Why the term "Love" is misinterpreted?
Pure Love and sacrifice!
Serve all and be nothing-Sathya Sai.
The term 'Love' evokes different feelings in different persons. "Love is God", spells the scriptures. "Love All; Serve All", stated Sri Sathya Sai Baba! We generally use the term to denote affection, admiration and adoration. Many consider 'loving' as a cheap pastime. Out of pure and selfless Love, God has created the Universe with variety of species of life. But the highest place was granted to man. Man was invested with the capacity to think, discriminate and choose. But, man has misused the choice making capacity. He started choosing pleasant things over good. This is his fundamental folly. When the angel has warned Adam and Eve, not to taste the forbidden fruit, their curiosity was aroused more. They could have obeyed the dictates of the angel and saved the entire humanity from peril. Alas! they have chosen to taste it. Until that time, they were absolutely innocent and naked. Once they tasted the fruit, shame enveloped them and they started covering themselves.
This is the enticement of evil. They have chosen the pleasant over good and they suffered for their transgressions and made their successors also to suffer. The one mistake has engulfed the entire humanity. Whether we believe or not, the sorrows that pestered humanity is the result of craving for pleasure! This craving has started consuming our entire lives. Every one craves for comforts and pleasures and none choose pain voluntarily. But many saints have suffered privation and subdued their desires, developed discrimination and detachment, reached the peak aim of human evolution. They discarded the senses and the cravings of the mind. They practised 'sense control', meditated for long time in secluded places away from human habitations and found out the secrets of life. They wanted to share those secrets with the fellow beings who are ignorant and steeped in desires. When they preached good things, they were persecuted and killed. Some were tortured and driven away. People were averse to sufferings. They were innovating newer methods to keep oneself happy. Evil entered into the mind of man in the form of craving for wealth, women and gold. They used many surreptitious ways to gain wealth and to indulge in immoral activities.
How long God will remain as a silent witness to the deterioration of morals in society. He sends often many saints and sages, prophets and philosophers to teach truth to the ignorant people steeped in materialism. Jesus was one such incarnation, who abandoned the idea of body and travelled widely, teaching the erring humanity many cardinal truths. People were attracted to his teachings as the honey invites the bees to drink the nectar. He gave himself freely to the needy poor and disheartened people, who suffered the atrocities of priests and rulers. Priests on those days wielded much clout in the court of King. They started plotting against the holy selfless soul. Jesus submitted meekly to their machinations and ultimately he was charged as a 'blasphemer' and crucified. But the spirit of Christ remained immortal. He raised himself from the tomb and shown himself to some of his close followers. The ascension of Christ bewildered the entire humanity.
His disciples travelled to various part of the world to preach his teachings and thus Christianity gained root everywhere. Though all of his disciples were persecuted and killed, the teachings of Jesus lives through the Bible testaments. Jesus preached "Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Why? All are embodiments of the same love of God. God loves his creations abundantly and we should reciprocate the same by loving all and serving all. This love should not be a 'hypocrisy' to earn name and fame. One should love another for the sake of love and he should not expect any favor back. This is the test of pure, selfless love. Hence Jesus has said, "If someone slaps you on one side, show him the other face! "Forgive seventy times seven". The very idea of those teachings are simple.ALL ARE ONE, BE ALIKE TO EVERYONE! Let people behave in any manner with you but love them wholeheartedly.
Now, Jesus sacrificed himself in the cross for the sake of humanity. By this supreme action, he has taught one and all that one should sacrifice in order to gain liberation. Sathya Saibaba has told once, "Love is selflessness, self is lovelessness! Hence love should be pure and selfless and the love should never expect reciprocation even. Love for love's sake. They become saints like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha. I would like to quote a deep and profound teaching of Saibaba.
BEAR ALL AND DO NOTHING
HEAR ALL AND SAY NOTHING
GIVE ALL AND TAKE NOTHING
SERVE ALL AND BE NOTHING.
Every one should ruminate over the deep meaning underlying the grand teaching!