The Gita (12:13) has declared: ‘advesta sarva-bhutanam maitrah karuna eva ca (Bear no ill-will towards any living being). Hatred towards anyone is hatred for God. The scriptures have also declared: ‘Sarva jiva namaskaram Keshavam Prati gachchati’ (The salutation that you offer to anyone reaches the Divine). Few outsiders can understand or appreciate this sacred aspect of Indian culture. Even many Indians do not realise the purity and divinity which characterise Bharatiya culture. (SSS Vol.21)
Bharat has always proclaimed that despite variations in names and forms, there is a unity that underlies the diversity in creation.
Because Nature is a reflection of the Divine, its laws cannot be transgressed by anyone. Man, who has taken birth to realise his own true nature, instead of seeking to understand the truth about the cosmos, is lost in the pursuit of material possessions. He does not realise, that the human body made up of five basic elements, is bound to perish. This temporary, perishable body should be regarded only as a means for realising the eternal Reality. The body should be considered as an iron safe, in which the precious jewels of good qualities and good actions are kept. It is these qualities that should be cherished. If today, the state of the world appears deplorable, it is because man’s actions and conduct are not good. Men should return to the ways of righteousness and lead a good and godly life.
An Avatar is capable of all things at all times, yet the Avatar will not undertake to demonstrate his powers at all times. An Avatar will undertake to demonstrate such powers when exceptional circumstances demand it, and will shed the grace on a deserving person only. Although such Avatars were present in our country for thousands of years, and although our people were exposed to such Avatars, they have not fully understood all the aspects of such an Avatar.
We should examine the reason why the formless Lord takes the form of a human being and comes into the midst of humans. This formless being comes in the form of a human being so that he may mix with the human beings and set up examples and ideals for human beings and convey to them all aspects which they should learn. Many people ask very innocently and ignorantly why an Avatar, who possesses all powers, should subject itself to all troubles; and why should it tolerate hunger and suffering all around. An Avatar who has all the powers should be able to remove all such suffering in one moment. If there is any meaning in such a question, why should an Avatar come in human form at all? The Avatar can remain as a formless divinity and do all these things from that position itself. In time, and under certain conditions and environment, whatever has to be done must be done and such acts, at a human level, have to be performed.
Certain things are essential for remedial action and without doing those things, to expect an Avatar to simply remove all suffering is a very foolish thing.
First of all, you should make an attempt to make good use of the mental and physical strengths that have been given to you. When you are so lazy as not to use the mental and physical strengths that have been given to you, what are you going to do with divine strengths? Suppose that you have been given food and drink by the divine grace and strength of the Lord. Because God has given you enough food on your plate, for you to think that God has also to help you in transferring this food to your stomach is a very lazy idea. For taking the food to your stomach, God has given you hands, a palate, and a mouth. You should make good use of them. If you are not able to use the organs that have been given to you, and if you are not able to use the mind and mental strength that have been given to you, it is better to die than to live in that condition. That we may learn to make good use of our mental and physical strengths and other organs, God comes in human form to demonstrate how these may be used.
The essential quality of an Avatar is to teach you how to make good and proper use of your thought, word, and deed. Depending on the conditions in the country and the environment in the country, the Avatar comes to teach you and show you the right use of all your organs. In Bharat, a country which is like heaven on earth, so that you may be able to make good use of the facilities and faculties that have been given to you, I am hoping that the sacred texts of the Bhagavatam and Mahabharata will provide good examples. (SSB 1976, pp. 113-116)
When the Divine comes down as Avatar--whether it be as Rama or as Krishna, Matsya (fish), Varaha (boar) or Vamana (dwarf)--it is only for one purpose. You recognise only the momentary results of the advent. But you should note that the Divine comes as Avatar only to teach mankind the truth about love. ‘Oh man, it is because you lack love and are filled with selfishness that the world is plunging in so much conflict and chaos. It is only when you develop love and the spirit of sacrifice that you will realise the divinity that is in the human.’ The man who has no spirit of tyaga (sacrifice) will be a prey to all ills. A man without love is a living corpse. It is love and sacrifice which make man divine.
