We are all lovers, devotees of a higher power, thousands of lovers, but the Beloved is one for all. He whom we desire is the beloved of the whole world and is the one God for all men, not specifically for Muslims only, or for Hindus only, or for Christians only.
          Sant Kirpal Singh

What is love

­From the book "Morning Talks", written by Sant Kirpal Singh

1968-01-25, Delhi, Sawan Ashram
Talk available as mp3 at audio.sant-kirpal-singh.org


What is ­love? Every­body ­says ­that I ­love ­God, I ­love ­the Mas­ter, ­but ­what is ­love? ­Love is ­the ­fruit of a ­tree. It is ­the ulti­mate ­goal, ­which devel­ops ­and  ­comes up ­within us. We ­should ­love ­God ­with ­all ­our ­heart, ­with ­all ­our ­soul, ­with ­all ­our ­strength. Is ­the ­heart ­one or ­two? ­The ­heart is ­only ­one, ­and ­you ­can ­only ­give it to some­body ­whom ­you ­love. If ­you ­give ­away ­your ­heart to some­body, ­then ­what ­remains ­with ­you? ­You ­will ­think in ­the ­same ­way ­that He ­thinks, ­not in ­your ­own ­way. ­This is ­the ulti­mate ­goal. ­Lord ­Krishna ­said, "O my dis­ci­ple, ­the ­heart is ­only ­one ­and ­that ­Lord ­Krishna ­has ­taken ­away". If ­your ­heart ­has ­already ­been ­given to ­the ­God-in-­man, ­then noth­ing ­remains to be ­given sep­ar­ately to ­God. So ­first, ­our ­heart ­should be ­whole, ­not ­broken ­into ­pieces. ­When it is com­plete, ­only ­then ­can ­you ­give it.
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Our Mas­ter ­was ­once giv­ing a ­talk, ­and He ­said, "­All ­right, if ­any of ­you ­can ­give ­your ­heart, ­you ­can go ­straight to ­heaven." ­One ­man ­stood up ­and ­said, "­Well, I ­give my ­heart". ­The Mas­ter ­asked ­him, "­Have ­you con­trolled ­your ­heart?" "No", ­replied ­the ­man. "­Then ­how ­can ­you ­give it?" ­said ­the Mas­ter. ­You ­can ­only ­give some­thing ­which is ­under ­your con­trol, ­that is in ­your pos­ses­sion. ­The ­heart is ­led ­away by ­the out­go­ing facul­ties ­here, ­there ­and eve­ry­where. ­Unless it is con­cen­trated, ­how ­can ­you ­give it? We ­have no con­trol ­over ­our ­heart. It is ­dragged ­away in so ­many ­ways.

