Q. 246. WHAT IS SELFLESS LOVE ?
A. BY SRILA PRABHUPADA.
nāsty eva tasmiḿs tat-sukha-sukhitvamSYNONYMSna — there is not; eva — indeed; tasmin — in it; tat — His; sukha — in the happiness; sukhitvam — finding happiness.TRANSLATIONIn such false devotion one does not find pleasure exclusively in the Lord's pleasure.(Narada Bhakti Sutra).PURPORTAs already explained, lust is as different from love as iron is from gold.Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja states:-ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali 'kāma'kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare 'prema' nāmaSYNONYMSātma-indriya-prīti — for the pleasure of one's own senses; vāñchā — desires; tāre — to that; bali — I say; kāma — lust; kṛṣṇa-indriya-prīti — for the pleasure of Lord Kṛṣṇa's senses; icchā — desire; dhare — holds; prema — love; nāma — the name.TRANSLATIONThe desire to gratify one's own senses is kāma [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Kṛṣṇa is prema [love].(Sri Caitanya Caritamrta).Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī expresses Her pure love for Kṛṣṇa in this way:-nā gaṇi āpana-duḥkha, sabe vāñchi tāńra sukha,tāńra sukha — āmāra tātparyamore yadi diyā duḥkha, tāńra haila mahā-sukha,sei duḥkha — mora sukha-varyaSYNONYMSnā — not; gaṇi — I count; āpana-duḥkha — own personal misery; sabe — only; vāñchi — I desire; tāńra sukha — His happiness; tāńra sukha — His happiness; āmāra tātparya — the aim of My life; more — unto Me; yadi — if; diyā duḥkha — giving distress; tāńra — His; haila — there was; mahā-sukha — great happiness; sei duḥkha — that unhappiness; mora sukha-varya — the best of My happiness.TRANSLATION"I do not mind My personal distress. I only wish for the happiness of Kṛṣṇa, for His happiness is the goal of My life. However, if He feels great happiness in giving Me distress, that distress is the best of My happiness. (Sri Caitanya Caritamrta).Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja informs us:-tāń sabāra nāhi nija-sukha-anurodhatathāpi bāḍhaye sukha, paḍila virodhaSYNONYMStāń sabāra — of all of them; nāhi — not; nija-sukha — for their own happiness; anurodha — entreaty; tathāpi — still; bāḍhaye — increases; sukha — happiness;paḍila — happened; virodha — contradiction.TRANSLATIONThe gopīs have no inclination for their own enjoyment, and yet their joy increases. That is indeed a contradiction.(Sri Caitanya Caritamrta).e virodhera eka mātra dekhi samādhānagopikāra sukha kṛṣṇa-sukhe paryavasānaSYNONYMSe — this; virodhera — of the contradiction; eka — one; mātra — only; dekhi — I see; samādhāna — solution; gopikāra — of the gopīs; sukha — the happiness; kṛṣṇa-sukhe — in the happiness of Lord Kṛṣṇa; paryavasāna — the conclusion.TRANSLATIONFor this contradiction I see only one solution: the joy of the gopīs lies in the joy of their beloved Kṛṣṇa. (Sri Caitanya Caritamrta).Although the gopīs are the leaders in this selfless love for the Lord, all Vaiṣṇavas share in this sentiment.When Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva wanted to offer a benediction to Prahlāda Mahārāja, who had undergone so much suffering on the Lord's account, Prahlāda declined. He said he had not performed his devotional service in the mood of a merchant seeking profit in exchange for service:-ahaḿ tv akāmas tvad-bhaktastvaḿ ca svāmy anapāśrayaḥnānyathehāvayor arthorāja-sevakayor ivaSYNONYMSaham — as far as I am concerned; tu — indeed; akāmaḥ — without material desire; tvat-bhaktaḥ — fully attached to You without motivation; tvam ca — Your Lordship also; svāmī — the real master; anapāśrayaḥ — without motivation (You do not become the master with motivation); na — not; anyathā — without being in such a relationship as master and servant; iha — here; āvayoḥ — our; arthaḥ — any motivation (the Lord is the pure master, and Prahlāda Mahārājais the pure devotee with no materialistic motivation); rāja — of a king; sevakayoḥ — and the servitor; iva — like (just as a king exacts taxes for the benefit of the servant or the citizens pay taxes for the benefit of the king).TRANSLATIONO my Lord, I am Your unmotivated servant, and You are my eternal master. There is no need of our being anything other than master and servant. You are naturally my master, and I am naturally Your servant. We have no other relationship. (Srimad Bhagavatam).In a similar mood, Mādhavendra Purī underwent difficult austerities in order to carry a load of sandalwood for the sake of his beloved Gopāla Deity. Mādhavendra walked thousands of miles through territory governed by Muhammadans and filled with thieves and watchmen.Describing Mādhavendra's service, Lord Caitanya said:-pragāḍha-premera ei svabhāva-ācāranija-duḥkha-vighnādira nā kare vicāraSYNONYMSpragāḍha — intense; premera — of love of Godhead; ei — this; svabhāva — natural; ācāra — behavior; nija — personal; duḥkha — inconvenience; vighna — impediments; ādira — and so on; nā — not; kare — does; vicāra — consideration.TRANSLATION"This is the natural result of intense love of Godhead. The devotee does not consider personal inconveniences or impediments. In all circumstances he wants to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Sri Caitanya Caritamrta).Like the gopīs, all pure devotees feel great happiness when serving Kṛṣṇa, even when that service entails severe austerity. