Posted on: 05 Jan 2003
[This is a discourse given by Swami at Bombay] God and Real Love: When you see your son, your love for him flows spontaneously. Do you love him because he is serving you? No. Even if he beats you, you love him and you give your property only to him. But what about God? You love Him only because He removes your difficulties and gives you some benefits. If He keeps silent inspite of your prayers, you will remove His picture from your altar and put another picture there (another deity). If He gives you troubles in response to your prayers, you will even destroy His picture! But you love your son, whether he serves you or not, and even if he troubles you.
People often say that if we worship Lord Datta (the Lord in human form), He gives troubles to us. Yes, it is true. But if you know what is really happening, you will jump and fall at the feet of Lord Datta. Do you know what He is actually doing? He drags all the results that you were going to receive in the future, to the present. Then He undergoes 90% of those punishments on His human body. You have to receive only 10% of the results of your sins. Since you have committed the sins in the past, you have to undergo at least a little of it; it is only minimum justice. You are paying only 10% now while 100% of your sins are getting cleared. Thus your future life is cleared of all results of sins and remains full of happiness. The pain of the operation performed by the doctor is temporary and you are going to enjoy a happy life in the future since the disease is fully cured.
“Dattam Chhinnam” means “Datta cuts”. What does this mean? It means that He operates upon you and removes your sins completely. He clears all your future debts. He pays 90% and makes you pay only 10%. However, you do not understand this and take the 10% paid by you as a loss given to you by Lord Datta. To clear this misunderstanding, you may think, “Why does Datta not clearly reveal the facts”. But no. He will not reveal this secret. If He were to reveal it, everyone would naturally love Him and such love is not true love. If someone benefits you and therefore you love him, it is but natural. But if someone is troubling you and you are still able to love him, then that is real love; e.g. the love shown by you for your troublesome son. So, Lord Datta appears as if He is troubling you. Although He is really helping you, He hides this fact. This is called “The Test of Datta (Datta Pariksha)”.
A doctor comes with a knife to cut open your stomach and remove your ulcer. Do you mistake him to be a murderer? Lord Datta will not reveal the truth to you so that He can see whether you have real confidence in Him or not. Your faith and love for Him must be to such a level that you should think, “Even if He murders me, I will gladly die, because how sweet it is to die at His hands!” Bhishma thought similarly, when Lord Datta in the form of Krishna, rushed towards him to kill him in the battle of Mahabharata. So, worship Lord Datta, even if He gives troubles, because, they will give you permanent happiness like the operation done by a doctor. Like a doctor, Lord Datta, always sees your welfare only.
What do you mean by worship? Prayers? Meditation? No, No. Prayers involve words. Meditation involves mind. Worship means action i.e., service, called “karma yoga”, which consists of two parts.
Where is Lord Datta? Datta means God given to the world in human form. When electricity is traveling as electrons in the atmosphere, you cannot touch it. But when it enters the wire and pervades all over the wire, you can touch it. Similarly, you cannot see the Lord Datta, who is pervading all over the world. When he enters the human body, you can see Him. Among all the human beings in the world, how to recognize Lord Datta’s Human Incarnation? You can recognize Him by His characteristic property; as fire is recognized by its characteristic property of heat. That characteristic property of the Lord is Jnana (Knowledge). The Veda says that He is Jnana. (Satyam Jnanam...). Now even ordinary scholars are preaching knowledge (Jnana). Then how to distinguish Him from ordinary scolars? He is also an embodiment of Bliss or Ananda. The Veda says, “Anando Brahma”. His Jnana gives you bliss in the heart. As the wind carries the coolness of the river His preaching carries Bliss. Miracles are only His jewels and can be given by Him even to demons. In fact, demons like Ravana showed many miracles. Miracles are not His characteristic properties and cannot be used to identify Him.
Lord Datta comes in human form in every generation of mankind. If He were to bless only one human generation, He would become partial. He comes down and preaches knowledge and devotion in the world. Recognize Him and join His mission as a servant by doing karma yoga and serve Him in the propagation of knowledge and devotion. Do not think that you are helping Him. You are only serving Him. Your property is His property and you are also a part and parcel of His property.
Is there a possibility that He will clear your debts (results of sins) 100% by Himself, without you having to suffer at all for them? Yes. He will do so too, but only if you serve Him without aspiring for anything in return from Him and if your service continues even after He troubles you. Your love must be real and it must be proved in action by the sacrifice of work and money.