So I ­was ­just talk­ing ­about ­love. ­Love is ­the ulti­mate ­fruit of a ­tree. We ­wish, we ­like to ­have some­thing ­but it is ­only a ­wish. ­The ­heart is ­given ­only ­when ­you with­draw it ­from ­all out­side ­things, ­and it is ­under ­your con­trol. So ­there ­are ­steps lead­ing to ­this con­trol. ­What we ­have ­got is ­only – "We ­wish, we ­like, ­let it be ­done ­like ­this or ­that" – ­but it is ­not ­yet ­done. So ­there ­are ­steps lead­ing to ­this ­and ­the ­first ­step is, "If ­you ­love me, ­keep my com­mand­ments". ­What ­are ­these com­mand­ments? "­Love ­thy ­God ­with ­all ­thy ­heart, ­whit ­all ­thy ­soul, ­with ­all ­thy ­strength". ­The ­word "­heart" is ­there. ­With ­all ­thy ­heart, ­not a ­heart ­that is ­cut ­into ­pieces, ­here, ­there ­and eve­ry­where. So ­let it be com­plete, ­first of ­all. We ­love ­God ­out of ­some lik­ing, ­some wish­ful ­thoughts, ­you ­might ­say. So ­the ­ABC ­starts ­from "­Heed my com­mand­ments". ­For ­instance, in ­the ­West, ­when ­the police­man in ­charge ­over ­there ­says "­stop", ­even ­the peo­ple ­stop. I ­saw it ­myself ­when I ­was ­over ­there. If ­the Mas­ter or any­one ­whom ­you ­love ­says "­stop", ­then ­stop ­there, ­don't ­take a fur­ther ­step. ­But do we ­keep ­His com­mand­ments? We ­don't, ­then ­where is ­our ­love? We ­hanker ­after ­love, we ­have wish­ful ­thoughts to ­have ­love, ­but we ­have ­not ­yet ­got ­love. We ­have ­not ­laid ­the ­first ­stone of ­the build­ing of ­love. ­The foun­da­tion ­starts ­when ­you ­keep ­His com­mand­ments. ­Then He ­says, "­All ­right, ­devote reg­u­lar ­time to ­your med­i­ta­tions. ­Weed ­out ­all imper­fec­tions ­within ­you ­from ­day to ­day." We ­say ­that we ­have ­got no ­time to ­keep ­the diar­ies. We ­have ­not ­even ­started as ­yet, ­what to ­speak of ­love. Fur­ther, if we ­wish to ­have ­thoughts of some­body, ­love of some­body, we ­shall ­always be think­ing of ­him. It is ­told of ­one ­Majnu (he ­was a ­great ­lover of ­Laila), ­that ­once he ­was ­seen hug­ging ­the ­feet of a ­dog. ­The peo­ple ­asked ­him, "­What ­are ­you ­doing, ­are ­you ­going ­mad?" "No, no," he ­replied, "I ­have some­times ­seen  ­this ­dog ­going ­into ­the ­street of my ­Laila, ­whom I ­love." If we ­love some­body ­for ­the ­Master's ­sake, or ­for ­the ­sake of ­God, ­this is a ­sign ­that ­you ­are grow­ing in ­love ­for ­your ­Beloved, ­for ­your Mas­ter. ­These ­are ­the foun­da­tion ­stones, ­not ­love as ­yet, ­mind ­that! ­Love is ­given ­away of ­your ­heart. ­The ­heart is ­one ­and ­when it is ­given ­away to some­body, ­then ­what ­remains? Mau­lana ­Rumi ­says, "­When ­you ­have ­accepted ­your Mas­ter ­once ­and ­for ­all, ­even ­the ­Prophet ­and ­God ­both ­are ­there in ­Him". So ­our ­respect ­goes to ­God ­once we ­have ­given ­our ­heart to ­where He is man­i­fested. As I ­told ­you at ­the ­very begin­ning, ­love is ­the ­fruit of a ­tree. ­First we ­start ­with wish­ful ­thoughts, lik­ings, to ­have some­thing by com­par­a­tive dis­crim­i­na­tion, or by read­ing scrip­tures.
