Daily Devotion - Jan 26, 2026 (English)- Forgotten Beloved
Everyone in the world lies - they utter white lies. For instance, people say, "I love my mother, father, wife, or husband," but these statements are entirely incorrect. It is true that when someone close to us in the world passes away, we genuinely shed tears. However, the root cause of our sorrow is our deep attachment to the world since eternity, and this very attachment becomes an obstacle to attaining God.
However, we must understand -
- Why does this love exist? and
- What kind of love is it?
We do not love anyone without reason. The love we feel is not for the happiness of others but for 'our own' happiness. This is a conditional, selfish love. Moreover, it lasts only as long as there is compatibility. Until someone's thoughts are aligned with ours, there is love. To the extent that someone is favorable to us, we love them accordingly. If someone fulfills 100% of our interests, we feel 100% love. The moment they become unfavorable, the love disappears. This is business, not love. For instance, When the son brings water for his father, the father praises him, calling him a "Shravan Kumar," the ideal son. But when the same son fails to fetch his spectacles, the father labels him a "demon!". In just five minutes, the so-called ideal son turned into a demon simply because he did not fulfill his father’s wish. Similarly, a father who transfers his property to someone else may be killed by his own son. Shri Maharaj Ji gives many such examples.
However, beyond all reasoning, without being taught by anyone, at all times, in all situations, we instinctively love happiness. Yet, everyone from whom we seek happiness in the world is a beggar themselves. No one possesses happiness in this world. Happiness resides only with God and the Saints who have attained God.
Happiness is our natural state because we are part and parcel of bliss - Amṛitasya vai putrāḥ - we are children of God. The Vedas describe God as -'yo vai bhūmā tatsukhaṁ', 'ānaṁdo brahma', 'raso vai sa:' - He is happiness, He is bliss.
divyo deva eko nārāyaṇo mātā pitā bhrātā nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṁ suhr̥d gatiḥ
All beings are His parts. He alone is everything to us. Yet, we have forgotten that He 'alone' is everything to us.
Worldly relations keep changing. Based on our karma, we have been making new fathers by entering different life forms every lifetime. Each time, we remain in the delusion that 'this is my mother, this is my father.' If they were truly ours, they would always remain with us. But this is not the case.
putra dārāpta bandhūnāṃ saṅgamaḥ pānthasaṅgamaḥ –
The son, wife, and all other relatives are like fellow travelers. Just as we briefly meet people while traveling on a train, we form temporary relationships in this world. Everyone here is a traveler. When their designated station arrives, they must depart. Similarly, every being enters this world at a predestined time and must leave when their allotted time, determined by God, comes to an end - 'Jīvitaṁ maraṇaṁ jantor gatiḥ svenaiva karmaṇā'.
Thus, the essence of the above Doha is that we love happiness because we are part of God, who is bliss, and He alone is everything to us. And our love for others lasts only as long as they remain favourable to us and fulfill our self-interest.
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