Power of Love

28 July 1999, Guru Purnima, Prasanthi Nilayam

Published English.

1

A deep enquiry will reveal that Nothing equals Love in this world Be it charity, sacred rituals, penance, Wisdom, purity, or adherence to truth And . [Telugu Poem]

2

Embodiments of Love! The main aim of human life is to acquire the knowledge of the Self. This is the true (goal of life). Human life will find fulfillment if this goal is attained.

3

The ability to distinguish between that which is permanent and that which is transitory, the ability to control the internal and external senses, yearning for liberation and the path of inquiry - all these four (the four auspicious qualities) depend on devotion. The word (devotion) (derived from the root word ) means pure, unsullied and selfless love toward God.

4

5

There are innumerable powers such as atomic power, magnetic power, etc., in this world, but the power of love surpasses them all. Life bereft of faith and love is meaningless and useless. For man in this world, love is life and love is everything. It is from love that the five elements () have emerged. It is love that shines brilliantly in every individual. But man, not being able to comprehend the significance of love attributes physical relationship to it. The love of a mother toward her child is (affection). The love that exists between wife and husband is (infatuation). The love that exists among friends and relations is (attachment). The love toward material objects is (desire). Love directed toward God in totality is known as (devotion).

6

Never underestimate the power of love It is only love that encompasses and permeates the entire world. None can exist without love even for a moment, be it human beings or animals or birds or insects. This love is the very form of God. But today, man is misusing this sacred love by diverting it toward the ephemeral world. Never underestimate the power of love. Our ancient , leading a life of solitude in dense forests, could live in harmony even with wild animals only because of the power of their love.

7

There is nothing that love cannot achieve in this world. It can even melt the hardest of rocks. When the principle of love in every human being is unified, it becomes cosmic love (). Do you want to quench your thirst for love? Yearn for His grace and worship Him.

8

In order to experience bliss, develop love more and more. The more you develop love, the more you will experience bliss. Bliss () cannot be attained without love. In fact, it is love that takes the form of bliss.

9

Chant the divine name always made every attempt to wean away from the Godward path. But never did give up chanting the divine name of . One day, , on being prompted by , called and asked him, “Son, what is that you have learnt so far?” In reply, sang a verse in praise of :

10

.

11

He said, “Father, I have learnt that is the Supreme Lord. He is the embodiment of love. Repetition of His name is the greatest penance, and everything is only.” Like , you too chant the divine name always. Saints like , , , and prayed to the Lord fervently and yearned for His love. Cry for the Lord, just as and did, unable to bear the pangs of separation. They could have His vision and earn His grace only due to such intense yearning. But, due to the impact of age, people want to attain divine grace without making any effort whatsoever. Wickedness, misery, and violence are on the rise because love for God is waning. Transform all your wicked qualities like jealousy and anger into love.

12

God presides over every activity God is the creator of this world. He is the presiding deity of action (). You cannot have a table unless there is a carpenter to make it. You cannot construct a house unless there is a builder. Likewise, for everything there is a creator. All that you see, mobile and immobile, is the creation of God. That is the reason, He is extolled as . He presides over every activity.

13

Today, spiritual aspirants undertake various types of (spiritual exercise) such as meditation, penance, , and chanting Vedic hymns. Love should be the undercurrent of all these spiritual exercises or else it will be a sheer waste of time. No benefit accrues from chanting if they are not coupled with the feeling of love. The declare: (neither wealth nor progeny nor good deeds can confer immortality; it can be attained only through sacrifice). Immortality is nothing but love. Love is nectarine, it is infinite and all bliss.

14

15

16

17

Incredible speed of Love Every action is under the control of God. Earth revolves around itself at the rate of 18.5 miles per second. It takes one year for the earth to revolve around the sun. Light travels at an incredible speed of 1,86,284 miles per second. It takes 22,000 of years for the light to go around the universe.

18

According to the , the entire universe is the very form of (). Even if man were to travel at the speed of light, it will take 22,000 crore years to circumambulate Lord . Who can live for such a long period of time? Due to the evil effects of Age, man is not able to live even for hundred years, let alone 22000 crore years!

19

But it is possible to go around the (God in the form of universe) in one second. It is love that makes it possible. The speed of love is such that it can go around the universe in one second. The speed of light may be estimated, but not the speed of love.

20

21

Let your thoughts, words, and deeds be suffused with love. Let your life be filled with love. Nothing else is required to have the vision of the Divine (). Love is God, live in love.