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, "It is said that when one sees apparent unhappiness or distress in a perfect Vaiṣṇava, it is not at all unhappiness for him; rather it is transcendental bliss" (Cc.Madhya purport).We may ask, Why does a devotee approach Lord Kṛṣṇa with pure selfless love, seeking only to please Him? To understand the answer to this question, one has to personally experience such love. There are glimmers of such love even in the material world, as in the love a mother feels for her child.Even within the animal kingdom a mother sometimes risks her life to protect her offspring. But pure selfless love exists only in relation to the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. One cannot precisely analyze this love in intellectual terms, but one can experience it with a purified heart.When Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself in this way, the parents of the boys and calves felt increased love for their offspring. Upon hearing the account of this miraculous pastime, Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked, "When Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself, why is it that the boys' parents became more loving toward Him than toward their own sons? Also, why did the cows become so loving toward the calves, more so than toward their own calves?"Śukadeva replied that since what is most attractive to the living being is his own self, and since Kṛṣṇa, as the Supersoul, is the Self of all selves, He is the all-attractive center for everyone. Therefore, when He expanded Himself as the calves and boys of Vṛndāvana, the calves' and boys' parents were more affectionate toward Kṛṣṇa's expansions than toward their own offspring.The secret driving force for the devotees is the all-attractive nature of Kṛṣṇa and the fact that He is the Self of all selves. Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains this in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.50-57), after he relates how Kṛṣṇa expanded Himself into all the calves and cowherd boys of Vṛndāvana.By loving Kṛṣṇa, a person realizes his love for all living beings. In other words, universal love is a part of God consciousness. This is expressed in two great commandments of the Bible: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5); and "Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 19:19).Srila Prabhupāda would give a homely example to show how love of God implies universal love: When a man marries a woman, he also gains a relationship with her whole family and may quickly develop affection for his new in-laws. Similarly, if one develops love for Kṛṣṇa, the father of all living beings, one immediately becomes aware of one's loving relationship with all Kṛṣṇa's children.A devotee who even partially realizes his love for Kṛṣṇa wants to work to fulfill Kṛṣṇa's mission in this world, which is to help all living beings end their suffering and go back to Godhead.When one does this not for fame as a preacher and not as a professional business — but as a humble servant meeting all difficulties for the sake of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness — he becomes the dearmost servant of the Lord.This is the perfection of happiness in spiritual love, and it is completely unlike lust, the desire for one's own pleasure.
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3. SHRI GURVASTAKAM. (eight prayers to the Spiritual Master).
4. TWO PRAYERS FROM SHRI VRINDAVANA MAHIMAMRTA.
5. TWO PRAYERS FROM MUKUNDA MALA STOTRA.
6. SIX PRAYERS FROM SHRI BRAHMA SAMHITA.
7. THE EIGHT YUGALASHTAKAM PRAYERS.
Everyday read them.
1. Select a question and answer.
2. Read it. Re-read it.
3. Little by little, memorize the verses and translations.
4. Learn also the word-for-word meaning.
5. When you have done this with one question and answer,
do the same with the others. Take your time.
6. As you engage in this spiritual study daily,
Lord Krishna showers blessings upon you.
I wish you success in your studies.
With love and best wishes.
Take care. Bye.