Why Doesn’t Everyone Fall in Love with God?
General explanation -
- Meeting God directly is not initially possible. During God's descension, we can develop love for Him whether or not we know Him to be God. Therefore, the only option is to develop devotional love either toward a physical idol or toward the form of God you visualize in your mind. Such love is considered love for God and can result in God-realization.
- When Parikshit heard that Shri Krishna had slain Aghasura, he asked Shukadev Paramhans how Shri Krishna could grant His abode to such a formidable demon.
Shukadev explained - "sakṛt yadaṅgapratimāntarāhitā manomayī bhāgavatīṃ gatiṃ dadau" - If an image of God created by the mind through Roopdhyan can lead to God-realization, then why would Aghasura not attain liberation when Shri Krishna Himself entered the demon's mouth? Any form of God created by the material mind will itself be material - it cannot be divine - because the mind is material. However, if God treated the form created by our mind as merely material and gave only material results, then no soul could ever attain God. Therefore, God has established a rule: He accepts the material form that we create in our mind as real and grants a divine result through it. It is on this very basis that people have attained God. - Reflect on this and fill your mind and intellect with this understanding: Only those who have practiced devotion for many lifetimes can fall in love with God during His descension. This is because God's form has such a unique quality that it appears differently to different people according to their sanskar (spiritual impressions from past lifetimes) and the purity of their mind.
- Therefore, do not assume that if you had been present during God's incarnation, you would automatically have loved Him as the Gopis did. Instead, increase your deep longing to see God. This longing is sadhana, or devotional practice.
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