God is always associated with bliss.

[b][c=003BB2]DEVELOPING PURITY IN DEVOTION IS THE FIRST STEP[/c][/b]

[Shri Anil Antony asked “Why are the lives of devotees always full of difficulties and miseries? Does this mean that God is always associated with misery and not bliss?” Shri Swami replied as follows.]

God is always associated with bliss. Everybody approaches God to get that bliss just like you approach the fire to get the heat. You love God only to get happiness, benefits and protection from God. Such love is instrumental love and not the ultimate love. Instrumental love means that you love somebody or something because that person or that thing is the instrument to give you happiness. This is stated by the sage Yajnyavalkya in Bruhadaaranyakopanishat. He says that anybody loves anything or anybody to fulfill his desire for happiness from that person or that thing (Atmanah kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati…). One loves his wife because she gives him happiness. One loves his son because he serves him in the old age. One loves money because it gives all sorts of comforts in the life. If the wife or son or money gives problems and misery, one throws away these. From the childhood, the human being is habituated to love anything or anybody for the sake of its happiness only. The child loves its mother because she gives milk when it is hungry. All the worldly bonds are thus, selfish only. Nobody loves anybody for the sake of that person. Therefore, the human being is trained from the childhood with such selfish love only.

Therefore, when the human being loves God, naturally such selfish love only flows towards God. The human being thinks that its devotion to God is very pure and of very high level. No doubt, it is of very high level, but the entire love is impure only. The magnitude of anything with minus sign is to be condemned more and more only as its value becomes more and more. You should not appreciate the intensity of the devotion of a demon because such intensity of devotion is directly proportional to the intensity of his selfishness only. In this aspect, there is no difference between a human being and demon. This concept of the devotion is not known to the human being and hence, it thinks that it is the greatest devotee. In fact, it is not even one percent devotee because its devotion is with negative sign. This point should be clarified to the devotee. Therefore, God gives difficulties and miseries to the devotee. In such case, the devotion vanishes away. Then the devotee will realize that his devotion is only instrumental but not ultimate. The devotee should not try to increase his devotion because the devotion is in negative sign.

Therefore, the first step is to transform the devotion from negative sign to positive sign. The positive sign is to love God without aspiring any benefit or happiness in return. For this purpose, God gives misery to the devotee. By this, one should not misunderstand that God is not associated with bliss and is associated with misery only. The context here is to preach the devotee to purify his devotion. This should not be mixed up with the other context that God is always associated with bliss. The very fact that God is associated with bliss spoils the devotees to get attracted for getting bliss from God. The root meaning of the word Durga is that the God is to be gained through misery (Duhkhena gamyate iti Durga). The meaning of this word contains all the above analysis.

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When someone loves a spouse, it's not because they give them happiness, love comes from God, we love others also as an act of obedience to God.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Father and King of the Jews, He was condemned by them, flagellated, Crowned with Thorns, Carried His Cross and was Crucified, He Died for their Salvation and ours, the Father died at the hands of his sons, God at the hands of men, yet Our Lord Jesus Christ didn't love men any less, receiving nothing but hate, His Love remained pure.
Many Catholic countries have high rates of domestic violence, love doesn't disappear with violence, it is proven by all adversity.[quote] "You tested us, O God, tried us as silver tried by fire." Psalm 66, 10[/quote]

[quote]"He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, knowing pain, Like one from whom you turn your face, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our pain that he bore, our sufferings he endured. We thought of him as stricken, struck down by God and afflicted, But he was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way;
But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers, he did not open his mouth. Seized and condemned, he was taken away. Who would have thought any more of his destiny? For he was cut off from the land of the living, struck for the sins of his people.
He was given a grave among the wicked, a burial place with evildoers, Though he had done no wrong, nor was deceit found in his mouth.
But it was the LORD’s will to crush him with pain. By making his life as a reparation offering, he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days, and the LORD’s will shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his anguish he shall see the light; because of his knowledge he shall be content; My servant, the just one, shall justify the many, their iniquity he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the many, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
Because he surrendered himself to death, was counted among the transgressors, Bore the sins of many, and interceded for the transgressors." Isaiah 53, 3-12[/quote]

Different religions stop at just searching for God, because never know Him, but Christianity continues to love God as it also loves men, we can't love just God and not His creation, but in Hinduism His creation is Adored, Adoration belongs to God alone.

[quote]"Serve the Lord with fear; exult with trembling, Accept correction lest he become angry and you perish along the way when his anger suddenly blazes up. Blessed are all who take refuge in him!" Psalm 2, 11[/quote]

[quote]"My beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world." Philippians 2, 12-15[/quote]

[quote]"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God." I Saint John 4, 7-15[/quote]

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