415 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
415 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
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DEVOTION AND PRAISE
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Devotion to God is the love for God that expresses itself in joyful
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and emotional outpourings of praise and worship and a constant longing for
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God's sweet presence. This powerful mode of religious consciousness is
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particularly manifest in the bhakti tradition of Hinduism and Sikhism, in
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the dancing and songs of Sufi Muslims and Hassidic Jews, and in pietistic
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movements throughout the history of Christianity. Many of these passages
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describe this mystical emotion as a transformed and sublime love of a
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bride for her beloved, as in the Song of Solomon in the Bible, in the love
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poetry of the Adi Granth, and in the amorous episodes of Krishna and the
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cowherd girls in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Other passages express devotion to
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God in songs and psalms of praise.
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Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
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Christianity. Bible, 1 Corinthians 10.31
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The supreme Lord who pervades all existence, the true Self of all
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creatures, may be realized through undivided love.
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Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 8.22
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Heaven and earth contain me not, but the heart of my faithful servant
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contains me.
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Islam. Hadith of Suhrawardi
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He is the Living One; there is no god but He: call upon Him, giving Him
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sincere devotion. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds!
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Islam. Qur'an 40.65
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"And you shall love the Lord"--namely, you shall make the Lord beloved.
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Judaism. Talmud, Yoma 86
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Yoma 86: Quoting Deuteronomy 6.5, p. 723.
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Those who remember the Lord with every breath, each morsel,
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And in whose mind ever abides the spell of the Lord's Name--
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Says Nanak, are blessed, perfect devotees.
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Sikhism. Adi Granth, Var Gauri, M.5, p. 319
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Lord! In praying to you I violate the restraint of tongue, in remembering
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you I violate the restraint of mind, and in prostrating to you I violate
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the restraint of body. Be it as it may, I vow to ever pray to you,
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remember you, and prostrate myself before you.
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Jainism. Jinasena, Adipurana 76.2
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Greater is he who acts from love than he who acts from fear.
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Judaism. Talmud, Sota 31a
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The path to the Unmanifest is very difficult for embodied souls to realize
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[by effort at meditation]. But quickly I come to those who offer me every
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action, who worship me only, their dearest delight, with undaunted
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devotion. Because they love me, these are my bondsmen, and I shall save
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them from mortal sorrow and all the waves of life's deathly ocean.
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Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 12.5-7
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He who loves me is made pure; his heart melts in joy. He rises to
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transcendental consciousness by the rousing of his higher emotional
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nature. Tears of joy flow from his eyes, his hair stands on end, his heart
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melts in love. The bliss in that state is so intense that, forgetful of
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himself and his surroundings, he sometimes weeps profusely, or laughs, or
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sings, or dances; such a devotee is a purifying influence upon the whole
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universe.
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Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.8
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Holy is the man of devotion;
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Through thoughts and words and deed
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And through his conscience he increases Righteousness;
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The Wise Lord as Good Mind gives the dominion.
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For this good reward I pray.
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I know that my greatest good is to worship
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The Wise Lord and those that have been and are.
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By their names will I worship them
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And come before them with praise.
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Zoroastrianism. Avesta, Yasna 50.21-22
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Be wakeful, for the longing of the righteous to see Me has increased, and
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verily My longing towards them has increased more.
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Islam. Hadith
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As a hart longs for flowing streams,
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so longs my soul for thee, O God.
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My soul thirsts for God,
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for the living God.
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When shall I come and behold
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the face of God?
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My tears have been my food
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day and night.
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Judaism and Christianity. Psalm 42.1-3
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The Chakora bird longs for the moonlight,
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The lotus longs for sunrise,
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The bee longs to drink the flower's nectar,
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Even so my heart anxiously longs for thee, O Lord.
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Hinduism. Basavanna, Vachana 364
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My beloved speaks and says to me,
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"Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;
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for lo, the winter is past,
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the rain is over and gone.
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The flowers appear on the earth;
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the time of singing has come,
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and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
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The fig tree puts forth its figs,
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and the vines are in blossom;
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they give forth fragrance.
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Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."
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Judaism and Christianity. Song of Solomon 2.10-13
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Sota 31a: Compare 1 John 4.18, p. 237. Bhagavad Gita 12.5-7: Cf. Bhagavad
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Gita 18.65-66, p. 644; Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1, p. 909; Japuji 20, M.1, p.
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727; Gauri Purabi, Ravi Das, p. 401. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.8: Cf.
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Chandogya Upanishad 7.23, p. 198; Sun Myung Moon, 10-20-73, p. 197. Yasna
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50.21-22: The translation of this Gatha portrays an historical conception
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of the religion of Zarathustra which may differ from the monotheism of
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modern Parsees: it appears to have been a henotheism in which the Wise
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Lord Ahura Mazda is served by subordinate divine entities. Hadith: Cf.