Love alone is the fruit of love. Love is its own witness. There is no trace of self-interest in it. Because love exists, for its own sake, it has no fear. It is to teach humanity the way of love that Avatars come in the world. The world displays the diversity that has emanated from the One. The Divine demonstrates the unity that subsumes the diversity. Recognition of this ‘Unity in Diversity’ can be learnt only from the Divine.
The Divine comes as Avatar to proclaim the pure, unsullied and disinterested love of devotees towards God. People may consider that the Avatar’s activities include punishment of the wicked, protection of the good, weeding out of unrighteousness and restoration of righteousness. This is how they may look at the Avatar’s doings. But that is not the way the Lord sees things. There is nothing bad in God’s view. Hence there should be no hatred or ill-will towards any being. It is only when you love all, that you can be said to love God. (SSS Vol.21, pp. 200-201)
Why should the Lord Himself incarnate?
Man too is suffering because he cannot rid himself of the greed for sense-objects and sense pleasures (vishaya vasana). He knows that he has to give up whatever he earns and collects, sooner or later; but, yet his attachment waxes instead of waning, as the years go by. If every man on earth could take with him on death, even a handful of mud from the Earth, there would have been nothing much left and mud would have been rationed at so many ounces per head! When people forget the One and run after the Many, Dharma declines; for, there can be no love, no sacrifice, no detachment in human affairs then. So, the Lord takes human form and comes among men to restore his sense of values. You may ask, why should the Lord Himself incarnate?
Why can He not set about the task of restoring Dharma through the many minor gods He has at His command? This question was passed before the courtiers by Akbar himself for, he laughed at the Hindu idea of the Formless adopting Form, and descending into the world as an Avatar to save dharma. Tansen asked for a week’s time to furnish the answer and got it granted by His Imperial Majesty. A few days later, when he was in the pleasure boat of the Emperor sailing across the lake with his family, Tansen cleverly threw overboard a don made to look like the Emperor’s little son, crying at the same time, ‘O, the Prince has fallen into the water!’ Hearing this, the Emperor jumped into the lake to rescue his son!
The truth behind the Lord’s incarnation
Tansen then disclosed that it was only a doll and that the son was safe. He allayed the anger of Akbar by explaining that he had perforce to enact this drama in order to demonstrate the truth of the Hindu belief that God takes human form Himself, to save Dharma, without commissioning some other entity to carry out that task. Dharma is as the son, God loves it so dearly. Akbar could have ordered one among the many personnel he had on board to jump in and rescue his son; but his affection was so great and the urgency so acute that the Emperor himself plunged into the lake to pull out the ‘son.’ The decline of Dharma is so acute a tragedy; the intensity of affection that the Lord has for good men is so great that He Himself comes. The Lord is Love itself. He comes in human form so that you can talk to Him, move with Him, serve Him, adore Him, and achieve Him, so that you can recognise your kinship with Him.
