Love For The Divine Transcends All Kin

Happiness emerges from total love;
Truth and renunciation lead to peace;
Without love there is no well-being;
Hearken! Oh valiant son of Bharat!

Students!

There can be no human being who is unaware of love. The universe is permeated with love. Love is beyond description. It is beyond the grasp of the mind and speech. Narada declared: Love is beyond the scope of words.

How can an ordinary man, living in this phenomenal world, understand such love? This love is an expression of Divinity. Like the mariner's compass, it always points to the Divine wherever it may be present. As oil makes a lamp burn, love illumines life itself.

What is termed love in ordinary worldly life is not real love at all. It is only one or other form of attachment based on human relationships in the family or in society.

True love is pure, selfless, free from pride, and is full of bliss. Such love can be got only through love. All worldly attachments are not real love at all. They are transient. The everlasting, pure love arises from the heart. In fact, it is ever-existing and all-pervading. How is it that man is unable to recognize such all- pervading love? It is because man's heart today has become barren and is polluted. The heart is filled with all kinds of desires and there is no room in it for pure, unsullied love to enter. It is only when the worldly attachments are expelled from the heart that there will be room for real love to abide in it and to grow.

TRUE LOVE GIVES AND GIVES

As a man grows from childhood to manhood, his attachments change from the mother to friends, to wife and children, and then to the acquisition of wealth. In the ups and downs involved in the pursuit of wealth, he begins to feel the need for God. This perpetual alternation of attachment and separation cannot be called real love which is spiritual and enduring.

The quality of true love is to give and not to receive. How many are to be found today in the world who love to give? Even a father hesitates to part with his property to his children. Only God can be the infinite giver. Hence love is a divine quality.

Although inherently love is present in every cell of the human being it does not manifest itself because of the pollution of the heart. A man without love in his heart is as good as dead.

LIVE THE MESSAGE

Once a preceptor summoned all his disciples and told them that he was going to give them something extremely sweet which they should protect from insects and rodents. The disciples resorted to various devices to safeguard the gurus gift. However, one of them ate the sweet, digested it and derived considerable strength and energy from it.

What is the lesson to be drawn from this story? It means that the teachings learnt from the preceptor are not to be merely preserved in safety. The nectarine message of the preceptor should be enshrined in the heart. It should be made part of ones being. Then the recipient acquires vigor and strength.

In the same manner, whatever you see or hear or read should be taken to heart and then put into practice. Only then you have the full satisfaction of benefiting from the teachings. Hearing is not enough. You must take in and digest what you have listened to. It must be put into practice in daily life This was the prayer which the gopikas addressed to Krishna that the nectarine music flowing from His flute should fill their dry hearts with divine love. A pure heart is essential for progress in the spiritual or other fields.

CHAOS IN THE WORLD

Divine love is all-compassing and the whole cosmos is contained within it. Hence it is essential for man to comprehend the nature of this love. Today, the world is riddled with disorder, violence and unrest. Injustice, exploitation, corruption and immorality are ubiquitous. All these are the very antithesis of love. Only through the divine love can the world be transformed.

Spiritual love (Atmic love) has to be distinguished from love (or attachment) related to the body, the mind or the intellect. These latter attachments are related to the world and they are the source of sorrow.

FOUR TYPES OF LOVE

Love of the Divine is of four kinds. One is Swaartha Prema(love based on self-interest). The second is Samanjasa Prema, the third is: Paraartha Prema.The fourth isYadaartha Prema.

Swaartha Prema is like a lamp kept in a room. The lamp illumines only the room. This kind of selfish love is confined to a limited group and does not extend to others. Samanjasa Prema may be compared to the light from the moon. This moonlight is visible both outside and inside. It is, however, not very effulgent. The light is dim. This kind of love extends to a wider group but is not very intense.

The third is Parartha Prema. It is like sun-light. It illumines both inside and outside with brilliance. But it is not continuous in the sense that the sun is not visible at night. But this is not a permanent absence, because the sun rises again. Actually, the sun is always there. Likewise, this selfless love may appear to be absent some times, but it will appear again.

The fourth one is Yadaartha Prema(or Atma Prema). This love is present always, inside and outside, in all places and at all times, in all circumstances. This is Divine Love. It is imperishable. It is eternal. It is immanent in everyone. When this love is manifested by a person, he achieves the peace that passeth understanding.

