Picture: Mother gave the love of God to all
Truly speaking it is not that we have to love God; we have to know that God who is Love is enthroned in our hearts. By surrendering ourselves to this Divine Love in us, we become embodiments of that Love. By constant remembrance and meditation we realize His presence in us and our life becomes filled with His light and love. His love then radiates through us and we see with love, talk with love, give with love, receive with love and act with love.
Swami Ramdas
This great saying by Papa is really tremendous. So what does it mean when we hear elsewhere that we must love God in order to know Him? There are two stages for the love of God, one is from the aspiring human viewpoint, and the other is totally Divine.
Human love of God means you aspire, pray, and work for loving God more than the world. That is, you have an overwhelming need and drive for God-consciousness, truth, bliss, expansive awareness and universal vision that supersedes your greedy, lustful, self-centered way of life. This striving for higher consciousness uses the power of attraction that is generated by powerful love to purify your mind and lift you into the supreme consciousness of God.
Achieving union with God makes the second stage of the love of God a living reality. You are now merged in universal divine love. Love naturally pours through your heart, love guides and enlightens you, it effortlessly flows through every part of your being in thought, word and action. Divine Love is now part and parcel of your being.
This past week we spent in Ashland with a beautiful group of flowering devotees and aspirants, all coming together in Satsang–a sanskrit term that means: Sat-truth, and sang-gathering, gathering together to immerse ourselves in the highest truth. In the midst of these sincere seekers the love of God radiated and flowed through my heart and soul without limit.
Mother said that she gave to all the love of God. Today I understand that differently than I did when I first heard Mother say it. Although I could feel love, such as I had never experienced before, flowing from Mother I had no idea of the source of that love or what she must be experiencing when she said it. Now I can say, from my own experience, I give the love of God to all, and it is the most magnificent experience–a way of seeing God in action.
My heart is wide open as love flows like a vast river. There is no beginning or end, only radiant love shines and moves through to one and all. It has no demand nor does it need reciprocity, however it glows brightly when there is receptivity in another. It is strong in the physical presence of someone or a group, but it is equally powerful from a distance as well. When I think of another who is far away there is a distinct awareness that love is transmitted directly to the recipient. There are literally no barriers, even what we call death is no bar to the power of this love. It is not sentimentality, nor is it blind or deluded, rather it is transcendent and knows the worth of another far better than what the faculties of our senses or mind can comprehend.
Whether you are practicing loving God in order to attain Him, or you are immersed in divine love through realization, love will be found the most potent force in all the three worlds. To remain in a sterile world empty of emotion is not proof against suffering; it is only through union with God will you know that freedom. If you ask, “Where is this love you speak of?” It is here, within you, and all around you, you are verily swimming in an ocean of love, and always have been–you need only receive it.