People who discard the precious wisdom of the past are doomed to disaster. That is why, when people started decrying and disregarding the Vedas and Shastras, they started to decline in morality and strength, courage and confidence. One argument used to find fault with the Vedas by these conceited critics is that the Varna (caste) system is not found in advanced countries of the West, as if there too we have no religious leaders, social guardians, traders and workers and farmers. Inevitably, human society will get itself divided into these four sections, and they tend to harden into castes, each with its own moral code. (SSS Vol.4), 13-12-1964
The Divine appeared in human form
The common people can derive no benefit if the Formless Absolute remains in Kailasa or Vaikuntha. It is not possible to worship the Formless Absolute. Hence, the Rama-Avatar appeared in human form to enable humanity to experience the Formless in a form which is accessible to them and helpful to them. An Avatar assumes the form that is beneficial to and within the reach of human beings. Men cannot comprehend the Formless and the Attributeless Absolute. Unfortunately, even when the Formless Absolute assumes a form, there are persons, who impelled by their own attitudes, attribute their own human foibles to the Avatar. ‘When he has the same form as ours, the same physical features, and eats, talks and moves about like any of us, what is the difference between the Avatar and ourselves?’ they ask. Because of this narrow-minded approach, these persons are distancing themselves from the Divine. An effort must be made to understand the nature of divinity. ‘Daivam manusha rupena,’ declares the scripture (God in human form). It is only when God comes in human form can human beings have the full opportunity to experience and enjoy the Divine. When human life is sublimated, it gets divinised. Life x Infinity is God. Virata Swarupa (the Cosmic Form) is: Body x Infinity. Mind x Infinity is Hiranyagarbha (the Cosmic Consciousness). God, Virata Swarupa and Hiranyagarbha are not distinct entities located in specific places. They are immanent in man. All religions have come into existence to make man realise the source from which he has come and to which he should return. (SSS Vol.25), 9 Sep 1992
Avatars are based on different aspects of the Divine
Sahasrasirsha Purusha Sahasraakshas-sahasrapaad. The Lord has a myriad heads, myriad eyes and myriad feet. The entire cosmos and every living being in it are reflections of the Divine.
Avatars are of two kinds: One, Amsa-avatar; two, Purna-avatar. All human beings are Amsa-avatar (partial incarnation of the Divine). ‘Mamaivaamso jeevaloke jeevabhutah-sanaatanah’ (A part of My eternal soul Self has become the Jiva--individual soul--in the world of living beings), says Krishna in the Gita.
These partial incarnations, caught up in Maya, develop egoism and possessiveness and lead worldly lives. The Purna-avatar, however, subduing and transcending Maya, manifest their full divinity to the world in their lives. The Purna-avatar may behave, according to the circumstances, as if He were subject to Maya, but in fact He is free from Maya at all times. (SSS Vol.23) 14-8-1990
In the world, God has descended as human incarnation in five different forms. These forms are based on the different aspects of the Divine.
One is Nitya-avatar.
Second is Visesha-avatar.
Third, Avesha-avatar.
Fourth, Leela-avatar,
Fifth, Purna-avatar.
Leelaavatar is also known as Amsaavatar. Nityaavatar, Viseshaavatar and Aveshaavatar have only five to nine kalas (aspects) of the Lord. Only in the Purnaavatar are all the sixteen aspects of the Divine present.
The ancients regarded only the Purna-avatar as the full manifestation of God. In this context, every human being must be deemed as Avatar as he has some aspect of the Divine in him. It is because he has descended from the Divine, he is entitled to be called an Avatar. Except as Avatar, God does not give a separate vision of the Divine to man in any other form. (SSS Vol.21, p. 266)
All Avatars are Purushothamas
Purushottama means s that there is no separate dwelling place for the Supreme. God resides in every being. Sin is not something foreign. It adheres to the evil deeds one does. It is through one’s actions that one becomes a Purusha or a Purushadhama--a Divine or a despised being. It is one’s actions which carry a man to great heights or hurl him down to the depths.
The scriptures have declared that the one who possesses in full all the sixteen potencies is Purushottama (the Supreme Person). The term is applied to the Avatars (Divine incarnations) who utilise the sixteen potencies for the benefit of others. Whatever they say or do is totally free from the taint of self-interest. No Avatar, whether in Bharat or elsewhere, has ever used the five elements, the five senses, the five vital airs or the mind for any selfish purpose. Even when they go about in daily life like other ordinary beings, in every one of their actions they demonstrate its purity and unchanging truth. The common people do not recognise this truth. Hence, they fail to understand the true nature of humanness. (SSS Vol.24) 29-5-1991.
All Avatars Are Embodiments of Pure Consciousness:
The creation emerges from truth and merges into truth,
Is there a place in the cosmos where truth does not exist?
