Rasika Manjari dasi- Rasika Manjari dasi
The Longing of the Heart
Soul Food
When we feel there is something missing from our lives, that there is a hole in our heart that nothing seems to adequately fill, we are being called to action.
We may think we can ignore that call, but the hole in the heart has a voice and it’s loud. It forces us to try and fill it up so that it can feel complete. “GIVE ME FOOD!” It shouts.
So of course we listen and we feed it with what we think it wants - for some it’s work, for others food, then of course there is gambling, shopping, sex, video games, drugs, alcohol, smoking….. name your poison.
We all have a unique kind of putty to plug up that hole in our hearts and it's usually just a bit too much of our favourite toxin, just to keep that noisy hole quiet once and for all.
This happens of course when there is a communication breakdown between the noisy hole in the heart and you… “I SAID FOOD NOT NOXIOUS STIMULI!”, cries the poor misunderstood hole.
Whether we like it or not, for the duration of our entire life on this earthly planet we are driven by one task.
To fill the gaping, empty space in our hearts.
We try for this in so many ways, often realising that either the chasm is way too deep or that the shape of that space is so unique, nothing quite fits.
Ask anyone - it’s really, really hard to find the perfect fit! The huge burden of mental illness and drug abuse on our planet is practical proof.
But why are we looking to poison for solutions? Is there no other alternative?
There is, but most people don’t know it.
The Perfect Fit
The truth is that you are a sensory being and your experience of the world is had through your senses. This, and your ability to inquire and choose is what makes you human.
Your senses supply information, your mind processes it and then your heart feels the results through your emotions.
When you don’t have a higher taste you look far and wide to try to get a positive emotional hit to feed your complaining heart.
Question: So how to get a higher taste and disentangle ourselves from the trap of ‘out of control’ senses?
Answer: Saturate the senses with quality experiences.
Then, the senses, the mind, the heart and everyone around can be happy and the cavity in your heart is nicely filled.
At this point the senses don’t look elsewhere for satisfaction, being happy at home.
BUT there is a trick to it - a secret actually - otherwise everybody would be doing it.
The ’secret’ is actually a lifestyle and it is called.... Bhakti Yoga.
The ancient timeless practice of Bhakti Yoga literally means to unite with the Divine (Krishna aka God) in devotion.
This refers to the process of filling the hole in your heart, which is shaped suspiciously like Krishna. (I will refer to God as Krishna throughout these blogs as this is His primary name in the Bhakti Yoga tradition.)
The brilliant thing is that Bhakti Yoga is fun, pleasurable and satisfying, because your senses are being treated to a higher taste. A bit like, if you become accustomed to fine dining, fast food just doesn’t cut it for you anymore.
So when you eat sanctified vegetarian food, when you hear the melodious tunes of kirtan (devotional chanting), when you see the exotically beautiful forms of Krishna through art, when you smell the glorious incense and flowers offered to Krishna and when you touch others who are all doing the same thing - then magic is made.
The result is that the senses, saturated with such stimuli, start to back away from lower sensory experiences. They start wanting only the best and they now know where they can get it - in the association of like minded people.
And suddenly that hole in your heart is not crying for sustenance but singing with joy because it has found the exact right fit.
Practice Makes Perfect
Then what happens next is truly brilliant. You start to embody and become what your senses and ultimately your heart, is experiencing.
Love.
Everywhere you look in the world around you, in the heart of every living being, in every thought you think, in every emotion you feel, through all of your senses - you now see and experience only love.
Why?
Because your consciousness is changing. You are starting to experience your New Heart.
The purification process has started because you have selectively let love in and now love is coming out.
New Heart meets the New World. A place that has been created by many such similar hearts.
Bhakti Yoga is a practice, and practice makes perfect. You can start by yourself, then in time take it to the streets! I assure you that you will want to share what you’ve got - it’s that good.
Sound like some impossible fantasy? Try it and see.
Bhakti Yoga is an experience. When you feel it yourself, you will recognise Bhakti Yoga for the profound love that it is.
In the words of Dr. Seuss
“With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street!”
Visit the Bhakti Yoga neighbourhood instead. You’re warmly invited.
You can start by checking out my other blogs for more information.
You can find a lot more concise information by checking out my videos containing secrets of the ancient, timeless knowledge of Bhakti Yoga - literally at your fingertips.
The Bookshelf is also a good place to start the Bhakti Yoga magic.
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A fabulous way to connect to similar minds and hearts is to find an international Bhakti Yoga Centre near you (Branches of ISKCON - The International Society of Krishna Consciousness), where you can speak to an experienced yoga practitioner and receive personal guidance.
If you would like to explore how you can incorporate Bhakti Yoga into your life in a balanced and harmonious way, and feel you would benefit from one on one support, you are welcome to book a personal discovery session with me, Rasika Manjari.
See you at the New World.