POWER OF LOVE
Everyone wants to reach their target as soon as
In today‟s world, everything is only a single click away. Everyone wants to reach their target as soon as possible. They seek a shortcut to reach their goals. Similarly, the spiritual seekers too want to reach their target, that is, communion with God, as soon as possible.
Numerous ways for the spiritual seekers to reach their real destination
There are numerous ways for the spiritual seekers to reach their real destination. However, there is a unique path by which they reach their target in single click; that path is “Devotional Love‟. This love is not the physical one; it is the love that connects the soul to the Supreme Soul, that is, the Divine Master who is the personified form of the almighty God.
Love of Shri Meerabai Ji
Love of Learned One Shri Meerabai Ji towards the Lord Shri Krishna, love of Bhaktimati Shabri Ji towards the Lord Shri Rama, love of the Divine One Shri Guru Angad Dev Ji Maharaj towards the Divine One Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj, are a few examples of devotional love.
Learned One Shri Meerabai Ji used to join the holy company of the Saints and was imbued in the love for God. Her parents tried to stop her from going to the company of the Saints, but it had no effect on her. She was steeped in devotional love.
Her Lord was everything to her. Finding all other efforts in vain, her parents ultimately married her. However, even this did not bring any change in her. Rana, her father-in-law, tried his best to prevent her from going to the company of the Saints, but he simply failed.
Anxious of social ridicule, he mixed poison in her milk to kill her and sent that milk to her as the Lord‟s Blessings (Holy Prasad). However, the poison had no effect on her. Then he sent her a poisonous snake, concealed in a basket, along with a message that it contained an idol of her Lord. However, she obtained vision of the Lord in the serpent.
Worldly people are bewildered and they say how could such things be possible?
How could a deadly serpent not bite? How could one live after drinking a cup of poison?
They do not know that when fire of love is kindled in the heart, it burns away all the dirt of dualism and the lover sees the Beloved in every particle of the universe. The lover then develops the state Learned One Shri Meerabai Ji was in.
In this vast universe, it is the love that binds everything. It binds people among themselves, and connects devotees with the Lord.
Bhakt Prahlada
Everyone is aware of the cruelty with which Bhakt Prahlada was treated by his own father. He was rolled down a mountain, thrown into the fire and an infuriated elephant was directed to charge on him, but nothing could harm him; why? The reason is that he saw the Lord in all these forms. When he was able to see the Lord in the fire, how could fire burn him?
He saw the Lord in the murderous elephant also; that is why the elephant also did not harm him. This is the miracle of love. Only the true lovers can comprehend it, whereas the intellect of worldly people cannot rise to such heights.
Shri Hanuman Ji
In Shri Ramayana, it has been stated that Shri Hanuman Ji set fire to the whole of Lanka, but the house of Vibhishana, brother of King Ravana and a devotee of Lord Shri Rama escaped the flames of fire.
Love is such a wonderful sentiment
When one completely surrenders oneself to the Lord, then all the powers of the Nature rush to one said.” Love is such a wonderful sentiment, that before it all the strong and valiant bow their heads.
We may put this to experiment. Whomsoever you consider your enemy, remove the thought of enmity towards him from your mind and nurture affectionate thoughts towards him again and again and paying no attention towards his faults and shortcomings; regard him as deserving your compassion and affection.
If he hates, you ignore it. Your attitude towards him should be of love and compassion. You will perceive the result in a few days, the tables would be turned, and his hatred would be transformed into the sincere love for you.
Saint SahjoBai Ji
Learned Saint SahjoBai Ji states that those who are imbued with Lord‟s love, they become oblivious of the world, its affairs and even their own physical bodies. They undergo transformation and make no distinction between a king and a beggar because they perceive their beloved Lord in every form.
Keep in Mind – there is a big difference between physical love and the devotional love.
one must keep in mind that this love is not physical; this is one‟s love for the Supreme Lord and as a result, it develops in one for all the integral parts of God, that are, souls. Here, it is necessary to make clear that there is a big difference between physical love and the devotional love. Physical love binds us in the shackles of illusion of the world, whereas the devotional love makes us free from that
A Learned Saint
Once, there was a Learned Saint. On a winter day, late in the evening, he came from somewhere to the capital city of a king. Very near to the palace of the king, there was an oven of the grain-fryer which was run with coal and wood. The saint took out some warm ashes from the oven, spread that on the ground and stretched himself over that.
when the king looked out of the window
In the morning, when the king looked out of the window, he saw a man sleeping soundly over the ashes. It gave him a great surprise. How could a man sleep in such tranquility when he had neither bed below his body nor a sheet to cover.
He thought, “Though I have thick velvet beds, heavy blankets, and all the comforts at my command and with so many servants to press my legs to make me sleep, yet I get no sleep. I keep changing sides all the night; why?”
The king kept thinking. He could not resist himself from sending a servant to call that sleeping man. The servant at first hesitated to awaken that Saint, but in view of the command of the king, he said in Saint‟s ear, “O Lord! The king has requested your presence. Kindly come and meet the king. He is restless due to no sleep at night and most probably wishes to consult you in that connection.”
The Saint accompanied the servant to meet the king
The Saint accompanied the servant to meet the king. The king received him with due respect and offered him a beautiful seat. The king said to the Saint, “I am sorry to have disturbed you in your sleep, but I have a question to ask, which only you can answer.
I saw you lying over the ashes in the winter without anything to cover yourself, and this gave me a surprise because when with all the comforts and cozy bed, I have not been able to pass a comfortable night; then how have you spent the night on the bed of ashes?”
The Saint could easily read the mental state of the king whose mind was highly polluted by his selfishness on one hand, and by the complicated problems of the state on the other.
The Saint said to the king
The Saint said to the king, “I spent my night somewhat like you and somewhat better than you.” The king could not make out what the Saint meant, so he asked for the clarification of his reply.
The Saint said, “When we were both asleep, our time was spent alike, as both of us were unaware of ourselves, but when we were awake, I was better than you because your mind might have been engrossed in the worldly matters while I was meditating on the divine form of the Holy Master. Second, you are always immersed in worries whereas I am absolutely free from such disease.
Hence, my life is purposeful and more peaceful than yours.”
The king said,”Please show me the way to happiness.
The king said, “It is true that bound by the mesh of woes, I am unable to even breath peacefully, whereas you are very happy even while sleeping on the ashes and quite contented without possessing anything. Dear Master! Please show me the way to happiness. I am most unhappy due to the problems of the state.”
The Saint said, “O king! Give up all the worries
The Saint said, “O king! Give up all the worries. Solely contemplate on the Lord Who is your true friend. Do not regard anything as your own. What are you worried about? Let the Lord worry whose world is this. Just contemplate on Him; He will drive away all your worries.
Learned saints have enlightened that only the ignorant ones worry over the worldly affairs. The Saints and devotees solely meditate upon the Sacred Name. O mendicant, you contemplate on the Lord alone, and He himself will take care of you.
The Saint said, “When you start practicing this, all your complaints will disappear and you will rule in eternal bliss.
This is the path of the lovers of the Lord. They may appear to be crying, but in fact they are inheritors of true happiness. They may have impression of being mad, but they are truly the wise ones.
We pray at the Holy Lotus Feet of our Divine Master to bless us with devotional love
People laugh at them, but they pay no attention to this. They keep on carrying with their real task quietly. We pray at the Holy Lotus Feet of our Divine Master to bless us with devotional love so that we make progress on the path of devotion and attain your true pleasure.