Let love prevail

25 December 1993, Christmas, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

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Whom the Mohammedans adore as , The Christians as Jehovah, The Vaishnavites as the Lotus-eyed Lord, The Shaivites as , That God, who confers on all Long life, health and prosperity, Is one only - have this conviction.

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The Lord is all love; Love is His Divine form; That Love is the redeeming For all beings in this world. Without experiencing a fragment Of that Love how can you experience The Divine, Oh man?

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Men today tend to forget the love-life relationship. Love today is mingled with self-interest. In the tree of every man's life there is the fruit of love. To enjoy this fruit, the rind that covers it has to be removed at the outset. The seeds in the fruit have .also to be removed. The sweet juice in the fruit can be enjoyed only after the rind and the seeds have been removed. In the fruit of the tree of life, the rind is (egoism). The seeds in that fruit are the selfish interests of man. Only when the ego and selfishness are eliminated, the sweet juice of love can be experienced.

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The described this love as "the sweet juice that is (nectarine) and the Supreme ." This means that the juice (of love) is nectar itself, is verily the (Divine). It is life itself. It is the Divine Effulgence - .

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This juice of love is equal to . It confers immortality on man and fills him with Divine bliss. Men today are unable to grasp the meaning of this Love Principle. It is essentially Divine in its nature. Hence, "Love is God; live in Love."

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Most people, however, in their fascination for sensuous pleasures and worldly objects, are deeming the attachments to these as love. Immersed in selfish pursuits and interests, men seek everything for only selfish reasons and have no regard for the transcendental. Everything is desired for self-enjoyment and not out of love for the sake of love. We should love for the sake of the Divine, to realise the eternal. Love should be for experiencing the effulgence of .

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The human body is like the sugarcane filled with the juice of love. It is only when the body is subjected to hardship that the divine, sweet juice of love can flow from it. Without trouble to the body, pains to the mind, and control of the feelings, how can you expect to experience the Divine? Men today aspire for liberation without suffering from their part. God's love is not to be secured so easily. The precious gem of love can be got only in the of (sacrifice). It is valued only in the Kingdom of Love. How can it be got in the market of cheap wares?

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In this manner, in the lives of many one finds that despite all the love and blessings they receive and the benefits they derive from the , some devotees turn against the Divine when their selfish desires are not fulfilled.

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There is a Vedhic saying: "The knower of becomes himself." You are aware of the Godly man, Moses, described in the Bible. He was one who was ceaselessly praying to the Lord. He was a fervent lover of God. His intense devotion and love ultimately transformed his face and filled it with a divine radiance.

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Likewise, the , through their intense devotion to , became the living images of . , who was a highwayman in his early years, acquired the radiance of by continually chanting the name of .

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Develop the sense of oneness with God Whatever the God you worship, adore Him with (a sense of oneness). Bodies may be two, but the heart is one. This is the feeling with which God should be worshipped. Only then you reach the state when you can declare: "You and I are one."

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Activities of "Messengers of " There is nothing more easy in the world than the spiritual path. It has to be followed in the form of (loving service). To demonstrate to the world the beauty, the sweetness and the glory of selfless and loving service, the association called Messengers of was formed (from among the old students of the College for Women at ). These girls, regardless of the families into which they got married and the countries where they had to live, pledged themselves to carry on their service activities. What this vow means should be properly understood. Men have greater freedom to act as they please. Married women have less freedom. They come under the sway of their husbands and in-laws. Despite these constraints, these former students have not only carried on their service activities but also interested their husbands in them.

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The service activities of the "Messengers of " are beyond praise. There are boy students amongst us. Of what use are they? They enjoy freedom, but are making no good use of it. They take no part in service activities. They are self-centred. But the girl students are not like that. They are not concerned about publicising themselves. To mention some of their service activities: In many small hamlets, these girls are building the roofs for the villagers houses, working like men. They go to the foreign countries where their husbands are employed.

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The annual report of the Messengers of mentions that their members are rendering service in different countries like Kuwait, Australia, and New Zealand. Their varied service activities are highly commendable. I am confident that very soon their activities will cover the entire world and promote the welfare of every country. Whatever work they take up, they carry it out with firm resolve.

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Follow the women's example For the past sixteen years, these ex-students of the Women's College have been rendering great service. For the past one week the old students present in have been eager to train themselves for security duties in the . Male students have shown no such eagerness. It is unbecoming of men students to be indifferent to service activities. It is a pity that they have not been impelled to action although they have been listening to the reports of the services of the girls year after year.

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There was an officer by name . He used to sport an impressive moustache. One day when he was going to his office, he passed by a man who was lying on the road, injured in an accident. He went on without rendering any help to the injured man, while some women rushed to his aid. In the office he reflected over his conduct and felt ashamed that he had failed to go to the help of an injured man while some women had gone to help him. Feeling that he had behaved in an unmanly way, he removed his moustache. When he went to the officers club the next day, the members noticed the change in his face and asked him what accounted for it. He confessed that he had failed to act as a true human being and had forfeited the right to call himself a man. From that day, he dedicated his life to social service.

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Service should be your watchword All those who are in high positions will acquit themselves as true human beings only when they render selfless service to their fellow-men. Plunge yourselves in society and take part in. service activities. Whenwomen are doing such splendid services, why should men lag behind? If men and women together render service, will be a gloriously prosperous nation. Not in alone, but in every country men and women should render service to those in need. Many overseas devotees here are found eating and strolling about without doing any useful work. They should shed their laziness and take part in some worthwhile activity.

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Many of the women carry on their service activities inspite of the troubles which they face from their husbands. This shows their spirit of sacrifice. The Messengers of are doing signal service. They need not confine themselves to their own members. They should try to draw other women into service activities and strive to improve the living conditions of the poor people in rural areas.

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Follow the message of If the name of Jesus is glorified all over the world today, it is because of His boundless love. He served the lowly and the lost, and in the end, offered his life itself as a sacrifice. How many of those, who call themselves devotees of Jesus, are following His teachings? Those who claim to worship , how far are they following His example? How many professed devotees of are living up to His teachings? There are many who claim to be devotees. How many of them are following the message of ? If everyone seeks the answer within himself, he will see that it is a zero Anyone who claims to be a devotee should dedicate his life to ideals. That is true devotion and real penance. That is the hall-mark of humanness. It will be reflected in love, which will find expression in compassion that generates real .

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