Thursday, May 28, 2015

Everything is suffused with love (Prema). So we can unhesitatingly declare that the Supreme Lord is the form of love (prema-swarupa). In all living things, love manifests itself in various forms and is known through many names such as love for offspring, affection, devotion to God, desire (vaatsalya, anuraaga, bhakthi, ishtam) etc., based on the direction in which it is channelised. But whatever the form, the essence is the same. On the basis of this knowledge and experience, it is clear that the supreme Lord is the inner Atma of all created things (Sarva-butha-antar-atma). That which teaches the highest knowledge of this unity is known as nondualism (a-dvaitha); that which teaches the principle of the lover and the Loved is known as dualism (dvaita); that which teaches about all three, love, lover, and loved — or nature (prakriti), individual (jiva), and Brahman— is known as qualified nondualism (visishta-advaita). But these three are one. (Prema Vahini, Ch 38) - Baba