In plain words
So we must try to keep this attachment and possessiveness under control to some extent.
Prema is the strong power
We must not keep Prema, God's own wealth, to human beings alone; we must spread it to all living things, to all creatures. The power of Prema is a mighty power. There is no other power beyond it. But, unfortunately, people give Prema all sorts of meanings, take up its misreadings, forget its truth, and simply fall prey to sorrows. These are only the differences in each one's own feelings; there is no fault in Prema. The man of today loves God wanting some return or other, in this world or the next. But does the man who wants this return really think of that as true Prema? No. This is not true Prema. "My friend, my father": in many such ways, out of attachment, and through it, we pretend to love everyone. These are attachments, not loves. What is Prema? The very principle that does good without expecting any fruit is called Prema. That is why He spoke of Suhṛt in the Bhagavad Gītā. God alone is the true friend. Expecting no fruit from you, He is with you at all times like your shadow and goes on fulfilling your wishes. He does not expect any fruit. Even a mother loves her son with the expectation that when he is grown up he will look after her in her old age. The father too loves the son for a return in the same way. But because there is selfless Prema in God, this One alone truly deserves the word Suhṛt. But we must understand this principle of Prema well. People multiply the meanings of Prema, take up wrong meanings, forget its truth and fall prey to sorrow. This Prema does not have many meanings at all. It has one meaning only. This is the heart of the heart. The people of the world are unable to recognise such selfless Prema.
Prema that expects no return is true Prema
Once, Dharmarāja had left his kingdom and was passing his days in the Himālayas with Draupadī.
To fill a belly a span wide, going through trouble, a crore of skills learnt with all zeal, yet unable to gain happiness in full, why should this human race waste away in sorrows? Those devotees who meditate on Śrī Parātpara, will He leave them without showing the way, O man!
Shedding streams of tears, ‘O Lord! You did good to thousands, gave food, drove off famine, protected Dharma and gave in charity: what is the reason for these hardships coming to you? That such hardships should come to you, Dharma itself in form! Now you cannot even fill your belly with a handful of food. What is the reason for passing this hard life in the deep forests? Is it that God's grace is not there? Is it a fault in your devotion? ’ she asked. Dharmaja, smiling a gentle smile: ‘Draupadī! Look how beautiful these Himālaya mountains are. What joy do these beautiful mountains give me? What fruit do they give me? Do they help me? They do nothing. But the moment I see them, joy springs up in me. Beauty is joy. Joy is the nectar of life.’ he said. Beauty gives joy. There is no other joy beyond it. When we see a flower, the flower is not helping us in any way. It is not doing us any favour. But the moment we see the flower, great joy wells up. God is the very form of nature. The moment we see this nature, joy comes. It is for this joy alone that I love Him, not in hope of a return. That is why the Veda said, ‘Not by works, not by offspring, not by wealth; by renunciation alone have some attained immortality.’ Only when we see this embodiment of Prema with this spirit of renunciation do all fruits come to us. So loving God is true Prema, not loving in hope of a return. Prema for the sake of Prema. My Prema is not a thing to trade. The joys and sorrows that come and go in these worldly things, goods and vehicles, in the worldly life, are only like passing clouds. The joy that goes with this body is not real joy. The body itself is impermanent. How can the joy experienced through such an impermanent body be permanent? These bodies are subject to change. Not only do they change; they are full of impurity. This is
a house of filth, a servant's basket wasting with disease, a tuber born to stir and move, a thornbush that cannot swim across the sea of worldly life, a quiver of arrows: rise and see! When you think of our peril, this body as lasting, do not trust it, O mind! Take refuge at the feet of Hari.