(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 17 November 2018, Prema-Sarovara, Vrndavana, India, Parikrama 2018 Lecture)
The word bhakti can be translated to devotion, devotional service. Bhaja is the root form of bhakti. Bhaja dhatu includes love, service and worship. The very essence of bhakti is emotions. When we speak of rasa, it implies emotions.
Whilst we are in this material world, we become conditioned, therefore we have a lower and a higher nature. There are two sides to our nature. The lower nature has become attached to the temporary and things of small significance, like when I lost my teddy dog as a child. I got over it. I grew up. When I was five, however, that was a tough moment. Emotions that are too affected by the temporary are not to be given much importance. Our emotions have to be awakened to the eternal. As we are advancing, we awaken our emotions to the eternal, towards Krsna, and then these emotions become favourable. When connected to temporary things, these emotions will bind us to them, and because it is temporary, it will make us broken hearted.
The dhama remains after the whole world is destroyed. After the dissolution of the universe, when England, Brazil and Holland will be no more, the dhama will still be there. Not exactly as we see it now, but in a spiritual, eternal form. Let us connect our feelings to the eternal and that will liberate us. It is an advanced state to have feelings for Krsna!