SUPREME EXAMPLE OF VIBHISHANA

How the love of the Divine manifests itself in a devotee is illustrated by the example of Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana. Vibhishana submitted himself to many indignities at the hands of Ravana out of the love he had for Rama. In the battle against the Rakshasas in Lanka, Rama and Lakshmana destroyed many of the great Rakshasa warriors on the first two days. On the third day a formidable warrior stood before them. Vibhishana told Rama: If you conquer this warrior, the whole of Lanka will be yours. He is a greater warrior than even Ravana. Rama fought with this mighty Rakshasa the whole day, but could not vanquish him. Rama was on the point of giving up the battle for the day. At this stage, Vibhishana, who was behind Rama said: This is not the time to give up the fight. You must rally all your strength and destroy the enemy. You should not miss this chance. I am telling this out of my love for you. Egged on by Vibhishana, Rama continued the fight and destroyed his opponent.

The formidable warrior fell on the battlefield. The moment he learned that the warrior was dead, Vibhishana also collapsed on the ground. Recovering himself after chanting the name of Rama, Vibhishana got up and confessed to Rama: Swami! This is a mark of weakness on my part. I should not have succumbed to such weakness. Having filled myself with your love, how could I succumb to such weakness? Rama observed: Thats all right. But why did you collapse so suddenly? Vibhishana replied: Swami! This happened because of bodily attachment. It was due to parental affection. That mighty warrior was my son.

GOD IS GREATER THAN SON

He was Vibhishanas son! See what Vibhishana did! To ensure the victory of the Lord, Vibhishana did not hesitate to get even his son killed in battle.

Rama asked Vibhishana: Why did you do this? Is it not wrong on your part? Why did you not tell me at the beginning itself that he was your son. Vibhishana replied: When you are facing an enemy, you should not worry about any kind of relationship on the battlefield. In this war there is no room for considerations of relationship. When anyone takes up arms against you, he ceases to be a relation. Whether it is mother, father, son or anybody else, when he figures as an enemy especially against God, there can be no question of relationship. I have completely surrendered to you. I am your servant. I must be primarily concerned about your victory and not about any temporary kinship. The only truth for me is your will.

It is this abounding love of Vibhishana for Rama which contributed to Ramas victory. Love for the Divine should be an inextricable bond. All other worldly attachments are impermanent. Thamasic bonds are like iron chains. Rajasic bonds are copper chains. Sathvic bonds are like chains of gold. But, whether the chains are of iron, copper or gold, they are chains all the same. The nature of the metals may vary, but the chains are shackles nevertheless. Vibhishana declared: I have no use for any of these bonds. I am content with the pure love of Rama.

It is to demonstrate to the world the supreme quality of total love for the Divine that Vibhishana acted in this manner.

SATHVIC FRIENDSHIP

Vibhishana is a Sathwic friend (Supremely sacred) of Rama. Despite his long intimacy with Rama, Lakshmana was not in the same category. He was a Sathwic brother, not a Sathwic friend. Sugriva was a Rajasic friend. Jambavan was a Thamasic friend. Vibhishana, though he belonged to the Rakshasa brood, stands out as a Sathwic friend (pure and selfless). It is in this unalloyed purity that love shines! It is utterly invaluable.

About Divine love theSruti (Veda) declares: It did not originate from the firmament. It did not grow from the earth. It has no birth and death. It is all-pervading. It emerges from the heart when the knots of ignorance are broken. This is how the Vedas glorified Divine Love. Even Narada (the author of the Bhakti Sutras) could not describe the nature of Divine Love. He described in various terms the state of mind of the devotees filled with love of the Lord. but he could nor describe love (Prema) itself. He compared Prema to a priceless gem. Likewise Tulasidas also referred to Ramas name as a precious gem.

CALL TO DEVOTEES

Where is this love to be found? It can be got only from Bhagavan Himself, who is the very embodiment of love. Do not treat lightly this infinitely valuable love, which is eternal, pure sacred and powerful beyond words. Do not miss this opportunity given to you by Sai. It is only devotion to His feet that will redeem you. Do not be swayed by anyones words. Come all of you! Come! Come along and take in this blissful love! [Telugu poem].

[Bhagavan crowned His discourse with His favorite bhajan: Prema muditha manase kaho: Rama! Rama! Ram!]