The Reward of Love

The flame of love is lit within a few fortunate devotees. As soon as it is kindled, all dross is burnt away, that is, the devotee becomes pure and clean internally, and can then see the Light and hear the Shabd (Word or Sound Current) of God within himself.

One who desires to achieve communion with the Almighty Father should first of all wash the dirt from his mind with the water of love. The bandage of ego should be removed from our eyes, because then alone it is possible for us to see the Lord. And this bandage can be removed only by emptying ourselves of everything except the remembrance of the Beloved. No thought of any kind should be allowed to enter between the devotee and the object of his devotion.

Love is so exalting that it takes us beyond he conception of good and evil, and completely merges us into the Beloved. 

Muinuddin Chishti says:

There is no evil. There is no good. I am so absorbed in the form of my Beloved that He has become my form within me and I have become His form. We two have become One.

How very fortunate is the devotee who sacrifices himself in the fire of love, and thereby destroys his ego and meets the Lord. So long as one does not lose himself, he cannot see the Lord. If you wish to purchase God, you have to sell yourself to Him.

One who is devoid of love is imprisoned within the circle of selfishness. His life is worse than that of a beast, for he is caught in the net of selfishness and is blinded with the arrogance of his own ego. He is a prisoner within the limitations of his own self. He can see nothing beyond himself.

Love is essential for attaining God-Realization. That is why true seekers always ask God only for His Love and nothing else. 

Maulana Rumi says:

The attraction of God’s love is more intense than any other attraction. It is the attraction of the devotee for the Beloved, and this is also the key that enables one to unlock the secrets of God.

The scattered attention cannot be concentrated without love and it is not possible to enter the spiritual Regions. So long as the soul does not go up, one remains ignorant of the knowledge of the Spiritual regions.

Therefore, in order to achieve true knowledge, it is essential for one to love a True Master. It follows that without devotion to a True Master, we shall remain devoid of the realization of the nearness to God. True knowledge cannot be attained by intellect. It is to be perceived by the soul. In order to achieve God-Realization, we necessarily have to devote ourselves to a True Master.

There is no such thing as caste and creed in love. A lover cannot hate anyone, and whosoever has even a slight remembrance of God is very dear to Him. Lord Rama ate fruits which were half eaten by a low-caste woman. Devotion is not attained so long as there is in the mind any question of caste and creed, high and low.

There is no law in love. There is no knowledge of any outside activity, for the mind is occupied in love to such an extent that even the days of the week are erased from the memory. 

Kabir Sahib says:

Wherever there is love there is no formality. There is neither intellectual nor professional status. As soon as the mind becomes absorbed in love the idea of dates and days of the week completely disappears from memory.

It is by the magic of love alone that a lover removes the covering of his pleasure and pain, happiness and sorrow, knowledge and ignorance. In love, gain or loss are equal.

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