Knowledge
The quality of true love is to give and not to receive. How many are to be found today in the world who love to give? When we find them, we acknowledge and appreciate without applying their habit of giving in our lives. Even a father hesitates to part with his property in order to give it to his children. Only God can be the infinite giver. Hence love is a divine quality. Although inherently love is present in every cell of the human being it does not manifest itself because of the pollution of the heart. A human being without love in the heart is as good as dead. I recently read a post in the Facebook which roared, “The purpose why we are gifted with wealth is not to merely increase our standard of living but to substantially increase our standard of giving”.
To seek only my own future is selfishness. To be concerned about my own bliss is also selfishness. Only the human being, who gives up self-interest and regards the happiness of others as his or her own and devotes himself or herself to their well-being, is a truly selfless person. The Lord will love only those who love others. If I seek to win the Lord’s love, I must love others. I cannot win the love of others if I do not love them. Without worrying about what has happened in the past and without concern for the future, I have to strive to make the best use of the present by cultivating love and doing service.
Example for application of knowledge
On one occasion, Emperor Parik****h fell at the feet of sage Suka and asked for instruction on a point that was causing him dire doubt. “Master! One riddle has been worrying me for a long time. I know that you can solve it for me and that no one else can. I have listened to the narratives of the lives of my forefathers, from the earliest, the great Manu, down to those of my grandfathers and father. I have studied these stories with care. I observe that in the history of every one of these, there is mention of sages (rishis) attached to the monarch, some learned scholar-saints who are members of the court, attending court sessions and sharing the business of government! These scholars have renounced all attachments and desires and have realized that the world is a shadow and a snare, that the One is the only Reality. What is the real meaning of this amazing association of scholars with kings and rulers playing subordinate roles and being counseled? I know that the revered elders won’t engage in any activity without sufficient and proper reasons. Their behavior is ever pure and unsullied. But this makes my doubt unsolvable. Please enlighten me.”
Suka laughed. He replied, “You asked a fine question, no doubt. Listen! The great sages and holy scholars are always eager to share with their fellow people the truth they have grasped, the sanctifying experience they have won, the elevating deeds they have been privileged to perform, and the divine grace they have been chosen to receive. They seek nearness to those who are in charge of administration and those who are adepts in ruling over peoples, with the intention to use them as instruments for establishing and ensuring peace and prosperity on earth. They implant high ideals in their minds, and holy ways of fulfilling them. They prompt the performance of righteous actions, in accordance with just laws. “The monarchs invite and welcome the sages, seek out the scholars, and plead with them to be in their courts, so that they can learn from them the art of government and act according to their counsel. The monarch was the master and guardian of the people; so, the sages spent their days with him for the estimable purpose of realizing, through him, the yearning of their hearts: May all the beings in the world be happy (lokaassamasthaah sukhino bhavanthu). The sages were eager to see happiness and peace spread over the world. Therefore, they tried to equip the kings with all the virtues, fill them with all the moral codes of discipline, arm them with all branches of learning, so that they may rule efficiently, wisely, and with beneficial consequences to themselves and their subjects.”
“To this venerable group belonged Vasishta, Viswamitra, Garga, Agastya, and the other sages (rishis). Monarchs of renunciation, they had no wants, sought nothing from anyone, and were ever content. They appeared in the audience halls of the emperors not for polemics and the pomp of punditry, or to collect the costly gifts offered to such disputants and guests, or to decorate themselves with the burdensome title those patrons confer on people they preferred. They craved rather the bliss of the vision of the Lord (darshan) and for a chance to uphold dharma in human affairs; they had no other objective”.
Love begets love. Love is giving and forgiving and selfishness is getting and forgetting. Let the Lord shower me with the mindset to have a hand that turns red by giving constantly rather than a face that turns red to see my own selfishness. Let me learn the knack of seeing myself in others which I believe will eventually end my misery. Let me stop worrying about painting a good picture about me and start thinking how I can fill my heart with love for others.