Visualise this pure and unsullied truth. (Telugu poem)
One has to realise what is meant by Suddha Sattva (pure consciousness). You have witnessed the creation of Hiranyagarbha Lingas several times by Me. That Hiranyagarbha Linga is a symbol of pure consciousness. It is omnipresent. (Swami created a Hiranyagarbha Linga and showed it to all present.) Look, this is verily Suddha Sattva (pure consciousness). There is no human being in this world, who is free from desires. Every human being has some desire or the other. There is no place in this universe where this pure consciousness is not present. It is therefore a mistake to limit that omnipresent pure consciousness to a particular form. All are embodiments of pure consciousness. It is present in all human beings in a miniscule form like an atom. The pure consciousness assumes different forms in different ages as avatars. It manifested as Narasimha, Vamana, etc., in the Krita Yuga. The same pure consciousness assumed the form of Shri Rama in Treta Yuga and Shri Krishna in Dwapara Yuga. Shri Rama was accompanied by Sita in Treta Yuga, who led the life of an ideal wife and set an example to mankind in chastity. Sita, in spite of the great difficulties she encountered while living in exile and spending ten long months in captivity in Lanka never lost her poise. She steadfastly held on to Ramanama with single-minded devotion. She never wavered even for a moment. She gave up food and sleep totally and constantly contemplated on Ramanama. She could not visualise any other form except that of Shri Rama, who was Ekatma sarva bhutantaratma (one atma that dwells in all beings). Even in birds and beasts, she was seeing only the form of Shri Rama. That one atmic principle is referred to as Hiranyagarbha, which is pure gold. Pure gold is always referred to as 24 carat gold.
God is always said to manifest 16 facets. Hence, He is referred to as Purna Tattva (Embodiment of fullness).
Poornamadah poornamidam,
Poornat poornamudachyate,
Poornasyapoornamadaya,
Poornamevavashishyate.
(That is full, this is full. When the full is taken out of the full, what remains is again the full.)
(Sanskrit shloka) – (SSS Vol.40, p. 183)
The manifestation of Divine Powers
The attributes and powers of the Divine remain unaltered in their pristine amplitude. The Divine manifests His powers according to the needs, the circumstances and the conditions prevailing at a particular time or place. (SSS Vol.24, p. 58)
The Avatar does not forgo any of His supreme powers merely because He lives and moves among human beings as a man. Narrow-minded persons view these things differently. This phenomenon could be noticed in several instances in the case of the Rama-Avatar. In the Ramayana, Rama is depicted as one who, like other ordinary human beings, experienced the pangs of separation from Sita. For what reason did Rama exhibit such feelings? Rama behaved in this manner to serve as an example to the common people how individuals should behave in similar circumstances. (SSS Vol.24, pp. 58-59)
Even before the advent of the Avatar, the stage is set to the minutest detail; Kaikeyi is ready with her two indefinite boons. Dasharatha is ready with the curse of the ascetic on his head, entailing upon him a death due to anguish at the separation of his son; the Vanaras are ready to help the divine purpose. Sita is ready risen from the earth, to provide the cause for the downfall of Evil. Just as a garland is made of flowers gathered from many plants, flowers of many hues and fragrances, so too the Garland of the divine story is made up of a variety of incidents, a boon, a blessing, a curse to provide the wonderful plot of His story. (SSS Vol.2, pp. 2-3)
Six attributes of an Avatar:
Every Avatar has six types of powers: all-encompassing Prosperity, Righteousness, Fame, Wealth, Wisdom and Renunciation (or non-attachment). God is the possessor of those six attributes. Shri Rama had all these six attributes in equal measure. Every Avatar of God in every age and every place has these six attributes. (SS May 89, p. 122)
The Avatar As Liberator
Nirguno Nishkriyo Nityo
Nirvikalpo Niranjanah
Nirvikaro Nirakaro
Nitya Mukto-asmi Nirmalah
(Actionless, ever abiding, free from delusions, ever blissful,
unchanging, formless, ever liberated and untainted am I).
