LOVE

Just love! Love is the greatest worship. *Sri Krishna*

Sri Swami Vishwananda tells us something about Krishna:
Radhe Radhe! Now you always say “Radhe Radhe”. You know in
Vrindavan, actually, they don’t say “Hare Krishna”, they don’t even
mention the name of Krishna to greet somebody. They always
use the name of Radha. Do you know why? It’s because Krishna
left Vrindavan and they are still angry with Him. Well, there is
something to be angry about, because the Gopis had such Love for
Krishna, which is not comparable to any other kind of love. That’s
why, when he left, they were angry; also, the descendants are still
angry with him. It’s amazing the love relationship that the people
still today there have for Krishna.
It’s really one to one. It’s like He is the dearest one. They will tell
Him anything. They will scold Him even. Once something goes
wrong, they will scold Him. They know that He is God, but yet the
Love that they feel inside their hearts is even stronger. When do
you really feel you can, you are free to tell somebody something?
When you are close with that person, isn’t it? Or when you are
not? When you are not, you don’t bother about it. But, when you
are close with someone, you will feel free to express whatever, even
if it is anger, but this closeness, this relationship, this Love, that’s
what is the most important thing.
It’s how our relationship to the Divine is. This kind of Love our soul
has for the Paramatma and if we awaken this relationship, it will
come. It is said that the Gopi, the Queen Gopi, which is Radharani,
she will do anything for Krishna. Name it, She will do it. Even
giving Her life, She will do it. It so happened that, once the Gopis
were all singing to Krishna, “Krishna, we love you so much” and
everybody was saying “Oh, Krishna, we will do that for you.” You
know that very well. You know, when you are in love, you have big,
big promises, but sometimes, when it comes to practice - nil, zero.
Well, the Gopis were also saying, “Krishna, we love you so much,”
but yet Krishna wanted to test them. He is the Lord, who is seated
in each one’s heart; of course He knows, He knows better than
somebody’s mind can perceive.
So, one day He pretended to have a terrible headache and He was
screaming “Ah, I have terrible pain.” Everybody was shocked,
you know, and said “Oh, my Lord, what can we do for you?” All
those who had said they would do anything, said “Lord, we will
do anything for you; tell us.” Even Narad Muni came, who sings
always, “Narayan, Narayan” saying “I will do anything, my Lord,
to cure your headache”. Krishna looked at them all and said “OK,
fine. To cure my headache I need the dust off your feet; I need that
you press my head with your feet.” They all got shocked. He, the
Lord of Universe, is asking that His head be pressed by their feet.
None of them considered themselves worthy for that. They were
very scared, you know, that to press God’s head with their feet is
so disrespectful, first, and secondly, for sure they would go to hell
for doing it.
So everybody was a bit aghast. Everybody was discussing, talking
with each other how would they do that. At that moment Radha
came and she saw Krishna in such a state, you know. So, she went
to Krishna and said to Him “My Lord, tell me”, and Krishna said
the same thing that He had said to the Gopis. Then, when she heard
what she had to do, without thinking, without considering about
herself, she said “Yes.” There was Krishna lying in pain. She started
pressing the head of Krishna with her foot and everybody was
shocked. At that moment Krishna’s headache was gone. Everybody
was shocked, you know. They came to Radha and were very angry
with Radha and started cursing Radha, saying “Oh, you are so bad,
you are mean. How come you have put your feet on the head of our
Lord? Then for sure you will go to hell.” Radharani said to them
“Well, even the deepest hell will be a blessing for me, for it has
cured my Lord’s pain.”
So you see, in the relationship to the Divine you forget about
yourself completely. You forget about your own Realisation, you
forget about what will make you happy. Like it is said in the Bible:
The greatest happiness is when you can give your life for your friend,
isn’t it? True relationship is when one can give oneself completely
and when you are in love you always forget about yourself. Look,
everybody has been in love. Do you think of yourself, when you are
in love or do you think of the other person? So, the soul can always
be in love with the Divine, no?
So, you can always think of God. If we love God that way, then
we will be detached, also, from whatever is attaching us to this
world. We will be detached from whatever is stopping us from our
advancement. We want Self-Realisation, we want God-Realisation,
yet we don’t want to let go of everything. That doesn’t mean that
you should renounce everything and become sannyas, no, but be in
the world and know that everything comes from Him. Everything
is Him. It’s only Him who gives and everything will go back to Him.
As long as we stay in the circle of birth and death we will enjoy this
play, meaning not only the enjoyment of being happy, but meaning
enjoyment that is also painful, which you always complain about.
So, if one wants to always stay in the circle, one will always be in
the circle. But if one wants really to go out of the circle, one will
develop this unconditional Love for the Divine, unconditional Love
for everybody, unconditional Love for all His creation, because the
unconditional Love of God knows no limit, knows no “I love this
one; I hate this one,” and there is no judgment.
So, when we turn to the Divine with our good and with our not
good qualities, He will accept us, because He loves us. And, He is
calling all of us to love the same way He loves, but yet our mind is
a big barrier. All Holy Scriptures, all the Scriptures talk about the
Love of God. We have many who discuss about how it has to be,
but yet, in the simplest form, when you go inside your heart, you
know what is Love. It’s not about me to say as words what is Love,
because Love can’t be expressed as words. You can only feel Love.
Yet, you see in the world how many wars have been happening for
people expressing their views of how God loves people. One says,
“My God loves better.” The other one says, “No, no, no, no, you are
wrong. Mine is the best. Yet all are talking about only One God,
you know? So try to find this Love.
Your mind will ask for many things and when it gets whatever it
asks, it will ask for something else. But, if you go deep inside of you
and take time for yourself everyday, when you introvert and find
the Divine, find this Love, you will see that it was never far away
from you. It’s just here all the time. It’s just we don’t want it to flow.
We don’t want to let it go and as long as our mind comes in the way,
chant, “Haribol, Hari Nam, Kevalam.”
The only name is Sri Hari. The two syllables of Hari can even give
liberation, can even get rid of all the karmic things in one’s life.
It’s simple: Hari. We like to have big, big sadhana, but yet we don’t
understand anything. We like to chant big, big mantras, but yet we
don’t understand anything. What will please Him is to chant simple
things, but with Love.
Sabse Oonchi Prema Sagai. We say, “Love is the greatest worship,”
and the only thing that He accepts is this Love and out of Love
He does everything. Whatever one asks for, whether it is material,
whether it is spiritual, whether it will bring joy or pain to that
person, out of Love He will give it.
So, awaken this Love. In the heart of man let this Love awaken and
see that each one becomes a messenger of peace and Love. Each
one will spread this Love, without words, because you don’t need to
say, “I love you”, you just need to radiate it. You just need to know
yourself, that you carry the Love of God; as for the rest, not you,
but He will look after. It’s simple.