God Loves "Love"

Ordinary men in medieval India considered shoe-makers a low caste since cobblers work with animal hides. Yet, God adored Raidas, a shoe-maker.

Why? What is so special about Raidas that God loved him?

Four paths have been described in the Vedas as a means for spiritual upliftment. Each of these paths deliver their respective fruits. In brief, listed below are the paths and their fruits.

• Karma: The fruit of performing virtuous punya karma is attaining a place in svarga - a celestial abode of transient, short lived and elusive happiness.
• Gyan: The fruit of following the path of gyan is removal of ignorance and attainment of eternal freedom from Maya - the ocean of miseries.
• Yoga: The fruit of following the path of Yoga is attainment of the divine bliss of Parmatma (Maha Vishnu), wherein the devotee gets to serve The Lord as a Master but does not get to enjoy the sweetness of more intimate relationship with the Lord which are called Bhav.
• Bhakti: Unconditionally and lovingly submitting oneself only unto the Lord results in Bhakti; means to enjoy the everlasting, ever increasing and ever new bliss of the divine Lord.

What Will Bhakti Do for You?

​Bhakti is capable of granting you everything you have ever wanted

यत्मकर्मभिर्यत्तपसा ज्ञान्वैराग्य यत् । योगेनदानधर्मेण श्रेयोभिरितरैरपि ॥ भाग ११.२०.३२ एवं भ​.र​.सिं.
yatmakarmabhiryattapasā jñānvairāgya yat . yōgēnadānadharmēṇa śrēyōbhiritarairapi . bhāga 11.20.32 ēvṁ bha​.ra​.siṁ.

स​र्वं मद्भक्तियोगेन मद्भक्तो लभतेञ्जसा । स्वर्गापवर्गं मद्धाम कथंचिद् यदि वांछति ॥
sa​rvṁ madbhaktiyōgēna madbhaktō labhatēñjasā . svargāpavargṁ maddhāma kathañcid yadi vāñchati .

"The devotees of The Supreme Lord attain the rewards of following the path of Karm, Gyan, Yoga and any other foreseeable means". After attaining Divine love bliss, the devotee rejects all other achievements and remains thoroughly absorbed in the ecstasy of the Ocean of the nectar of love. Yet, Lord Krishna says,

कथंचिद् यदि वांछति
kathañcid yadi vāñchati

“If ever the devotee wants to enjoy the fruits associated with any other means, those fruits are already granted to the devotee”.

In a nutshell, Shri Krishna says “although I am invincible, yet any one can conquer Me by pure love. I do not want My devotees to do anything for me or offer anything to me”.

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति
patrṁ puṣpṁ phalṁ tōyṁ yō mē bhaktyā prayacchati

“I  am pleased by a simple offering of Love even if it is in the form of a leaf, flower, fruit or even water”. In fact it is even simpler than that. If a devotee mentally offers anything to Him he accepts those as well.

One cannot attract Shri Krishna even if one were to perfectly implement karma, gyan or yog. He accepts only those who renounce all other desires and surrender unto Him alone. surrender unto Him means engaging one’s mind in loving thoughts of Shri Krishna, His names, His forms, His pastime, His attributes, His abodes and His fully-surrendered devotees. Once a devotee fully surrenders to Him, He ignores all their sinful past actions.

अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक् । साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः, सम्यक् व्यवसितो हि सः ॥ गीता ९.३०
api cētsudurācārō bhajatē māmananyabhāk . sādhurēva sa mantavyḥ, samyak vyavasitō hi sḥ . gītā 9.30

“I don’t pay any attention to the physical actions performed by those, whose minds remain completed absorbed in my thoughts alone.” But

कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् । इन्द्रियर्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते ॥ गीता ३.६
karmēndriyāṇi sṁyamya ya āstē manasā smaran . indriyarthānvimūḍhātmā mithyācārḥ sa ucyatē . gītā 3.6

“I am unimpressed by those who exhibit outward control of their senses, yet their mind remains engrossed in material matters. His physical actions of worship and simplicity are worthless to Me”. 

​History is full of such examples. Let us examine a few of them

• Arjun killed millions in the Kaurava army, yet Shri Krishna ignored all his gruesome actions. Shri Krishna only observes the action performed by the mind and Arjun’s mind was totally absorbed in loving thoughts of Shri Krishna.
• Hanuman Ji killed millions of Brahmins in Sri Lanka, yet Lord Rama did not chastise him. Instead, he was rewarded for his service to the Lord.
• Duryodhan prepared a variety of scrumptious food for Shri Krishna but Shri Krishna rejected that food in favor of the love-filled banana peels offered by Vidurani.

​The Vedas advice is

मातृ देवो भवः
mātr̥ dēvō bhavḥ

“A mother is to be worshiped just like God”.

