Where Is Real Love ?

This article is from the book Easy Path to God-Realisation.

Where Is Real Love?

By Sri Swami Sivananda

The desire to attain knowledge of the Self will dawn only in the person who is free from desires, who has a pure mind, and who is quite disgusted with this worldly life. Such a man only is competent to hear, meditate and attain Brahma Jnana or Knowledge of Brahman. When the knowledge of the Self dawns, ignorance which is the seed for bondage and the cause of Karma is totally eradicated and the aspirant attains immortality and eternal bliss.

Do not depend upon anybody. Rely on your own self. Be centred in the Atman only. The sweet wife deserts her husband when he is on the role of unemployment and marries another young man. The rich husband divorces his wife when she loses her beauty on account of protracted illness and marries another woman. Even Lord Jesus and Buddha were forsaken by all their friends, followers and disciples. This is a strange world! Mysterious is Maya!

Real affection can be found in God and sages only. Worldly affection is only showy, hypocritical, illusory and changing. Just see whether your relatives, even your friends, your brothers and sisters show affection to you when you are unemployed, when you are suffering from a chronic, incurable disease without any money in your hands. It is to realise his selfish ends, to extract money from you, that the so-called relative pretends to be affectionate towards you. This is a mysterious world full of selfishness. You have not got enough experience as yet. You will understand this in course of time. Beware, O Ram!

Take refuge in unselfish immortal God alone. Never depend upon perishable man, friend or relative, who will forsake you when you are penniless and when you are suffering from a chronic, severe disease.

Saints and prophets who have realised God are shouting at the top of their voice that the Lord is dwelling in the hearts of beings and yet no one is earnestly attempting to make a vigorous search in his own heart. Is this not lamentable? God is above, below, within, without and all around.

Thirst for His Darshan (Vision). Look within. Practise introspection. Turn your gaze inwards. Try earnestly to attain the Immortal Being. In Him, you can find eternal peace. Enter His Kingdom right now in this very second.

Stand firm on the rock of truth or Brahman. Have a firm grip of your reality, the self-luminous, Immortal Atman or Soul. Look upon this universe as your all-full form. Only when knowledge of the Self dawns in your heart, you can free yourself from rebirths and become identical with the Supreme Self. Equip yourself with the four means. Hear the Srutis (scriptures), reflect, meditate and realise. May you become a sage!

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