God Loves "Love"

God adored Raidas, a shoe-maker, even though he worked with animal hides

Four paths have been described in the Vedas as a means to realize God, along with the respective results or fruits of following that path

• Karma: The fruit of performing virtuous karm is attaining a place in heaven - a celestial abode of transient, short lived and elusive happiness.

• Gyan: The fruit of following the path of gyan is removal of ignorance and attainment of eternal freedom from Maya - the ocean of miseries.

• Yoga: The fruit of following the path of Yoga is attainment of the divine bliss of Parmatma (Maha Vishnu), wherein the devotee gets to serve The Lord as a Master but does not get to enjoy the sweetness of more intimate relationship with the Lord which are called Bhav.

• Bhakti: The fruit of Bhakti i.e. unconditionally and lovingly submitting oneself only unto the Lord, is to enjoy the everlasting, ever increasing and ever new bliss of the divine Lord.

​Bhakti is capable of granting everything:

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यत्मकर्मभिर्यत्तपसा ज्ञान्वैराग्य यत् । योगेनदानधर्मेण श्रेयोभिरितरैरपि ॥ भाग ११.२०.३२ एवं भ​.र​.सिं.
yatmakarmabhiryattapasā jñānvairāgyataśca yat ।
yogenadānadharmeṇa śreyobhiritarairapi ॥ bhāga 11.20.32 and bha​.ra​.siṃ.

स​र्वं मद्भक्तियोगेन मद्भक्तो लभतेञ्जसा । स्वर्गापवर्गं मद्धाम कथंचिद् यदि वांछति ॥
sa​rvaṃ madbhaktiyogena madbhakto labhateṃjasā । svargāpavargaṃ maddhāma kathaṃcid yadi vāṃchati ॥

"The devotees of The Supreme Lord attain the rewards of following the path of Karm, Gyan, Yoga and any other foreseeable means". After attaining Divine love bliss, the devotee rejects all other achievements and remains thoroughly absorbed in the ecstasy of the Ocean of the nectar of love. Yet, Lord Krishna says,

 कथंचिद् यदि वांछति
kathaṃcid yadi vāṃchati

“If ever the devotee wants to enjoy the fruits associated with any other means, those fruits are already granted to the devotee”.

In a nutshell, Shri Krishna says “although I am invincible, yet any one can conquer Me by pure love. I do not want My devotees to do anything for me or offer anything to me”.

 पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति
patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati

“I  am pleased by a simple offering of Love even if it is in the form of a leaf, flower, fruit or even water”. In fact it is even simpler than that. If a devotee mentally offers anything to Him he accepts those as well.

The Supreme Lord is pleased by a simple offering of Love in the form of a leaf, flower, fruit or even water

One cannot attract Shri Krishna even if one were to perfectly implement all the aforementioned measures. He accepts only those who renounce all other desires and surrender unto Him alone. surrender unto Him means engaging one’s mind in loving thoughts of Shri Krishna, His names, His forms, His pastime, His attributes, His abodes and His fully-surrendered devotees. Once a devotee fully surrenders to Him, He ignores all their sinful past actions.

 अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक् । साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः, सम्यक् व्यवसितो हि सः ॥ गीता ९.३०
api cetsudurācāro bhajate māmananyabhāk । sādhureva sa mantavyaḥ, samyak vyavasito hi saḥ ॥ gītā 9.30

“I don’t pay any attention to the physical actions performed by those, whose minds remain completed absorbed in my thoughts alone.” But

 कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् । इन्द्रियर्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते ॥ गीता ३.६
karmendriyāṇi saṃyamya ya āste manasā smaran । indriyarthānvimūḍhātmā mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate ॥ gītā 3.6

“I am unimpressed by those who exhibit outward control of their senses, yet their mind remains engrossed in material matters. His physical actions of worship and simplicity are worthless to Me”. 

​History is full of such examples. Let us examine a few of them

In a love-trance Vidurani threw away flesh of bananas and offered banana peels to Shri Krishna

Arjun killed millions in the Kaurava army, yet Shri Krishna ignored all his gruesome actions. Shri Krishna only observes the action performed by the mind and Arjun’s mind was totally absorbed in loving thoughts of Shri Krishna.

Hanuman Ji killed millions of Brahmins in Sri Lanka, yet Lord Rama did not chastise him. Instead, he was rewarded for his service to the Lord.

Duryodhan prepared a variety of scrumptious food for Shri Krishna but Shri Krishna rejected that food in favor of the love-filled banana peels offered by Vidurani.

​The Vedas say,

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 मातृ देवो भवः
mātṛ devo bhavaḥ

“A mother is to be worshiped just like God”.