Lord Ram descended for establishing righteousness in this world. Yet, the actions of His brother Bharat towards his mother Kaikeyi were highly deplorable. Upon return to Ayodhya, when Bharat learnt that his mother was responsible for sending Shri Rama to 14 years exile. He was infuriated at his mother and said to her:

भर्तृघातिनि दुष्टे त्वं कुम्भिपाकं गमिष्यसि ।
bhartr̥ghātini duṣṭē tvṁ kumbhipākṁ gamiṣyasi .

“O damned women! Slayer of your husband! You will be doomed to the worst narak [1] named Kumbhi-pak.”

हन्यामहमिमां पापां कैकेयीं दुष्टचारिणीम्।
यदि मे धार्मिको रामो नासूयेन्मातृघातकम्॥
hanyāmahamimāṁ pāpāṁ kaikēyīṁ duṣṭacāriṇīm.
yadi mē dhārmikō rāmō nāsūyēnmātr̥ghātakam.

Again He said,”I would have killed you, if I were convinced that my brother Shri Rama will not abandon me”.

Instead of reprimanding Bharat for hurling insults at his mother, Shri Ram praised Bharat –

न सर्वे भ्रातरस्तात भवन्ति भरतोपमाः । मद्विधा वा पितुः पुत्राः सुहृदो वा भवद्विधाः ॥ रामायण​
na sarvē bhrātarastāta bhavanti bharatōpamāḥ . madvidhā vā pituḥ putrāḥ suhr̥dō vā bhavadvidhāḥ . rāmāyaṇa​

“Bharat is the most dear to me”.

Poet Saint Tulsidas said

भरत सरिस को राम सनेही । जग जप राम राम जप जेही ॥ रामचरितमानस​
bharata sarisa kō rāma sanēhī . jaga japa rāma rāma japa jēhī . rāmacaritamānasa​

“The entire world worships and adores Lord Rama and Lord Rama in turn adores Bharat. Who can even come close to the greatness of such a great personality like Bharat”?

Again the Vedas say:

पितृ देवो भवः
pitr̥ dēvō bhavḥ

"One should respect one’s father like God”. Prahlad totally disregarded this principle of the Vedas and disobeyed his father Hiranyakashipu orders. He continued to love God wholeheartedly, sang His glories and taught about Him to other children. Infuriated by the disobedience Hiranyakashipu ordered Prahlad to be killed. When all soldiers failed to kill Prahlad, he himself decided to kill his own son. God loves His devotees so much that without being invited, God descended on this Earth as Lord Narasingh to kill Hiranyakashipu and save Prahlad.

When Lord Vaman in the guise of a young ascetic, asked Raja Bali for three steps of land, Raja Bali’s preceptor, Shukracharya, cautioned him against giving the three steps of land in alms to the young ascetic. Bali disobeyed his preceptor, an unpardonable offense per the rules of the Vedas, yet Bali was rewarded with the attainment of divine grace.

​Although milk maidens of the land of Braj, referred to as Gopis, were married, they did not care about their marital status and loved Shri Krishna wholeheartedly. They offered their mind, body and soul in the service of Shri Krishna.

Both Vedas and the society condemn the action of loving another man, yet Shri Krishna says that He will be forever indebted to the Gopis -

न पारयेऽहं निर्वद्यसंयुजां स्वसाधुकृत्यं विबुधायुषापि वः ।
या माभजन् दुर्जरगेह श्रृंखलाः, संवृश्च्य​ तद् वः प्रतियातु साधुना ॥
भाग १०.३२.२२
na pārayē’hṁ nirvadyasṁyujāṁ svasādhukr̥tyṁ vibudhāyuṣāpi vḥ .
yā mābhajan durjaragēha śrr̥ṅkhalāḥ, sṁvr̥ścya​ tad vḥ pratiyātu sādhunā .
bhāga 10.32.22

“In order to please Me they have set aside the decorum of society, family and the Vedas. Even in the lifespan of the devatas, I will not be able to repay the debt of these Gopis”.

Please note: One year on earth is a day (along with night) in the abode of devatas.

Even though Shri Krishna is Self-Contented and Self-Complacent, He feels indebted to those who selflessly love only Him.

Bhakti means complete surrender, which signifies submission of the mind and the intellect. God so loves the completely surrendered souls that he bestows His own knowledge and bliss upon them thus making them equal to Himself

जानत तुमहिं तुमहिं ह्वै जाई ॥
jānata tumahiṁ tumahiṁ hvai jāī .

It is proven that bhakti (love) is the only means to achieve the ultimate goal of life - attainment of unlimited, unending and ever increasing divine love bliss. God loves “love” so much that He remains forever under the control of His devotees who love Him wholeheartedly.

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