The heart is the most appropriate place or receptacle for the manifestation of bhakti. Śabdasāra says, yato-nirjyāti viṣayo yasminścaiva pralīyate hṛdayaṁ tad-vijānīyāt-manasa sthitikāraṇam: “The heart is the place where all desires appear and all desires merge. The heart is the cause of the mind’s disposition.” Another name of the heart is citta. Though it is material in its nature, by the will of the Lord it becomes worthy for the manifestation of transcendental pure devotion. It is thus compared with a fertile field for sprouting the grains of bhakti. As a desert or barren land full of stones is not suitable for cultivation, so the intellect, very rough due to mental speculations, is not at all suitable for the manifestation of bhakti. Through intelligence one can attain material knowledge, but spiritual knowledge needs to be approached through the heart. An unintelligent boy may have deep faith in bhakti due to his previous birth’s saṁskāra (impression of previous activities on the mind), while a very intelligent person may be an atheist. So the heart is most receptive for the manifestation of bhakti, not the mind or intellect. Gradually the mind and intellect of the devotee are spiritualised, as a piece of iron is turned into gold by the touch of a touchstone.

Srila Ananta das Babaji