15.19 – The best direction for the motion of emotion

Emotion. That’s what brings spice to our life. And love, the richest and deepest of all emotions makes life, with all its headaches and heartbreaks, worth living. Not just worth living, but worth looking forward to.

Yet the motion of emotion is not always pleasant; it can push us into trouble, even big trouble. As in the case of addicts, whose emotions drive them towards their addictions and make their life into a veritable hell. Or as in the case of all of us, whose emotions drive us towards temporary things that by their inevitable destruction leave us shaken or even shattered.

That’s why we need to use our intelligence to provide a safe direction for the motion of emotion. That is, we need to intelligently find the right object on which to center our emotion.

Gita wisdom doesn’t ask us to renounce all emotions. Because that only sends us into the pit of a sterile peace that soon becomes unendurable. Instead it urges us to redirect our emotions towards the eternal instead of the temporary. And it provides us the best eternal object for our emotions: Krishna. The Bhagavad-gita (15.19) urges us to devote ourselves to Krishna (bhajati mam) with all our emotions (sarva-bhavena).

Why is Krishna the best direction for the motion of our emotion?

Firstly, as Krishna is the source of everything, directing our emotions towards him enables us to connect emotionally through him with everyone and everything. By loving Krishna, we learn to love everyone and use everything for our and others’ lasting benefit.

Secondly, because Krishna resides forever in our heart and is perennially available to us.

No wonder that the same Gita verse declares that those who thus direct the motion of their emotion towards Krishna attain the pinnacle of knowledge (sa sarva-vid).