Without bhakti how can the heart melt? Without melting of the heart, how can one’ṣ hairs stand on end and tears come to the eyes? Without hair standing on end and tears in the eyes how can the consciousness become purified? Bhakti purifies the antaḥkaraṇa completely, whereas other processes do not. That bhakti is understood by the presence of symptoms like hair standing on end. The heart melts by bhakti. Without that melting of the heart caused by bhakti, how can one’s hairs stand on end and how can one have tears in the eyes, using some other process? Without hairs standing on end and tears in the eyes, how can the heart become purified? The Kali-yuga avatāra has said: śrutam apy aupaniṣadaṁ dūre hari-kathāmṛtāt | yan na santi dravac-citta-kampāśru-pulakādayaḥ || Though one has heard the Upaniṣads, if one has not heart the sweet topics of the Lord, melting of the heart, tears and hairs standing on end will not take place. Padyāvalī 39 Thus, niṣkāma-karma, yoga and other processes purify the heart to some degree according to many scriptural proofs. However, direct realization of the Lord will not occur because of the presence of some contamination after practicing those processes. Prema-bhakti burns up that contamination, but the fire of jñāna does not.