Sri Lakshmana Swami
Q: When one follows the path of love and surrender, is it good to want the Guru's love?
LS: One should love for love's sake and not for any other reason.
Q: So one should not expect or desire Guru's love or grace?
LS: If a devotee really loves a Guru, then the Guru's love will flow into him. If you love the Guru you need not worry about his response; his love will automatically flow into you.
When a devotee first comes to a Guru, the Guru may appear to be indifferent to him. He may even try to convince the devotee that he doesn't care about him. This is just a test of the devotee's love. He must show that he can love the Guru even when the Guru is ignoring him or abusing him. If the devotee can demonstrate this kind of love, then the Guru will be more open about giving his love to the devotee.
If the Guru shows his love immediately, then it may make the devotee complacent and he may be deterred from making further attempts to increase his love. The Guru often has to use tricks and tests like this to evaluate the devotee's love and to increase it.
When the devotee's love increases to the point where he is always thinking of the Guru, then the Guru will no longer be able to hide his love for the devotee. He may still wish to test the devotee in many ways, but he will not be able to conceal his love for him.
The Guru's test may take many forms: he may appear to love one devotee more than another to see if he can provoke jealousy or anger; he may get angry with the devotee; he may even try to drive him away. The devotee must retain his equanimity and love through all such tests. He must not react by getting angry or by leaving the Guru; if he does he fails the tests.
Q: So one should not expect or desire Guru's love or grace?
LS: If a devotee really loves a Guru, then the Guru's love will flow into him. If you love the Guru you need not worry about his response; his love will automatically flow into you.
When a devotee first comes to a Guru, the Guru may appear to be indifferent to him. He may even try to convince the devotee that he doesn't care about him. This is just a test of the devotee's love. He must show that he can love the Guru even when the Guru is ignoring him or abusing him. If the devotee can demonstrate this kind of love, then the Guru will be more open about giving his love to the devotee.
If the Guru shows his love immediately, then it may make the devotee complacent and he may be deterred from making further attempts to increase his love. The Guru often has to use tricks and tests like this to evaluate the devotee's love and to increase it.
When the devotee's love increases to the point where he is always thinking of the Guru, then the Guru will no longer be able to hide his love for the devotee. He may still wish to test the devotee in many ways, but he will not be able to conceal his love for him.
The Guru's test may take many forms: he may appear to love one devotee more than another to see if he can provoke jealousy or anger; he may get angry with the devotee; he may even try to drive him away. The devotee must retain his equanimity and love through all such tests. He must not react by getting angry or by leaving the Guru; if he does he fails the tests.
No comments:
Post a Comment