The quality of true love is to give and not to receive. How many are to be found today in the world who love to give? When we find them, we acknowledge and appreciate without applying their habit of giving in our lives. Even a father hesitates to part with his property in order to give it to his children. Only God can be the infinite giver. Hence love is a divine quality. Although inherently love is present in every cell of the human being it does not manifest itself because of the pollution of the heart. A human being without love in the heart is as good as dead. I recently read a post in the Facebook which roared, “The purpose why we are gifted with wealth is not to merely increase our standard of living but to substantially increase our standard of giving”.
To seek only my own future is selfishness. To be concerned about my own bliss is also selfishness. Only the human being, who gives up self-interest and regards the happiness of others as his or her own and devotes himself or herself to their well-being, is a truly selfless person. The Lord will love only those who love others. If I seek to win the Lord’s love, I must love others. I cannot win the love of others if I do not love them. Without worrying about what has happened in the past and without concern for the future, I have to strive to make the best use of the present by cultivating love and doing service.
Example for application of knowledge
On one occasion, Emperor Parik****h fell at the feet of sage Suka and asked for instruction on a point that was causing him dire doubt. “Master! One riddle has been worrying me for a long time. I know that you can solve it for me and that no one else can. I have listened to the narratives of the lives of my forefathers, from the earliest, the great Manu, down to those of my grandfathers and father. I have studied these stories with care. I observe that in the history of every one of these, there is mention of sages (rishis) attached to the monarch, some learned scholar-saints who are members of the court, attending court sessions and sharing the business of government! These scholars have renounced all attachments and desires and have realized that the world is a shadow and a snare, that the One is the only Reality. What is the real meaning of this amazing association of scholars with kings and rulers playing subordinate roles and being counseled? I know that the revered elders won’t engage in any activity without sufficient and proper reasons. Their behavior is ever pure and unsullied. But this makes my doubt unsolvable. Please enlighten me.”
Suka laughed. He replied, “You asked a fine question, no doubt. Listen! The great sages and holy scholars are always eager to share with their fellow people the truth they have grasped, the sanctifying experience they have won, the elevating deeds they have been privileged to perform, and the divine grace they have been chosen to receive. They seek nearness to those who are in charge of administration and those who are adepts in ruling over peoples, with the intention to use them as instruments for establishing and ensuring peace and prosperity on earth. They implant high ideals in their minds, and holy ways of fulfilling them. They prompt the performance of righteous actions, in accordance with just laws. “The monarchs invite and welcome the sages, seek out the scholars, and plead with them to be in their courts, so that they can learn from them the art of government and act according to their counsel. The monarch was the master and guardian of the people; so, the sages spent their days with him for the estimable purpose of realizing, through him, the yearning of their hearts: May all the beings in the world be happy (lokaassamasthaah sukhino bhavanthu). The sages were eager to see happiness and peace spread over the world. Therefore, they tried to equip the kings with all the virtues, fill them with all the moral codes of discipline, arm them with all branches of learning, so that they may rule efficiently, wisely, and with beneficial consequences to themselves and their subjects.”
“To this venerable group belonged Vasishta, Viswamitra, Garga, Agastya, and the other sages (rishis). Monarchs of renunciation, they had no wants, sought nothing from anyone, and were ever content. They appeared in the audience halls of the emperors not for polemics and the pomp of punditry, or to collect the costly gifts offered to such disputants and guests, or to decorate themselves with the burdensome title those patrons confer on people they preferred. They craved rather the bliss of the vision of the Lord (darshan) and for a chance to uphold dharma in human affairs; they had no other objective”.
Love begets love. Love is giving and forgiving and selfishness is getting and forgetting. Let the Lord shower me with the mindset to have a hand that turns red by giving constantly rather than a face that turns red to see my own selfishness. Let me learn the knack of seeing myself in others which I believe will eventually end my misery. Let me stop worrying about painting a good picture about me and start thinking how I can fill my heart with love for others.