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Qur'an 11.93, p. 740; Song of Solomon 5.2 , p. 740. Song of Solomon
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2.10-13: This book is also called Canticles or Song of Songs. Scholars
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regard it as originally a collection of some twenty-five songs of love and
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courtship such as might be sung at weddings. Despite its secular origins,
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this book has been prized by mystics as lyrically portraying the intimate
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experience of divine love for the individual soul. Christians have taken
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it as an allegory of Christ's love for the church, his Bride: see
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Ephesians 5.21-33, p. 261; Revelation 21.2, pp. 1118f. In the Jewish
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tradition it describes God's love for Israel: see Canticles Rabbah 2.5,
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below; Canticles Rabbah 4.4.3, p. 919; Exodus Rabbah, p. 286.
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How may I live, Mother, without the Lord?
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Glory to Thee, Lord of the Universe!
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To praise Thee I seek;
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Never without the Lord may I live.
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The Bride is athirst for the Lord;
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All night is she awake lying in wait for Him.
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The Lord has captured my heart;
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He alone knows my agony:
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Without the Lord the soul is in travail and pain--
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Seeking His Word and the touch of His feet.
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Show Thy grace, Lord; immerse me in Thyself.
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Sikhism. Adi Granth, Sarang, M.1, p. 1232
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My heart is joy-filled, blossoming with love;
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Ravished am I by His love--
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Love of my eternal Lord.
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He is the immortal Lord Supreme,
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Whose will nothing restrains;
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Gracious, compassionate,
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In each one's life involved.
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He is my sole knowledge, object of meditation, adoration,
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His name in my soul lodged:
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Neither ritual garb nor wandering nor austere yoga
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Know I to win Him over:
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Nanak, true devotion alone conquers His love.
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Agreeable is the cool night, followed by happy day;
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Thou who art asleep in thy own ego, the Beloved calls thee.
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Awakened is the youthful bride to the Lover's call,
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In aspect pleasing to Him.
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Thou youthful bride! discard falsehood, deceit,
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Maya-absorption, concern with the world.
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Round my neck I wear the pearl-string of His Name,
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The jewel string of His holy Word.
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With hands folded Nanak makes supplication:
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Show Thy grace, take me into Thy favor!
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Sikhism. Adi Granth, Bilaval Chhant, M.1, p. 843-44
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Upon my bed by night
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I sought him whom my soul loves;
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I sought him, but found him not;
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I called him, but he gave no answer.
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"I will rise now and go about the city,
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in the streets and in the squares;
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I will seek him whom my soul loves."
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I sought him, but found him not.
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The watchmen found me,
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as they went about the city.
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"Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"
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Sarang, M.1: Cf. Rig Veda 1.164.49, p. 146.
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Scarcely had I passed them,
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when I found him whom my soul loves.
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I held him, and would not let him go
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until I had brought him into my mother's house,
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and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
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I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
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by the gazelles or the hinds of the field,
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that you not stir up or awaken love
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until it please.
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Judaism and Christianity. Song of Solomon 3.1-5
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"For I am love-sick" [Song of Solomon 2.5]. Said the community of
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Israel before the Holy One, "Sovereign of the Universe, all the maladies
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which Thou bringest upon me are to make me more beloved of Thee."
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Another explanation: The community of Israel said before the Holy
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One, "Sovereign of the Universe, the reason for all the sufferings which
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the nations inflict upon me is because I love Thee."
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Another explanation: "Although I am sick [i.e. sinful], I am
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beloved of Him."
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Judaism. Midrash, Canticles Rabbah 2.5
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To the shepherd girls, Krishna was their beloved friend, lover, and
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companion. When Sri Krishna played on his flute, the shepherd girls
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forgot everything; unconscious even of their own bodies, they ran to him,
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drawn by his great love. Once Krishna, to test their devotion to him,
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said to them, "O you pure ones, your duties must be first to your husbands
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and children. Go back to your homes and live in their service. You need
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not come to me. For if you only meditate on me, you will gain salvation."
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But the shepherd girls replied, "O thou cruel lover, we desire to serve
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only thee! Thou knowest the scriptural truths, and dost advise us to
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serve our husbands and children. Very well; we shall abide by thy
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teaching. Since thou art all in all, and art all, by serving thee we
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shall be serving them also."
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Krishna, who gives delight to all and who is blissful in his own
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being, divided himself into as many Krishnas as there were shepherd girls,
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and danced and played with them. Each girl felt the divine presence and
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divine love of Sri Krishna. Each felt herself the most blessed. Each
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one's love for Krishna was so absorbing that she felt herself one with
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Krishna--nay, knew herself to be Krishna.
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Truly has it been said that those who meditate on the divine love
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of Sri Krishna, and upon the sweet relationship between him and the
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shepherd girls, become free from lust and sensuality.