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Whom ­should we ­love? ­The ­soul ­should ­love ­God, ­because a con­scious ­entity ­must go to ­all Con­scious­ness. ­That is ­but nat­u­ral. It ­has ­been ­attached to ­the out­ward ­things of ­the ­world ­and ­the ­result is, we ­come ­and go ­where we ­are ­attached. Every­body is con­vinced, ­from ­their ­own ­level of think­ing, ­that ­they ­love ­God. ­God we ­have ­not ­seen, ­but He is man­i­fested in ­some ­human ­body. If we ­say ­that we ­love ­Him, ­then ­our foun­da­tion ­stone ­will be ­laid by keep­ing ­His com­mand­ments, ­first of ­all. Sec­ond, if ­you ­love some­body, ­then ­you ­will ­also ­love ­those ­who go to ­Him. We crit­i­cize, we some­times ­fight, ­even ­with ­those ­who ­are on ­the ­same ­Way as us. ­Then ­where is ­our ­love ­for ­the Mas­ter? ­These ­are ­the step­ping ­stones, ­but ­there ­are fur­ther ­steps. ­When ­you ­grow in ­love ­for ­God or ­the ­God-in-­man (­they ­are ­one ­and ­the ­same), nat­u­rally ­you ­will ­hanker ­after ­Him. ­You can­not for­get ­Him. ­You ­would ­like to ­have ­the com­pany of some­body ­who ­has ­first ­hand expe­ri­ence of ­Him, or ­who ­has ­been ­with ­Him. Fur­ther, ­you ­would ­like to be ­near ­Him, as ­near as pos­si­ble. If ­you ­are ­not ­there, ­but ­you ­hear some­one ­who ­speaks of ­Him, ­your ­heart ­becomes ­full ­and over­flows ­through ­your ­eyes. ­This is a symp­tom ­that ­you ­are grow­ing in ­love ­for ­Him. ­These ­are ­the blos­soms ­which her­ald ­the appear­ance of ­the ­fruit. If ­rain is ­expected, ­first ­you ­will ­have ­clouds. If ­there ­are no ­clouds, ­there ­will be no ­rain. If ­there ­are no blos­soms, ­there ­will be no ­fruit. So to ­develop ­this ­love, we ­must ­first ­obey ­His com­mand­ments, sec­ond ­weed ­out ­all imper­fec­tions ­and ­third ­devote ­time to ­the spir­i­tual prac­tices. ­You ­should ­also ­have ­the com­pany of some­body ­who ­just ­reminds ­you of ­your ­ideal. ­Avoid ­the com­pany of ­all oth­ers in ­whose soci­ety ­you ­are ­attached to ­the ­world or for­get ­Him. If ­you can­not ­have ­the com­pany of ­those ­who ­can ­help ­you to remem­ber ­Him, ­then it is bet­ter to ­live ­alone. ­Live ­with ­the Mas­ters speak­ing ­through ­books, ­through ­the scrip­tures. ­You ­will be bet­ter ­off. A fur­ther sym­bol ­that in ­your ­love ­you ­are draw­ing ­closer to ­Him, is ­that ­you ­will ­feel sep­ar­a­tion. ­You ­will ­hanker to ­see ­Him. ­When ­you ­hear ­about ­Him, ­your ­heart ­will ­become ­full ­and ­tears ­will ­roll ­down ­from ­your ­cheeks. ­These ­are ­the symp­toms to ­show ­that ­the ­fruit is ripen­ing. ­These ­things ­are ­the blos­soms. Ulti­mately, ­when ­the ­fruit ­comes, ­you ­are ­for ­the Mas­ter ­and ­the Mas­ter is ­for ­you. ­These ­are ­the ­steps ­and we ­have ­now to ­judge ­where we ­stand.