God transcends the Gunas (attributes). He is without cause. He is without form and is unchanging. He is beyond all thoughts and fancies. He is eternal, pure, omniscient and infinite. The cosmos is the embodiment of the Divine. There is nothing, not even an atom, in the world without the Divine.
God is all-pervading. He is omnipresent. He transcends time, space and circumstances. According to one’s level of understanding of the Divine, God exists at that level. The mind is the means, of comprehending everything in the world. In the world, which is a projection of the mind, the Lord exists as Chittaswarupa (Universal Consciousness). (SSS Vol.25), 9 Sep 1992
Man should possess Divine Consciousness
Man’s life is based upon his qualities and character. A true man is one who acts according to his Atma-Dharma (the integrity of the Spirit) and not according to the impulses of his senses. Atma-Dharma is the true Dharma of man. Acting according to the dictates of the senses is the code of the animals. Man should elevate from the animal to the Overlord of the animal nature (Pashupati or Shiva). What man should have is Ishvara-bhava (the Divine Consciousness) and not the Prakriti-bhava (instinctive nature).
It should also be recognised that all Nature is an embodiment of the Divine. Creation is the primary symbol of the Divine Consciousness. It is called Prakriti (Nature). Every man who is a product of Nature should have the consciousness of his divinity and proclaim the Divine basis of creation. Human existence is supremely sacred. It is precious, divine and should be lived befittingly. The divinity in man, who is part of creation, is not something distinct. To demonstrate the inherent divinity of man, Avatars (Divine incarnations) appear from time to time.
God does not exist as something apart. All are embodiments of the Divine. ‘Ishvarah sarva-bhutanam’ (Gita 18:61), ‘Ishavasyam idam sarvam (Isha Upanishad)’ ‘vasudevah sarvam iti’(Gita 7:19) (The Divine dwells in all beings, All this is dwelt in by the Lord, Everything is Divine). Men are forgetting these profound, sacred declarations and are wasting their lives in the pursuit of petty mundane pleasures (SSS Vol.24, pp. 305-306)
Aim of religion is to unite man with God
By all kinds of misinterpretations and wrong meanings, the great religion of the Bharatiyas has been rendered meaningless and valueless by sectarians and perverse exponents. The basic meaning and purpose of religion is to lead man to his source. Students should grasp the root meaning of the word Religion. It consists of two parts’ ‘Re,’ meaning ‘again,’ and ‘ligio’ meaning ‘come together’ or ‘unite.’ That is to say, ‘Reuniting with God’ is Religion. People consider religion as a bundle of doctrines and of rigorous do’s and don’ts prescribed for people. This is totally wrong. The sacred aim of Religion is to remind man of his divine origin and help to lead him back to God.
This profound truth is contained in the Upanishadic dictum: ‘Tat tvam asi’ (That Thou Art). ‘Uniting That with This’ is the meaning of this declaration. ‘Prajnanam Brahma’ (Brahman is Cosmic Knowledge) is another declaration which is designed to remind man of his divine essence and enable him to merge in the Divine. ‘Ayam Atma Brahma’ (This Atma is Brahman) is another declaration expounding the same basic purpose of Religion, namely, to make the individual realise his oneness with the Supreme. The dictum ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (I am Brahman, the absolute), is the final declaration by the Self-realised person, that in reality, there is no difference between him and the Absolute.
