In plain words
But that is only delusion, not sākṣātkāra. What is sākṣātkāra? Man must believe himself to be the embodiment of God and experience the principle of Prema.
Worldly Love, Divine Prema
These worldly ties and relationships come and go like passing clouds. With time, they too keep changing. But true Prema never changes. Worldly love is love today and turns to hatred tomorrow; it is liking today and turns to dislike tomorrow. But divine Prema is a sacred Prema that has nothing whatever to do with likes and dislikes. There is no God beyond Prema. Say Jesus; say Zoroaster; say Allah; say Buddha; say Guru Nānak. All these are names that were given, not names one is born with. Prema alone is the name one is born with. Who gave your body its name? That is a name your parents gave, not a name you were born with, is it not! In the same way, love bound to the body is also a love that was given. A given love changes one day or another. But divine Prema never changes. You must put your faith in that unchanging principle of Prema. That is true Bhakti.
Prema With No Thought of Reward Is Bhakti
Some people go to the temple of Veṅkaṭeśvara and pray, “Lord! If You fulfil my wish, I will have a Brahmotsavam held for You,” and “Lord! If my child is married, I will have a Kalyāṇotsavam held for You.” Is it God whose wedding these people arrange? Does God fulfil their wishes for the sake of His own wedding? In this way the devotees of today try to cheat God Himself by dangling hopes before Him. To pray to God out of a desire for reward is not Bhakti at all. You must pray to God with a Prema free of any desire for reward. Bhakti is just another word for Prema! Through Bhakti many powers grow. From Bhakti alone come rakti, virakti and Mukti.
The Heart Filled with Prema Is the Form of God
Many children write, ‘Swamy! I love you.’ As the sign for the word love, they draw a picture of a heart. What is its inner meaning? The heart is what is filled with Prema; the heart is what is filled with kindness.