Therefore Love alone is to be embraced by those who desire liberation.
Nârada claims that Love is greater than work, knowledge, or yoga, and gives as his reason that it is its own end, not merely a means to an end, as he maintains knowledge is. We have a proverb — “Virtue is its own reward,” Nârada says the same of Love.
When a king sees a palace he knows then of its existence, but does not by that knowledge become happy, for he does not possess it. So also in the case of a hungry man: the becoming aware of the presence of food does not satisfy him. We need not go into a long disquisition upon such a point; it is merely the rivalry of those who follow the path of Love (Bhakti-mârga) and those who follow the path of Wisdom (jñâna-mârga). He who has wisdom overflows with Love; he who loves fully overflows with the deepest Wisdom. The path of Love is generally considered the easier, for it acts upon the heart direct: so also does Wisdom, but it may be confused with mere intellectuality. A man may become caught in the snare of the head — the most hopeless and difficult form of ignorance.
Man's progress depends upon the emancipation of the heart. All else is incidental. The heart is the seat of selfishness in all its forms. The head may work out the most lucid and elaborate of schemes for salvation from misery: may have an explanation for itself of every phenomenon in the universe, yet the heart may remain dark and unilluminated by any proportionate ray of either Love or Wisdom.
Nârada claims that Love is greater than work, knowledge, or yoga, and gives as his reason that it is its own end, not merely a means to an end, as he maintains knowledge is. We have a proverb — “Virtue is its own reward,” Nârada says the same of Love.
When a king sees a palace he knows then of its existence, but does not by that knowledge become happy, for he does not possess it. So also in the case of a hungry man: the becoming aware of the presence of food does not satisfy him. We need not go into a long disquisition upon such a point; it is merely the rivalry of those who follow the path of Love (Bhakti-mârga) and those who follow the path of Wisdom (jñâna-mârga). He who has wisdom overflows with Love; he who loves fully overflows with the deepest Wisdom. The path of Love is generally considered the easier, for it acts upon the heart direct: so also does Wisdom, but it may be confused with mere intellectuality. A man may become caught in the snare of the head — the most hopeless and difficult form of ignorance.
Man's progress depends upon the emancipation of the heart. All else is incidental. The heart is the seat of selfishness in all its forms. The head may work out the most lucid and elaborate of schemes for salvation from misery: may have an explanation for itself of every phenomenon in the universe, yet the heart may remain dark and unilluminated by any proportionate ray of either Love or Wisdom.
The heart is perfectly satisfied that the intellect should amuse itself as long as it does not interfere with heart's dominion, for the intellect always exists as the henchman of the heart. The struggles of the intellect are entirely with intellectual problems, with cause and sequence in some form. The heart's struggles are with the emotions and desires, and for this purpose it needs the light of the intellect. But often the selfish heart never calls for any light; it makes no move, and however strong the light at its disposal makes no use of it. This state may become habitual, and that life becomes almost stationary as far as reaching the bliss of absolution is concerned.
Only when some great agony or disaster comes which threatens complete disruption of all the desired associations with which the heart has surrounded itself, does this selfish heart call in the intellect to help it in this problem. So far having only used it as the minister of its pleasures, it now needs it to help it to save itself from misery.
Love and Wisdom fight, as it were, for the throne of the heart. Their enemies are Desire and Ignorance. The heart sometimes falls out with its own servant, the Intellect; and through this, Love or Wisdom may gain ground by enlisting one or the other on their side. Their ultimate victory is assured; for the law of remorseless suffering ever presses from behind, and changeless peace and happiness are ever held out in front as the terms of complete surrender.
Only when some great agony or disaster comes which threatens complete disruption of all the desired associations with which the heart has surrounded itself, does this selfish heart call in the intellect to help it in this problem. So far having only used it as the minister of its pleasures, it now needs it to help it to save itself from misery.
Love and Wisdom fight, as it were, for the throne of the heart. Their enemies are Desire and Ignorance. The heart sometimes falls out with its own servant, the Intellect; and through this, Love or Wisdom may gain ground by enlisting one or the other on their side. Their ultimate victory is assured; for the law of remorseless suffering ever presses from behind, and changeless peace and happiness are ever held out in front as the terms of complete surrender.