The essence of the religion of Bharatiyas as proclaimed in the Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana Vedas, is the attainment of the unity of the individual with the Divine by the recognition of his inherent divinity. The Avatars come to teach humanity this principle of oneness so that they may get rid of the idea of diversity and manifest their inherent divinity, realizing their basic spiritual nature. (SSS Vol.24, pp. 56-57)
Avatars come to teach principle of oneness
The descent of the Avatar means the Divine coming down to the level of the human. No blemish attaches to the Divine as a result of this descent. There is no diminution in His puissance. Here is the example of a child playing on the ground. If the mother feels it is beneath her dignity to bend and calls upon the child to leap into her arms, the child cannot do so. But out of her love for the child, the mother herself stoops and picks up the baby. By bending down to take the child, does the mother bow to the child? Likewise, the Avatar descends to the level of the human to bless and rescue those who cannot rise to the level of the Divine. The ignorant assumes that because the Divine has descended with a human form God has lowered Himself to the human level. This is a case of bending and not kneeling down. It is an act of benediction and not of submission. (SSS Vol.24, pp. 57-58)
Human birth is the result of Karma
God is not a separate entity. Man is the image of God. ‘Daivam manusha rupena,’ (God appears in human form) declare the scriptures. God has no separate form. It is to show to humanity how human lives can be divinised that Avatars come from time to time. God does not come down as Avatar to relieve individuals of their troubles and sorrow and to confer joy and happiness on them. Difficulties, troubles and worries come in the natural course as a consequence of past actions. The Gita says: ‘Karmaanubandheeni Manushya loke’ (Human beings are bound by Karma in the world). As human birth is the result of Karma, there can be no escape from the consequences of Karma. As is your action, so is the reaction to it. When you stand before a mirror and offer salutation before the mirror, the salutation is reflected by the image. If you address harsh words to the mirror, the harshness is reflected by the image in the same manner. It will be evident from this example that the fruits of our actions are determined by the nature of those actions.
Bharatiyas have held fast to three beliefs: The law of Karma, the concept of Avatars, and the doctrine of rebirth. The law of Karma means that there is no escape from the consequences of your actions. The Karma doctrine lays down that one has to experience the results of his actions. The concept of Avatar implies faith in God and in the divinity inherent in man. Man does not merely mean the human form. Man is distinguished from other animals and creatures by his capacity to judge what is permanent and what is transient, and his ability to recognise the past, the present and the future. Man alone has the capacity to comprehend this threefold nature of time. Man can ruminate over the past and speculate about the future. He can experience the present. However, man should not worry about what is past. The present is the product of the past. What has happened is beyond recall. It is futile to worry about the future because it is uncertain. Concern yourself only with the present. By ‘present’ we may be thinking only of this moment. But this is not the present as Divinity sees it. For the Divine, what is ‘present’ and what is ‘omnipresent.’ (SSS Vol.21, pp. 198-199)
Love incarnates as Avatar to teach love
Bharat is the land in which the tender Tulasi plant and the giant banyan tree were worshipped with equal devotion. Cows, horses, elephants and other animals were treated as sacred objects of worship. Even ants were considered worthy of care and protection and rice flour or sugar was offered to them every day. Crows and eagles, dogs and monkeys were deemed worthy of worship. Not realising the deeper truth underlying this attitude to various objects in creation, ignoramuses choose to regard this worship as a silly superstition. This is wholly wrong. Bharat considered that the expression of Divine love should not be confined to human beings but should be extended to all beings. This is the great ideal that Bharat has held out to the world. The profound secret of this knowledge and understanding has not been grasped by any country. Bharat is the land which has upheld this sacred spiritual truth and adhered to this vision of the Divine. (SSS Vol.24), 2-9-1991
Divine love should be extended to all beings
It is to teach mankind the truth about this Divine Love that Love itself incarnates on earth in human form. The scriptures declare that the Divine descends on earth to teach mankind the ways of Dharma, Justice and Truth. ‘Dharma samsthaapa naarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge’. (I incarnate on earth from age to age to establish Dharma). This is Krishna’s declaration in the Gita. Once people are filled with love, all Dharma, all justice and all truth will be installed in them. Without love, righteousness will be a mechanical ritual. What kind of righteousness can there be without love? What sort of justice can there be? It will be a lifeless corpse. Love is life.
