Essence of Just Love
If we were to agree on one feeling all humans, even all living beings, strive to have, it would probably be love. This four-letter word holds such profound meaning and different levels of understanding but everyone still knows love. It is not possible to comprehend it with the mind, but yet, it remains a feeling inside the hearts of all. It rests in the very core of all that is.
In experiencing the temporary nature of the material world, most people start seeking something deeper and permanent. The answer to that yearning ends up being profoundly simple. It's to Just Love.
Love is both the journey and the destination. This understanding alone can provide a new perspective on how to see life. Each moment can be seen as an opportunity to love, with the aim of reaching the destination of Love. When you are embedded in the Self, you realize the external achievements do not define who you are. Instead, what defines your nature is how deeply you love and have loved.
The Love which is the ultimate goal of everyone's incarnation is not the love for ice cream, nor is it the love for our parents. The relationships you build during your lifetime are important; they give a taste of the essence of Love while teaching you of the temporariness of it. They spur you towards the ultimate experience your soul longs to have.
Learning to live spiritually, no matter where you are, is a key part of spiritual advancement and transformation. Learn how with our free guide on living spiritually in the material world.
Seeking the Nature of Love
Human love is fragile, it can be thrown away with a word said wrong, it can wake up one day decide we are not worthy of it anymore. You may think, 'Is this the love I want to experience? Is there something more?'
With these questions in mind, people strive to have the experience of the eternal essence of God, prema. That Love does not weaken over time. It is not affected by the negativity that the world brings and neither does it wake up one day and decide there is no more Love. It overflows from the eternal source and purifies everything it encounters. It is unconditional Love, which has always been residing in the depth of our hearts, waiting to be cultivated.
When you embark on the spiritual path, it is a result of understanding there is more to being a human than owning cars, houses, or having career and even family. You begin to understand that material possessions and human relationships are temporary, they will come and go. We have all come to the world empty handed. We will all also leave empty handed.
The great potential of human beings comes from how dear we are to God. As you grow on the spiritual path, striving to serve God in everything you do, you learn that it is God who allows everything to happen and allows you to serve Him. He is the one that will Love you always and has loved you always. There is nothing you can do, no insult you can say that will hinder the compassion and Love He has for you. Divine Love is permanent and expands beyond this one human incarnation.
The realisation that Love is the true achievement of our material existence, encourages us to seek someone who can show us that love and how to get there. The devotion cultivated through God, surrounds us with Love that is ever-growing. As Paramahamsa Vishwananda explains, this is where we experience 'rising in Love' instead of falling in love.
'But those devotees who practice this immortal teaching with full faith as taught by Me, and who regard Me as the Supreme, are exceedingly dear to Me.' Bhagavad Gita, 12.20
How Do You Cultivate Bhakti?
Bhakti is the secret. It is what takes yoga to another level and enables you to finish your spiritual journey and the purpose of incarnating on Earth. It is also why Paramahamsa Vishwananda is here with us today. He IS unconditional Love. His mission is to remind us about this Love we have to become and to enter a relationship with God through bhakti in order to attain Him.
- Chanti His Name: Paramahamsa Vishwananda has stated many times that there is no difference between God and God’s name. Whenever we do japa, we enjoy the complete presence of God. As the ultimate prema, when we are in His presence, we are in love.
- Offering Devotional Worship: Devotional service done to the deity invites divine presence and it allows us to enjoy a loving relationship with God in a physical form, here and now.
- Discover The Purpose Of Life: Hindu scripture teaches us that the purpose of life is to attain God. This, and this alone, is the very purpose of our existence. When we get to know the beautiful reason behind our presence in the spiritual path, it is not by pure chance, it is to cultivate bhakti for the Lord and realise our true relationship with Him.
It is inherent that happiness will end when we are ‘falling’ in love. Just like a rollercoaster, it takes us up to great heights, shows us a beautiful view, only to bring a very sudden and fast fall. You won’t be able to say 'Stop the ride! I want to stay here!' It is the nature of the experience that you go up, and then you go down. On the other hand, while we ‘rise’ in love, the relationship we cultivate with God never lets us fall, it takes us higher and higher - to beautiful views that last forever.
You do not have to run away to a cave or an ashram to become a yogi. Learning to live spiritually, no matter where you are, is a key part of spiritual advancement and transformation. Learn how with our free guide on living spiritually in the material world.