Lord Ram descended for establishing righteousness in this world. Yet, the actions of His brother Bharat towards his mother Kaikeyi were highly deplorable. Upon return to Ayodhya, when Bharat learnt that his mother was responsible for sending Shri Rama to 14 years exile, he became infuriated with his mother and said to her:

 भर्तृघातिनि दुष्टे त्वं कुम्भिपाकं गमिष्यसि ।
bhartṛghātini duṣṭe tvaṃ kumbhipākaṃ gamiṣyasi ।

“O damned women! Slayer of your husband! You will be doomed to the worst hell named Kumbhi-pak.”

हन्यामहमिमां पापां कैकेयीं दुष्टचारिणीम्।
यदि मे धार्मिको रामो नासूयेन्मातृघातकम्॥
hanyāmahamimāṃ pāpāṃ kaikeyīṃ duṣṭacāriṇīm। yadi me dhārmiko rāmo nāsūyenmātṛghātakam॥

Again He said,”I would have killed you, if I were convinced that my brother Shri Rama will not abandon me”. Rather than reprimanding Bharat for hurling insults at his mother, Shri Ram praised Bharat –

Bharat scolding Kaikeyi

 न सर्वे भ्रातरस्तात भवन्ति भरतोपमाः । मद्विधा वा पितुः पुत्राः सुहृदो वा भवद्विधाः ॥ रामायण​

“Bharat is the most dear to me”.

Poet Saint Tulsidas said

 भरत सरिस को राम सनेही । जग जप राम राम जप जेही ॥ रामचरितमानस​
bharata sarisa ko rāma sanehī । jaga japa rāma rāma japa jehī ॥ rāmacaritamānasa​

“The entire world worships and adores Lord Rama and Lord Rama in turn adores Bharat. Who can even come close to the greatness of such a great personality like Bharat”?

Again the Vedas say:

पितृ देवो भव
pitṛ devo bhava

Prahalad defied his father and continued to love God

"One should respect one’s father like God”. Prahlad totally disregarded this principle of the Vedas and disobeyed his father Hiranyakashipu orders. He continued to love God wholeheartedly, sang His glories and taught about Him to other children. Infuriated by the disobedience Hiranyakashipu ordered Prahlad to be killed. When all soldiers failed to kill Prahlad, he himself decided to kill his own son. God loves His devotees so much that without being invited, God descended on this Earth as Lord Narasingh to kill Hiranyakashipu and save Prahlad.

When Lord Vaman in the guise of a young ascetic, asked Raja Bali for three steps of land, Raja Bali’s preceptor, Shukracharya, cautioned him against giving the three steps of land in alms to the young ascetic. Bali disobeyed his preceptor, an unpardonable offense per the rules of the Vedas, yet Bali was rewarded with the attainment of divine grace.

​Although milk maidens of the land of Braj, referred to as Gopis, were married, they did not care about their marital status and loved Shri Krishna wholeheartedly.They offered their mind, body and soul in the service of Shri Krishna.

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Both Vedas and the society condemn the action of loving another man, yet Shri Krishna says that He will be forever indebted to the Gopis -

न पारयेऽहं निर्वद्यसंयुजां स्वसाधुकृत्यं विबुधायुषापि वः ।
या माभजन् दुर्जरगेह श्रृंखलाः, संवृश्च्य​ तद् वः प्रतियातु साधुना ॥ भाग १०.३२.२२
na pāraye'haṃ nirvadyasaṃyujāṃ svasādhukṛtyaṃ vibudhāyuṣāpi vaḥ ।
yā mābhajan durjarageha śrṛṃkhalāḥ, saṃvṛścya​ tad vaḥ pratiyātu sādhunā ॥ bhāga 10.32.22

“In order to please Me they have set aside the decorum of society, family and the Vedas. Even in the lifespan of the devatas, I will not be able to repay the debt of these Gopis”.

Please note: One year on earth is a day (along with night) in the abode of devatas.

Even though Shri Krishna is Self-Contented and Self-Complacent, He feels indebted to those who selflessly love only Him. 

Shri Krishna feels indebted to those who selflessly love only Him.

Bhakti means complete surrender, which signifies submission of the mind and the intellect. God so loves the completely surrendered souls that he bestows His own knowledge and bliss upon them thus making them equal to Himself

 जानत तुमहिं तुमहिं ह्वै जाई ॥
jānata tumahiṃ tumahiṃ hvai jāī ॥

It is proven that bhakti (love) is the only means to achieve the ultimate goal of life - attainment of unlimited, unending and ever increasing divine love bliss. God loves “love” so much that He remains forever under the control of His devotees who love Him wholeheartedly.

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कैसे रिझाऊँ तोहीं, गोविन्द राधे । प्रेम से हूँ निर्धन, धनवान बना दे ॥
O Shri Krishna! you are attracted by Love and I have none of it. Please grant me Love so I can attract you.

- Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

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