How to Fall in Love with God & Guru
Doha explanation - Hari Guru hī haiṃ mama, goviṃda rādhe। bāra bāra socanā hī pyāra karā de॥
(Only God and Guru are mine. Repeatedly contemplating on this will inspire true love for Them.)
Uddhav once asked Shri Krishna in Bhagavatam, "How does one fall in love with God? Please share a method that will definitely work."
God smiled and replied, "This is not a valid question because everyone in this world already knows the answer."
How does a person fall in love with another in this world? Everyone has experienced this - not just humans, even dogs, cats, and donkeys understand love.
jāte kachu nija svāratha hoī tāpara mamatā karai saba koī। Where we perceive our self-interest to be fulfilled, affection arises naturally. (Numerous examples can be observed in life.)
If we firmly resolve that we are the soul and not the body, the soul is neither a father nor a mother to anyone -
naiva strī na pumān eṣa na caivāyaṃ napuṃsakaḥ। yadyaccharīramādatte tena tena saṃyujyate॥
This soul is neither male nor female, nor father, mother, or son to anyone – these are all ever-changing relationships.
Just as a passenger gets off the train when their station arrives, so too must everyone depart when their time comes. No one can stop it, regardless of age or status. Even the father of God, Dasharath, had to go when his time came; Shri Ram did not prevent it. Abhimanyu had to go; Shri Krishna did not stop him.
To establish this firmly in the intellect, one must reflect again and again - that is all. No exterior action is required - it is purely a matter of the mind. Simply keep thinking, "I am the soul. God and Guru are my everything. Only through them will my self-interest be fulfilled. I seek happiness, and They are the source of infinite bliss. Everyone else in the world is a pauper - even the celestial Gods admit, 'We are beggars.'"
Everything here is merely a display; in truth, it all belongs to God. People claim ownership of houses and lands, backed by legal documents. But God says, "What are you thinking? Even your body is not legally documented as yours - then what claim do you have over land and property?” Upon death, one must even leave behind the body. God says, "I gave you this body for free in your mother’s womb so that you may earn spiritual merit and come to 'My' abode. You are Mine.” Yet we forget this and regard worldly parents and children as our own. We forget our true parents and get attached to worldly people.
The more firmly we decide that "my self-interest lies only in Hari-Guru..., only in Them...only in Them," the more naturally our love for Them will arise. This can happen in one second, one minute, one day, one month, one birth, or even after ten births. But if we do not make this resolution firm, then just as it has not happened since eternity, it won't happen in the future either.
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