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Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.5
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Song of Solomon 3.1-5: Cf. Book of Songs, Ode 1, p. 255; note to Song of
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Solomon 2.10-13, above. Canticles Rabbah 2.5: The first interpretation
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speaks of how suffering is for the purpose of love, bringing Israel nearer
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to God; see Menahot 53b, p. 571. The second interpretation refers to the
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fact that those who love God naturally attract persecution from the fallen
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world; cf. Matthew 15:11-12, p. 879; Berakot 61b, p. 881; Gittin 57b, p.
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886; Hebrews 11, pp. 754f. On the third interpretation, cf. Forty Hadith
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of an-Nawawi 42, p. 523; 2 Timothy 2:13, p. 507. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.5:
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Cf. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.34, p. 658; 10.16, pp. 626f.
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O Rama... I wish to be with thee! I shall experience no fatigue in
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following thee, even if I may no longer rest near thee on a luxurious
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couch. The kusha grass, the reeds, the rushes and thorny briars on the
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way, in thy company, will seem as soft as lawns or antelope skins! The
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dust raised by the tempest that covers me will resemble rare sandalwood
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paste, O my dear Lord. When, in the dense forest, I sleep beside thee on
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a grassy couch, soft as a woollen cover- let, what could be more pleasant
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to me? Leaves, roots, fruits, whatever it may be, little or much, that
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thou hast gathered with thine own hand to give to me, will taste of
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amrita!... To be with thee is heaven, to be without thee is hell, this is
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the truth!
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Hinduism. Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda 30
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Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat
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at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard,
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very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. But
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there were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment
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thus wasted? For this ointment might have been sold for more than three
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hundred denarii, and given to the poor." And they reproached her. But
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Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has done a
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beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and
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whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will not always have
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me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for
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burying. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the
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whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."
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Christianity. Mark 14.3-9
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Once, while Yasoda was holding the baby Krishna on her lap, she set
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him down suddenly to attend to some milk that was boiling over on the
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oven. At this the child was much vexed. In his anger he broke a pot
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containing curdled milk, went to a dark corner of the room taking some
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cheese with him, smeared it over his face, and began feeding a monkey with
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the crumbs. When his mother returned and saw him, she scolded him. As a
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punishment, she decided to tie him with a rope to a wooden mortar. But to
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her surprise the rope, although long enough, seemed too short. She took
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more rope, but still it was too short. Then she used all the ropes she
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could find, but still Krishna could not be tied. This greatly mystified
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Yasoda. Krishna smiled within himself, but now, seeing that his mother
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was completely tired out and perplexed, he gently allowed himself to be
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bound.
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He who has neither beginning, nor middle, nor end, who is
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all-pervading, infinite, and omnipotent, allowed himself to be bound by
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Yasoda only because of her great love. He is the Lord omnipotent, the
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Lord of all beings, the con- troller of all; yet he permits himself to be
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controlled by those who love him.
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Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.3
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Ramayana: Sita expresses her undying love for Rama. Since Rama is God
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incarnate, Sita's devotion is representative of every true devotee of the
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Lord. See Ramayana, Sundara Kanda 19-22, pp. 884f. Srimad Bhagavatam
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10.3: The last line from this account of an episode from the life of
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Krishna expresses an important truth: love is the one power which can
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control even the Almighty God.
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Sing you all, and sing aloud!
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Devotees, sing your songs.
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Let children, too, sing. Sing to him
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who is like a mighty fortress.
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Let the viol send down its strains,
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the lute raise its voice around,
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the bow string strike its echoing sound:
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to Indra is our hymn upraised.
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Hinduism. Rig Veda 8.69.8-9
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Praise the Lord!
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Praise God in his sanctuary;
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praise him in his mighty firmament!
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Praise him for his mighty deeds;
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praise him according to his exceeding greatness!
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Praise him with trumpet sound;
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praise him with lute and harp!
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Praise him with timbrel and dance;
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praise him with strings and pipe!
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Praise him with sounding cymbals;
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praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
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Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
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Praise the Lord!
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Judaism and Christianity. Psalm 150
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Come together, you all, with the power of spirit,
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to the Lord of heaven, who is One, the Guest of the people.
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He, the ancient, desires to come to the new.
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To him all pathways turn; verily he is One.
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We all here are thine, O Indra, praised by many,
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We who go about, attached to thee, Lord of wealth!
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O Lover of song, none but thee receives our songs.
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Love these our words as the earth loves her creatures.
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Loud songs have sounded to the bounteous Indra,
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One worthy of praise, the Supporter of mankind,
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to the much invoked, waxing strong with lovely hymns,
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and the immortal One who is sung day by day.
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Towards Indra have all our loving songs, joined to
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the heavenly light, proceeded in unison;
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as a wife embraces her husband, comely bridegroom,
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so they encompass the bounteous One for his grace.
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Hinduism. Sama Veda 372-375
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Rig Veda 8.69.8-9: Cf. Ramkali Anandu, M.3, p. 201. Psalm 150: Cf. Psalm
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100, p. 202.
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