Without love, no man can exist for a moment. Hence, Love is the form of the Supreme Lord. It is to preach the doctrine of love that the Krishna Avatar and other divine incarnations made their advent on earth. According to the place, time and circumstances prevailing then, different names were given to the Lord. These differences are like the different figures made from sugar to appeal to the different preferences of children. These figures may be those of a peacock, or a dog or a fox and so on. But what is common to all of them is sugar.
Likewise, the avatars in the four yugas incarnated to teach what were appropriate for that age’ Dhyana (meditation) for the Krita Yuga, Tapas (penance) for the Treta Yuga, Upasana (worship) for the Dwapara Yuga and Namasmarana (chanting the name of the Lord) for the Kali Yuga. Common to all these is love of the Lord. In the same way what is common to the nine forms of worship (Sravanam, Keerthanam, etc.) is love. In all of them the chanting of the Lord’s name with devotion is common.
Although there are many types of spiritual practices, they are of no avail without love. This love must be unchanging in all circumstances. The faith of the eldest of the Pandava brothers, Dharmaja, was of this steadfast type. Whether as an exile in the forest or as an emperor, whether during the disrobing of Draupadi in Duryodhana’s court or when Abhimanyu was killed in battle, or when the slaughter of the Upapandavas (by Aswathama) occurred, in all situations, his faith in Krishna never wavered. He firmly believed that Krishna was his sole saviour. At all times he was contemplating only the name of Krishna. Whether as an emperor ruling over a vast realm or when he lost everything in the game of dice, he was neither elated with success nor depressed by defeat. The primary trait of the Pandavas was to cherish such unflinching faith in the Divine.
Unfortunately, in this age of Kali, it is characteristic of the small-minded people to praise God in times of prosperity and traduce God in periods of adversity. People must cultivate the feeling of love which will enable them to look upon prosperity and adversity with equal serenity. People must develop the conviction that it is the same Lord who is the in-dweller in all beings. Just as the body is an organic whole and any ailment affecting any part of the body is felt as a pain by the whole organism, people should feel that anyone’s suffering is their own suffering and any relief done to the other is a help done to themselves. Differences between persons will cease when there is recognition of the common Divinity present in everyone. (SSS Vol.24), 2-9-1991
Experience the Love Principle. Thereby you will rid the world of hatred. Once hatred goes the world will be free from violence and strife. For all the cruelty and violence that we find in the world today, the root cause is selfishness. This has to be eradicated.
Cultivating the Love Principle and manifesting love in all your thoughts and actions, you will experience the bliss of Love. When one is filled with Love of the Divine, all pains and troubles will be forgotten. It is to propagate this principle of Divine Love that the advent of Avatars takes place from time to time. (SSS Vol.25), 21 Aug 1992
Fill your hearts with love
When you fill your hearts with love, you have no ill-will towards anyone. Cultivate the faith that the Divine is in everyone. Surrender to the Divine in a spirit of dedication. The symbolic meaning in the relations between Krishna and the Gopikas is this: The heart is the Brindavan (in each person). One’s thoughts are like the Gopikas. The Atma is Krishna. Bliss is the sport of Krishna. Everyone must convert his heart into a Brindavan and consider the indwelling Atma as Krishna.
Your love must be sweet. What you offer to God must be your sweet love. Your love must be all-embracing. This is the foremost message of the Avatar. (SSS Vol.21), 3 Aug 1988
Regard yourselves as children of God. There is really no difference between the Avatars and yourselves except with regard to the number of aspects of the Divine present in each one. These aspects can be enhanced by right conduct and by developing Divine love.
That is not true love which wanes from moment to moment and waxes from time to time. Only the love that is unchanging and shines brightly always in the heart is true love. It is unaffected by joy or sorrow, praise or blame. Such love is true devotion. A love that grows or declines according to varying circumstances is not true love at all. (SSS Vol.21), 23 Nov 1988