Sunday Chat: The Character of Universal Love (Srila B.A. Paramadvaiti Maharaj)

Medellin, Colombia, June 9

Dear devotees,

Receive all my affection from Medellin.

Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Ki jay!

Greetings from this beautiful land with beautiful devoted preachers.
Today I want to send a special message. It's called "The character of Universal Love".

The universe is governed by laws that apply equally to all its inhabitants. If we do not follow those laws, or worse, ignore them... then we're going to be involved in conflict and suffer the consequences. It is then that the message of Universal Love will increase our understanding of the laws of nature and substantiate a universal vision based on the fact that all people can be friends and well-wishers for each other. If we follow the message of Universal Love we can better understand our relationship with humans.

We should respect other people, regardless of faith, race or gender, because every human being has special skills and anyone can become spiritually advanced. We must abandon all dislike and contempt for strangers, rather we should embrace them all in our hearts. The message of Universal Love teaches us that it is much more beautiful to serve others than regard ourselves as the masters of them. Envy, malice, exploiting the weaknesses of others, and indifference to others, is the breeding ground in which crime grows. Anybody involved in the benefit of others deserves our respect.

Service to others is a unique experience and only by that service can we feel protected and useful in our lives. The desire to control and dominate other people will only produce an aversion in them and increase our loneliness.

The message of Universal Love corrects our relationship with animals. In order to be food for us, animals have to suffer indescribably. If we consider all the measures of violence that are practiced on animals, we will realize that we can not close our eyes to the consequences in front of us, whether they be short or long term, to humanity and the environment. Meat, fish and eggs are not at all necessary for our health. The message of universal love exposes the violence and exploitation that is hidden behind the consumption of meat, fish and eggs. It teaches us a higher taste which is part of the freedom that lies beyond the prison of addiction and gratification.

Without a vegetarian lifestyle, this topic will look just like a theory. If we understand the message of Universal Love we can perceive the connection we have with Mother Nature. The Earth keeps air, water and food in large quantities for all living beings. We thank her for her generosity, and at the same time, we must humbly acknowledge our dependence on her presence. It is because we are dependent on the kindness of Mother Earth that we should use our wealth constructively and learn to maintain forests and clean water and the earth and protect seeds.

The compassion with those who suffer shortage gives us the ability to be generous.

The message of Universal Love gives us eyes to see the Great Power that is keeping the Creation intact and providing us the basics to live on Earth. That is the connection between the Cosmic Energy and its Origin. The message of Universal Love enables us to become tolerant of people with different faiths. Many cults teach faith and appreciation to Mother Nature and its Creator. We respect them. Whoever mistreats humans according to their faith is far from the message of Universal Love. Universal Love shows us the responsibility to our children. Children are easily influenced and easily abused. They need security. We must become a living example of the message of Universal Love and at the same time, we must protect them from all that is controversial for its values.

The influence of the message of Universal Love enriches the relationship with our partners. We must be constantly alert to maintain a healthy family life, for a happy marriage is the natural protection for children. If the values ​​of the message of Universal Love is in the center of the family, then the selfish interests will not be able to stay between the parents. Universal Love provides a deep understanding of the sexual power within each of us. Through this sexual power the ability to father a new life in this world is relevant. This is the gate of our birth, but it is a very serious fault if we replace love with sexuality, as it is only going to lead to mutual disagreements, accusations, loneliness and the desperate feeling of being used and contaminated. Unwanted children are the sad result of misunderstood sexuality in which none of the parties are giving true love, but rather just waiting for something in return.

The entrance of Universal Love in our lives gives us a better understanding of ourselves. If we look carefully, bodies change from childhood to youth and from there to old age, and we recognize that our consciousness is not subject to the aging process as is our body. We have to admit that I, myself, am independent from the shell of the body and so we must become aware that there are tasks larger than the mere preservation of the body. The message of Universal Love gives us a clear answer to the question of whether our life begins with birth and ends with death.

