Jai Shri Krishna
When
we talk of 'Love' these days, what do we understand? The love that is
spoken about by young people? The love represented on television and in
the media? The love that is short-lived? The love that people 'fall in'
and 'fall out' of? Is this really love or is it lust?


When
I talk about love, I talk of the love that Meerabai had for Lord
Krishna; which made her dance in ecstasy, and even made her drink
poison and endure other difficulties. The same love is manifest in
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and in Sant Tukaram. Where such love is present,
that is where the Lord manifests. Tulsidasji says in the
Ramacharitamanas:


'hari vyaapaka sarvatra samaanaa, prema te pragat hohin main jaanaa'
"God is equally present everywhere, (however) I have realised that He appears where Love is."


When
I talk about love, I talk of that love which transforms an individual
into a universal being. I talk of the love that makes one truly
learned. Saint Kabir says:


"pothee padha padha jag muaa pandit bhayaa na koi,
dhaayi akshar prema kaa padhe so pandit hoi"

"The world dies in labour of learning; but none is called a learned one.
Only the one, who really learns the limited letters of 'Love' becomes learned."


What
does the word 'LOVE' stand for? Let us take each of the letters: 'L'
stands for Loyalty; 'O' stands for Objectivity; 'V' stands for
Veracity; and 'E' stands for Equity. If we develop the habit of love
with these four qualities, the world can become a fascinating place for
us.


Sacred
scriptures, such as the Ramayana and the Shrimad Bhagavatam, help us
feel the euphoria of love. They teach us that where there is love,
there is also sacrifice and surrender. Each character in the Ramayana
personifies these two traits. It is often difficult to tell which
character has sacrificed and surrendered the most. Listening to such
stories and epics awaken these qualities in the listeners.


Human
beings today are becoming selfish, narrow minded and cruel. They can
even kill for selfish ends. The world can become an abode of peace if
we learn to love one another.


These
days, we know how to use one another, but we do not know how to love
each other. Without such love, what is the value of our relations? They
are broken as soon as they have served a purpose. Tulsidasji says:


"sura nara muni saba ki yaha riti, svaarath laag karahin saba priti"
"Gods, humans, and saints all have the habit of loving till their purpose is fulfilled."


Rather
than love, wealth is regarded to have more value. The famous poet Gang
says to King Akbar: "As long as one has silver coins in his pocket, his
father says that he is a good son; his sister says that he is a
handsome brother; his mother says he is a luminary in the family to
bring respect; and his wife says that he is her Lord for whom she can
make all sacrifices."


This
is not love, this is selfishness. That is the difference between love
and selfishness. Love in fact gives and forgives, selfishness gets and
forgets! In selfishness, people do not love; they use one another, and
this policy of using others is nothing but a policy of lust.


Hence,
when we talk of love, we should talk of the true love that the great
saints of India have written about; the love that transforms us; the
love that brings about good qualities within us; the love that is seen
in our sacred scriptures; and the love that gives and forgives.


May this love become manifest and bring peace and happiness in the lives of all.

With love,
Adesh kumar


--
"in temporal affairs, give precedence to your mind over your heart. In spiritual affairs
give precedence to your heart over your mind. You will attain success in both."