Unalloyed love of God is the essential thing. All else is unreal

Unalloyed love of God is the essential thing. All else is unreal

Ramakrishna, the 19th-century Indian mystic and spiritual leader, emphasized the importance of unalloyed love of God as the essential thing in life. He believed that all other pursuits and attachments are ultimately unreal and fleeting in comparison to the eternal and unconditional love of the Divine.

For Ramakrishna, the unalloyed love of God was not just a theoretical concept or a philosophical idea, but a lived experience that transformed his entire being. He dedicated his life to the practice of devotion and surrender to God, and his teachings reflect the depth of his spiritual realization.

In the context of Ramakrishna's teachings, unalloyed love of God means a love that is pure, selfless, and unconditional. It is a love that transcends all boundaries and distinctions, and unites the individual soul with the Divine. This love is not based on any expectation of reward or personal gain, but arises from a deep sense of connection and oneness with God.

Ramakrishna often used the metaphor of the relationship between the lover and the beloved to illustrate the nature of unalloyed love of God. He compared the devotee to a lover who is consumed by the fire of love for the Divine, and who longs for nothing else but to be united with the beloved. This intense longing and yearning for God is the essence of unalloyed love, according to Ramakrishna.

In the eyes of Ramakrishna, all other pursuits and attachments in life are ultimately unreal because they are based on the illusion of separateness and ego. He believed that the only way to experience true and lasting happiness is to cultivate a deep and abiding love for God, which can only be achieved through spiritual practice and devotion.