We ­should ­not ­hear any­thing ­which is ­not accord­ing to ­the scrip­tures, ­that is ­not in accor­dance ­with ­what ­God ­would ­say, ­even ­against ­any prop­a­ganda ­which ­may be car­ried on. ­You fol­low my ­point? We ­say we ­love ­God, we ­love ­our Mas­ter. ­This is ­all ­right, ­but ­where ­are ­the out­ward symp­toms? ­How ­does it ­start? ­Love is ­the giv­ing of ­your ­heart ­once ­and ­for ­all. It can­not be ­retaken ­and ­given to some­body ­else. We ­can ­only ­give ­our ­heart ­when it ­comes ­under ­our con­trol. We can­not ­give it oth­er­wise. We ­can ­only ­have wish­ful ­thoughts. So ­this is some­thing ­very prac­ti­cal ­that we ­have to ­wade ­through, I ­would ­say. ­Rome ­was ­not ­built in a ­day. ­Love is devel­oped in ­the ­direct com­pany of ­the Mas­ter or indi­rectly ­when ­you ­become recep­tive, ­even ­from thou­sands of ­miles. ­The ­time ­will ­come ­when ­you ­will ­say, "­Who is liv­ing in ­this ­body? Am I?" ­You ­will for­get your­self; ­you ­will ­see ­the Mas­ter in ­there. ­When ­you ­fold ­your ­hands, ­they ­will be ­the ­Master's ­hands, ­not ­yours. So ­love is ­the ulti­mate ­fruit of ­the ­goal. ­That is ­why ­Saint ­Paul ­said, "­God is ­love ­and ­love is ­God". We ­have ­not ­gone ­into ­the ­depths of "­What is ­Love?" ­All ­speak of ­love, ­but ­where do ­you actu­ally ­stand? If a ­man ­says ­that he ­loves ­God ­but ­hates ­his broth­ers, ­that is no ­love. I ­think ­Christ ­said ­once ­that if ­you do ­not ­love ­your broth­ers, ­how ­can ­you ­love ­God, ­whom ­you ­have ­not ­seen? If ­you ­have no ­love ­for ­those ­whom ­you ­can ­see, ­how ­can ­you ­have ­love ­for ­Him ­whom ­you ­have ­not ­seen? ­You fol­low my ­point? ­This we ­can ­watch. A ­man ­can ­have ­self intro­spec­tion ­and ­see ­for him­self. I ­know ­what I am mak­ing ­for my ­own ­Self ­after ­this ­life. Every­body ­can ­know if he ­will sim­ply ­tap ­inside. He ­can ­unravel him­self ­and ­see ­like a ­strict ­judge ­where he ­stands. ­Can we ­boldly ­say, "I ­love my Mas­ter, I ­love my ­God?" ­This  ­ideal ­appeals eve­ry­where, in ­homes, soci­e­ties, coun­tries, ­all ­the ­world ­over.
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These ­are ­the var­i­ous ­aspects of ­love ­that I am explain­ing. Yes­ter­day ­was ­one ­aspect, ­the ­day ­before ­another ­aspect ­and ­today I ­have ­put ­yet ­another ­aspect ­before ­you. So ­from ­today, ­you ­should ­judge ­where ­you ­stand. ­Are ­you ­really lov­ing ­God? ­Are ­you ­really on ­the ­Way? If so, ­then it is ­all ­right. ­That ­you ­can bet­ter ­judge in ­your ­actions, ­not ­talk. As I ­told ­you, ­the ­ABC ­starts ­from keep­ing ­His com­mand­ments. ­These ­are ­the symp­toms to ­show ­that ­you ­are begin­ning to ­love ­God or ­the Mas­ter. It ­all ­starts ­with keep­ing ­His com­mand­ments. "If ye ­love me, ­keep my com­mand­ments", ­Christ ­said. ­Really, ­your ­love ­lies in ­the ­fact ­that ­you ­must be of ser­vice to oth­ers. ­Those ­who ­love ­God ­and ­hate ­their broth­ers ­and oth­ers of ­His crea­tion, ­how ­can ­they ­love ­God? ­This is ­only ­mere ­lip ­talk. Go ­into ­the ­depths ­and ­find ­out ­where ­you ­stand. Lov­ing ­each ­other, sac­ri­fic­ing ­one's ­own ­self ­for ­the ­other, ­this is ­the ­first ­thing to ­show. ­You ­should ­love ­all ­who ­come, ­whether ­they  ­are dis­ci­ples or ­not. ­This is ­the begin­ning of grow­ing ­into ­love. ­Just to ­think ­about it ­won't ­help ­you. ­You ­must ­put ­into prac­tise. ­You ­must ­live up to it. ­Some ­think ­that ­they ­will ­create a ­heaven ­for them­selves by serv­ing ­the Mas­ter, ­but ­you ­can ­create ­heaven ­right ­here by liv­ing hum­bly, sim­ply, lov­ingly, at ­the ­feet of ­the Mas­ter. ­Kabir ­once ­said, "I ­went to ­the ­House of my ­Father ­and ­found ­that He ­was ­not ­there. I ­came to ­know ­that He ­was liv­ing ­with ­the ­Saints ­here on ­earth". ­You ­can ­create ­heaven on ­earth. ­This is ­what is ­meant by "­Let Thy King­dom ­come on ­Earth". It ­can ­come ­only if ­you ­live in ­this ­way. ­Now ­decide, by ­going ­into ­your ­hearts, ­where ­you ­stand. Boast­ing ­won't do, ­you ­must ­prove it by ­your ­actions. ­These ­are ­fine ­details, ­which ­are ­not ­given in ­the ­books. ­Many ­things ­are ­wrought by ­the atten­tion. ­The ­very ­words ­given ­with atten­tion ­can go to ­the ­heart. A liv­ing ­book ­will ­help ­you, ­and ­the Mas­ter is a Liv­ing ­Book. ­

Those ­who ­are cho­sen ­are for­tu­nate. ­They ­should ­prove wor­thy of ­being cho­sen. ­You ­would ­not ­like to ­leave ­the ­heaven at ­the ­feet of ­the Mas­ter ­and go to ­another ­heaven ­above. ­God ­resides in ­the com­pany of a ­Saint.