Is There True Love In The World?

(The Philosophy of Sanatan Dharm by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj)

The Vedas proclaim:- 

“No worldly husband, wife, father, son, etc. can love another person for the sake of  that person’s happiness.  Everyone loves for the sake of one’s own happiness.”

Most worldly people suffer from a very great delusion.  Each one expects everyone to love and favour them.  The truth is no one can love another person entirely  for the sake of another person’s happiness.  If a wife claims that she loves her husband entirely for the sake of his happiness, a small test will easily reveal the reality. 

Simply write a fictitious letter on behalf of the husband to another woman.  Use shocking sentences like, “I love no one but you.  I have been fooling my husband all these years”  etc. etc.  The moment the wife reads the letter, her love for her husband will immediately turn to hatred.  There will be a storm of strong abusive words between the two and it may even result in the break-up of their marriage.

This example reveals how quickly worldly love can come to an end, as each one of us desires only his or her own happiness.  Had the wife desired the husband’s happiness, she would not have been upset by the letter.  On the contrary, she would have been pleased to share her husband’s happiness, because her only desire would have been to see him happy.  But there is no such selfless love in the world.

When husbands, wives, fathers, sons and so on, cannot love one another for the sake of the other’s happiness, then to expect this from other casual acquaintances in the world signifies a greater madness than that of a lunatic in an asylum.  But this is what we are striving for all the time.

This world is actually nothing but a stage where the selfish game of self-interest is  being enacted.  Each player plays his role according to his intellectual ability.  But until we understand where our true self-interest lies, i.e. until there is a firm decision that the constant hankering for the material world has to be renounced, our ultimate purpose or aim of finding true love and happiness will not be fulfilled. This means one has to free oneself of both love and hatred in the world and centre  one’s love exclusively in God.

The Ramayana refers to the futility of our efforts to realise our aim of true happiness in the material world, and compares it with trying to extract butter from water or oil from sand.  In fact, the result of our efforts in the world for happiness is even worse.  Whatever actions we perform will result in bondage because we will be bound by the fruits of our actions, which are endless.  Hence the best remedy is not to consider anyone as either your friend or your enemy.  In the world, everyone is wandering around for the fulfilment of their aim of perfect happiness.

Two boys were sitting together when they saw a pretty girl pass by them.  One boy immediately resolved, “I want to marry her.”  The other boy thought nothing of it and went on with his life as per normal.  The first boy went to great lengths to find out the whereabouts of this girl and to establish friendship with her.  He was so obsessed with her that he failed his examinations and became depressed for sometime.  Eventually, his desire to marry the girl was fulfilled and he felt very happy.

Observe, he was happy even before seeing the girl.  But all the harm which he did to himself and the discontent which he felt during the intervening years were completely pointless.  Now the other boy passed his examinations and after some time, he also got married to a beautiful girl without going through any tension or worry.  

So we ourselves create desires, go through a long-drawn stressful process to fulfil them and after fulfilling them, we reach the same point where we were when we started!  It is like deliberating stepping into mud, then washing your feet and feeling clean again.  But your feet were clean even before you stepped into the mud!  This is our imaginary worldly love and happiness.

Desire is opposed to love. To constantly want is desire and to constantly give is love.  The process of give and take is business.  Wherever there is desire to receive from one’s beloved, this is not love.  Where one is not satisfied even after giving everything, and continues to have an ever increasing desire to give, this is true love.  No one in the world therefore can love in the true sense of the word, because everyone desires his own happiness and so there is always a constant desire to receive and not give.

When both parties are interested only in taking, how long can such a relationship remain amicable?  This is the reason why husband and wife, father and son etc. clash several times a day.  Wherever parties are set only upon receiving, conflict is inevitable and as a result the farce which goes on by the name of worldly love is exposed for what it truly is, and the love comes to an end.  Love based on selfish desires constantly decreases, whereas divine constantly increases.  In our scriptures, desire is compared to darkness and love is said to be light.

“Cursed be that happiness which leads to forgetfulness of God and blessed be that sorrow which leads to constant remembrance of Him” says the Ramayana.  However we are engaged in constant efforts to attain those cursed possessions that lead to forgetfulness of God.   In fact, we have a firm belief that there is true love and happiness in the world.  If not today, we will surely attain it tomorrow.  With this constant hope, we have wasted innumerable lives and who knows for how long this delusive belief of ours will continue.  We need to reflect on the real nature of worldly happiness.

If a Saint tells us that the path to attain true love and happiness is not here, but in the opposite direction, then we will surrender to God and attain that supreme divine bliss.  But those who don’t surrender and continue to look for true love in the material world as they have done in countless past lives, remain bound. 

*A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education.