The traditions of ancient cultures, journeys to past lives through hypnotic regressions, the phenomenon of child prodigies, etc, are a clear examples that prove the existence of the living entities' independence of the body. So, one thing becomes very clear: If we move from one body to another we must bear the responsibility of allowing the Universal Love to grow within us. The message of Universal Love allows us to recognize the Source of our own existence. We are individual personalities, therefore we are fully aware of our own existence. Thus, our Origin must also have the same attributes: individuality, consciousness, personality. Call it the Living Entity of higher consciousness. The Source cannot be less than His creation, therefore, chance cannot be the origin of life.

The influence of Universal Love makes us aware of the fact that we are responsible for our own actions, words, and even thoughts. If we recognize that every action produces a reaction, we can easily understand the Law of Karma. Thus, for our own welfare, we should avoid all things that cause negative reactions. Rather, we must act in a way that allows a positive future for the world and therefore to us.

The message of Universal Love intimidates the origin of the false ego. This realization will help us to question the false ego consciousness and leave all identification of its covering. The attachments to the temporal coverage appear in the shape of our body, our family, our country, our faith, our ideology, our social status, etc, emerging as the most important for us. Thus the ego along with its desires become the origin of evil, hatred and fighting. Universal Love sharpens our view of the influence of the media. If the contributions of the media are encouraged, then intolerance, lust and violence increases. We have to realize that being uncontrolled results in the above influences within children and adults, so we must avoid this influence at least to prevent degradation.

Universal love opens our eyes to the consequences of intoxication. Addiction to intoxicants freezes our most important skill: the ability to love. This is the reason that drugs are so dangerous (individually and collectively). Instead of artificial intoxication, Universal Love allows us to feel natural pleasure. Universal Love shows us the dangers of gambling and all attempts that aim to increase the gratification of our body, and accumulate material wealth and gain fame. Casino games end in misfortunes and lead people to self-destruction, while ruining others' ambition. So we must move away from gambling and everything that is an obstacle to really be useful for our family and society. The greatest gift we have received from the Living Entity of Highest Consciousness is freedom. Universal Love teaches us to use this freedom properly, then there starts the mystery of our life.

Universal Love allows us to recognize the opportunity for the development of our work. No work and neither the individual nor society can maintain itself. If love flows into our work, then this occupation becomes a celebration, a sacred sacrifice.

The message of Universal Love explains the mysticism of our inner voice. Each perceives the inner voice that warns us of the actions that could cause harm to others or ourselves. We should be grateful that there is such natural mysticism in all human beings. This inner voice has received different names in different cultures. We consider this inner voice as an aid of higher consciousness from the Living Entity of the Highest Consciousness to each of His children. Universal Love is the reason that we can see the death of the body as natural and strive to develop our consciousness. We do not really know when we have to work. But our consciousness is preserved and it is very important for the purpose intended. If we are able to address this objective to Universal Love, then our life will be successful, because death is just a door that leads us to the next area of ​​growth and learning.

Universal Love teaches us to be loving. Humanity is looking for love. They are hungry for love. If a human being does not guide his own life to love and only sees the value of relationships based on the satisfaction of his own desires, he or she will be unable to feel love and everything will be destroyed. If Living Entity of Highest Consciousness is located in the center of our love, our search for love will be successful and our relationships will be healed, even become sacred.

Universal Love teaches us to pray. It is through sincere prayer that we open our mind to the sacred. No matter which way each human takes to praying, prayer will help you to internalize the Universal Love. Oh My Lord, let me be an instrument of Your love. Universal Love inspires our understanding of sacred sound. Each sound has an influence on our consciousness and we can clearly feel the harmonizing effect or disturbance. Spiritual and meditative sounds strengthen our consciousness and allow the Universal Love to grow within our hearts.

The World Organization of the United Nations has the function of protecting the rights of those who can not do for themselves. Similarly, the values ​​of the Universal Love enrich these efforts, as they develop sensitivity to the fundamental rights of life, which means that they improve the situation of the world to follow.

It is the nature of Universal Love that reveals the richness of life: be loving, honest and fair, be servers, generous and merciful. So with all the pleasure, we must allow the message of Universal Love to influence our activities, and take care to protect the ideals, regardless of the natural position and the task we have in society, no matter if we are children or adults.

That, my dear, is the essence of Universal Love. Now I ask you to practice and share. Make this manifest of love your own manifest of love in the way of service.

Jay Srila Prabhupada!

Your always well-wisher,

Swami B. A. Paramadvaiti.