life in our devotion

Sometimes we lament, “Though I am practicing devotional service, why don’t I feel any devotion in my heart?”

Frequently, it’s because we are doing devotional activities half-heartedly, not whole-heartedly.

Krishna wants to reveal his all-attractiveness in our heart, thereby enabling us to relish the highest devotional happiness. But he respects our free will. The Bhagavad-gita (04.11) indicates that he reciprocates with us according to our desires. When we do devotional activities half-heartedly, our actions convey to him that our heart is elsewhere – and that we want it there or at least we don’t mind it being there. So, he doesn’t forcibly thrust himself on us. He reciprocates by not manifesting himself or manifesting only fractionally. Krishna’s self-revelation is what makes devotional activities relishable. Without that self-revelation, we feel no taste, no higher emotion, no devotion.

That’s why just the physical performance of devotional activities is not enough to relish devotion. We need to put our heart, our emotion, our life into those activities. To understand what this means, let’s think of how people do something that they love, say, how cricket lovers watch a match. Before the match, they excitedly look forward to it; during the match, they lose themselves in it; after the match, they fondly think and talk about it.

We may protest: “I don’t have that kind of devotion for Krishna. Then how can I absorb myself in him?”

By cultivation.

We do devotional activities not just to express our devotion, but also to express our desire for devotion. With this intention for devotion, we can try to absorb ourselves as much as we can. Krishna appreciates our sincere intention and endeavor. Soon, he will reciprocate by revealing himself, thereby bringing the higher happiness of devotion in our life.