Message from the Gospel – 15. Pray for Pure Love

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna presents countless number of incidents displaying the God-intoxicated ecstatic love of Sri Ramakrishna. This fact compelled me to write one more blog on this subject even though I had already written about the importance of ‘love for God’ in Messages 11 and 14.

Sri Ramakrishna says, “I prayed to the Divine Mother: 'O Mother; here, take Thy dharma; here, take Thy adharma; and give me pure love for Thee. Here, take Thy virtue; here, take Thy vice; and give me pure love for Thee. Here, take Thy knowledge; here, take Thy ignorance; and give me pure love for Thee.' You see, I didn't ask even for knowledge or public recognition. When one renounces both dharma and adharma, there remains only pure love of God – love that is stainless, motiveless, and that one feels only for the sake of love."

To the question, “How can one realize God?”, he says, "Attachment to God, or, in other words, love for Him.  And secondly, prayer."

BRAHMO DEVOTEE: "Which one is the way – love or prayer?"

MASTER: "First love, and then prayer." 

The Master sang:

Cry to your Mother Syama with a real cry, O mind!
And how can She hold Herself from you?
How can Syama stay away? .  .  .

Continuing, the Master said: "And one must always chant the name and glories of God and pray to Him.  An old metal pot must be scrubbed every day.  What is the use of cleaning it only once? Further, one must practise discrimination and renunciation; one must be conscious of the unreality of the world."

"Bhakti, love of God, is the essence of all spiritual discipline.  Through love one acquires renunciation and discrimination naturally."

"The meaning of bhakti is to adore God with body, mind, and words. 'With body' means to serve and worship God with one's hands, go to holy places with one's feet, hear the chanting of the name and glories of God with one's ears, and behold the divine image with one's eyes. 'With mind' means to contemplate and meditate on God constantly and to remember and think of His lila.¹ 'With words' means to sing hymns to Him and chant His name and glories.”

"Devotion as described by Nārada is suited to the Kaliyuga. It means to chant constantly the name and glories of God. Let those who have no leisure worship God at least morning and evening by whole-heartedly chanting His name and clapping their hands.”

"Ahalyā once said to Rāma  'O Rāma, I have no objection to being born even as a pig. But please grant that I may have pure love for Thy Lotus Feet. I do not want anything else.'”

"Nārada went to Ayodhya to remind Rāma that He was to kill  Ravana . At the sight of Rāma and Sita, he began to sing their glories. Gratified at Nārada's devotion, Rāma said: 'Nārada, I am pleased with your prayer. Ask a boon.' Nārada replied, 'O Rāma, if Thou must give me a boon, then grant that I may have pure love for Thy Lotus Feet and that I may not be deluded by Thy world-bewitching māyā. Rāma said, 'Ask something more.' 'No, Rāma,' answered Nārada, 'I do not want anything else. I want only pure love for Thy Lotus Feet, a love that seeks no return.'”

We may spend our whole life thinking and talking about this one aspect: pure love for God, a love that seeks no return. Still we would not have exhausted all that can be said about it. Well, if we can spend our whole life thinking and talking about this single aspect, it only means that we have understood the aim and the goal of life, and the purpose of being born as a human has been served, indeed.

----------------------------

¹ ‘lila’ means divine plays.