Paramahansa Yogananda Quotes
on Love
LOVE
Love comes first. That must be the ideal. When two people feel an unconditional attraction for each other, and are ready to sacrifice for one another, they are truly in love. Then only are they ready for an intimate relationship in marriage. Mere possessiveness won't do. When one marriage partner tries to control the other, it shows a lack of real love. But when they express their love in continual thoughtfulness for the true happiness of the other, it becomes divine love. In such a relationship we have a glimpse of the Divine. (dr)
Knowledge prepares the way to love. You cannot love that which you do not know. Knowledge of God must therefore precede love for Him. This knowledge comes with practice of Kriya Yoga. (me)
God is love.
God is joy.
In the state of love, no matter what you do, it’s going to be good.
To love those that love you is easy. To love those that love you not is not so simple. If you want to change anyone, set a better example. Show more kindness, more understanding, more love. That has a sure effect. To those who are not kind, show kindness. To those who are mean, show bigness of heart.
The relationship that exists between friends is the grandest of human loves. Friendly love is pure, because it is without compulsion. ... Such pure friendship has existed between saints and between others who truly love God. If you once know divine love, you will never part with it, for there is nothing else like it in the whole universe. (dr)
God's love is the supreme love. There is no love greater than that. The love that is born of instinct has its defects because it is compelled. That is why I sang to God as Divine Mother, "In this world, Mother, no one can love me; in this world they do not know how to love me."* Only the divine love of great ones is born of wisdom. That love is infinitely greater than parental or any other form of human love—Jesus gave up his life for the world.
*[Cosmic Chants by Paramahansa Yogananda: "In this world, Mother, no one can love me. In this world they do not know how to love me. Where is there pure loving love? Where is there truly loving me? There my soul longs to be."] (jt)
In the universal sense, love is the divine power of attraction in creation that harmonizes, unites, binds together. It is opposed by the force of repulsion, which is the outgoing cosmic energy that materializes creation from the cosmic consciousness of God. Repulsion keeps all forms in the manifested state through maya, the power of delusion that divides, differentiates, and disharmonizes. The attractive force of love counteracts cosmic repulsion to harmonize all creation and ultimately draw it back to God. Those who live in tune with the attractive force of love; achieve harmony with nature and their fellow beings, and are attracted to blissful reunion with God.
Love gives without expecting anything in return. I never think of anyone in terms of what he can do for me. And I never profess love to someone because he has done something for me. If I didn’t actually feel love, I wouldn’t pretend to give it; and since I feel it, I give it. Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another. Be certain of your feeling before you say to anyone, 'I love you'. Once you give your love, it must be forever. Not because you want to be near that person, but because you want perfection for that soul. To wish for perfection for the loved one, and to feel pure joy in thinking of that soul, is divine love; and that is the love of true friendship. (dr)
Love gives joy. We love love because it gives us such intoxicating happiness. So love is not the ultimate; the ultimate is bliss. God is Sat-Chit-Ananda, ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new Bliss. We, as souls, are individualized Sat-Chit-Ananda. "From Joy we have come, in Joy we live and have our being, and in that sacred Joy we will one day melt again."[Taittiriya Upanishad 3-6-1] (dr)
Real love is when you are constantly watching the progress of the soul. As soon as you cater to someone’s physical desires and bad habits you are not loving that soul anymore. You are just pleasing that person to avoid ill will. No matter how unpleasant it is to tell a friend that he is wrong, if you say it with love in your heart and stand firm on it, sometimes that person will respect you if you are right. If you are wrong, even then he will know that you did it with sincerity, out of love. (jt)
Wisdom is a chisel, love is the sandpaper. Man needs intellectuality, but intellect must be tempered with love. When you carving a piece of furniture, you have to smooth it with sandpaper or it will remain rough. Love is the sandpaper that takes away the harshness of intelligence, and smooths your intellectuality. (dr)
True love cannot be bought. To receive love, one must give it freely, without any condition. But instead of following this rule, the insecure person resorts to jealousy. This makes the loved one angry, and thus defeats its very purpose. Jealousy then responds to the anger with a desire to strike back. But anytime one wants thus to harm another, he ultimately hurts himself even more. (jt)
God is love, and love is the panacea for human suffering. There is nothing greater than love-God's quality of attraction and unity that is manifested in the soul of every being. (jt)
In this world everyone wants to use us for his own purpose. Only God—and a real master who knows God—can truly love us. The ordinary human being does not know what love is. When somebody gives you pleasure you tend to think you love that person. But in reality it is yourself you love—your ego has been pleased by the other person's attention; that is all. Would you go on 'loving' that person if he should cease to give you pleasure? (os)
Love is short-lived unless it is divine love. What of all the lovers through the ages who have promised eternal fidelity to one another under the light of the silvery moon. Their skulls are strewn over the earth, and the moon laughs at most of them and says, "How they lied, for their love has not been forever." (dr)
Love outlasts death and the ravages of time. All those that I have loved before, in this or other lifetimes, I love the same now. (jt)
It is God who is loving us through our loved ones; therefore, we should be all the more grateful to God who gives us a good mother and father, and good friends, and a guru who wants for us only our highest good. The love of the mother is close to the perfection of God's love, because she loves us when nobody else does; and she forgives when we are in error. But the ultimate expression of God's love is the love of a true guru. He loves us unconditionally; and out of that sublime love he instructs and disciplines us for the everlasting welfare of our souls. Though I shall always dearly love my mother, my love for my Master is supreme. (jt)
God is the love you seek. (jt)
"Those who love Me as only one person, or who imperfectly love Me in one person, do not know what Love is. Only they can know Love who love Me wisely, faultlessly, completely, all-surrenderingly - who love Me perfectly and equally in all, and who love Me perfectly and equally as all."
There was in India a devoted husband who loved his wife very deeply. Another man became infatuated with her. She ran away with her lover, who eventually left her without friends or funds. One day her husband came to see her. He spoke gently. ‘Are you through with this experience? Come home with me, if you are.’ She demurred. ‘I could not think of disgracing you further.’ ‘What do I care about the opinion of society?’ he replied. ‘I love you. The other man loved only your body. I love the real you - your soul. What has happened doesn’t make any difference'. That was real love. The husband wasn’t concerned for his honour; he was thinking only of the welfare of his beloved.