22

23

24

Truth, sacrifice, and righteousness constitute humanness. Truth is (morality), is (code of conduct), and sacrifice is (reputation). The combination of all these is (human race). One cannot be called a human being on the basis of form. One has to adhere to truth, uphold , and develop the spirit of sacrifice to deserve the title of human being.

25

26

27

The declare: (That all-pervasive God is present within and without). All names and forms are His. Names and forms may vary, but the is the same in all. Recognize the unity of all beings. That will result in universal love. The world is a mansion. All belong to the caste of humanity. Unity should prevail in such a mansion.

28

Let the mind shine like full moon Embodiments of Love! Today is . What is its significance?

29

Guru Brahma Gurur-Vishnu Gurur-Devo Maheswara Guru Sakshath Param Brahma Thasmai Sri Gurave Namah.

30

The Trinity of , , and are within us. That is why I often say you are not one but three. This is the meaning of the three words in the . Bhur means (earth). The earth is made up of matter. Therefore, the human body, which is also made up of matter, is called . This can also be referred to as materialisation.

31

means life force.() It is this life force that makes the body move. It is known as vibration.

32

means wisdom. This is known as radiation. The declare: . This is nothing but radiation. Human being is a combination of materialisation, vibration, and radiation. You don't need to search for God outside. Turn your vision inward. There you will find God.

33

Today is full moon day. The say: “ (the moon was born out of the mind, the sun out of the eyes, and the fire and out of the mouth of the Supreme ).” Moon is the presiding deity of the mind. That day is , in the true sense of the term, when the mind is filled with pure love. Let your mind shine brilliantly like the moon on a full moon day. This is possible only when you fill your mind with love.

34

35

Only divine love and grace can protect the union Once, when I went to , the then head of the , , convened a conference of intellectuals. He asked Me to address them. One person from the audience asked Me, “, America and Russia are manufacturing more and more weapons. But India is lagging far behind in this respect. Should not India also manufacture weapons?” I told him, “Dear one, what (India) needs today is not arms and ammunition. It needs to uphold . (if you protect , will protect you in return). We should not waste money in manufacturing weapons.

36

Some countries are spending a lot of money on defense and, as a result, the people of those countries are suffering for want of proper food. Only divine love and grace and not weapons can protect a nation. You might have read in the that , , , and implicitly obeyed the command of , the embodiment of . Likewise, India, America, and Russia can be compared to , and respectively. Just as and obeyed , so also America and Russia will follow India provided India upholds . What India needs to possess is and , the weapons of truth and righteousness. Both are inherent in the principle of love. Just as a gigantic tree emerges out of a small seed, the entire universe originated from love.

37

Music college in Embodiments of Love! In this world, you can achieve everything with love. I am the best example for this. Love is My greatest property. I love everybody and do not desire anything except love. The power of love can transform earth into sky and sky into earth. There is nothing in this world that cannot be achieved by love.

38

39

Even God is attracted by music. Once, asked , “, You have various branch offices like , , and . But I want to know the address of Your head office so that I can contact You without delay.” said, “ (you will find Me installed wherever My devotees sing My glory).” That is why God is extolled as and (lover of music). It is music that melts human heart and literally moves everyone.

40

41

Last week a devotee named from Indonesia came here and prayed to Me to start a music college here for which, he said, he would donate 10 crore . The modern music is essential. But along with that, street plays, (singing the stories of God) have to be encouraged. Music plays a vital role in fostering Indian culture.

42

The construction of this college will commence in the next month i.e. . The current month is , in which, according to the elders, a new project is not undertaken. That is the reason I postponed the commencement of construction to next month.

43

Super specialty hospital in Last month when I was in , one day, the Chief Minister of came to Me and said, “, You have constructed a Super Specialty Hospital in , which is of immense benefit to the poor. But diseases are common for both the rich and the poor, urban and rural. It will be of great help to the people of city if You would be kind enough to establish another Super Specialty Hospital here.” I just smiled and did not say anything.

44

45

An American devotee named Sinclair has come forward to donate money for this hospital. Previously he had donated for the Super Specialty Hospital in also. I have not told about this project to anyone else, otherwise there would have been a shower of gold.

46

47

Education of Love Fill your hearts with love. There is no wealth, no , no meditation greater than love. I expect all of you to live in unity like brothers and sisters. If you become embodiments of love, you will become divine. (the knower of verily becomes ).

48

Students are the long-journey passengers, traveling in this train of society. All the elders are bound to get down soon. So, it is the paramount duty of students to develop sacred love. The main education offered in our institute is love alone. Do not love God for the sake of worldly desires. Love Him with spiritual outlook. prayed to ,

49

50