Sometimes people think, “Will loving God make us neglect
others? Will focusing on the one who is beyond this world make us uncaring
towards those who are in this world?” Not at all, because when we love God, we
understand the fullness of his divine greatness – he doesn’t just exist beyond
this world; he is closely connected with this world as the ultimate creator of
all the creatures living here. Loving the creator in his fullness means loving
his creatures too. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (12.13) states that those
devoted to Krishna become the non-envious friends of all living beings. When we
love God and relish his love for us, we can love others better because we are
no longer emotionally dependent on them alone for satisfying our need for love.
As long as we are emotionally dependent on someone, we can’t speak strongly or
act firmly for their benefit, for we fear losing the emotional support we get
from them. Such was the blind king Dhritarashtra’s predicament in the
Mahabharata – because of his attachment to his wicked son Duryodhana, he
couldn’t do anything to stop that villain from his vile ways. He professed to
love his son – and love him so much that he neglected even Krishna’s counsel
for his sake. Yet his love ended up doing no good to either his son or to
himself. Love that inhibits one from acting for the benefit of the beloved is
at best the shadow of love and at worst a caricature of love. We can love
others properly when we are not excessively dependent on them emotionally. And
we gain such emotional independence when we are fulfilled in our relationship
with Krishna. Gaining inner security and strength therein, we can act with
courage and consideration in our relationships for everyone’s all-round
benefit.
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