Unconditional Love
Unconditional Love
Unconditional love is mentioned often in Vedic tradition and other spiritual traditions. A spiritual goal that seems to be on the distant highest peak of the spiritual mountain. It is as bewildering as God’s gift of devotion and like devotion it can not be understood until it grows in the heart. Who can feel worthy enough to receive it or even ask for it?
Personally I could understand the concept with my brain but had difficult time with it in the real world. Judgment, anger, disdain seemed appropriate for those I perceived as lying, deceiving and doing harm to others consciously. No love – unconditional or conditional could find a place in my heart for them. Who can summon unconditional love for those perceived as less, weak and wrong? Only one who does not see less, weak and wrong. Which brought me to reflect on my Father.
My Father passed away last year. He was one of those rare people whose actions and words never strayed from each other. They were one and the same. At his funeral many people shared how he never had anything negative to say about anyone. He helped anyone and everyone with a quiet neutral kindness. He was aware of people’s natures and tendencies but that knowledge did not touch him or affect his actions towards them. He was sparse with words but something he said more than once was “Be like a tree, a tree gives shade to everyone. And if an unkind person kicks a tree it will give that person a fruit.”
I pondered often how did he do it – it seemed effortless and just part of his nature. At some point in the funeral the concept of avidya and vidya came to mind. My inability to be like my Father with respect to no judgment and something approaching unconditional love seemed to be rooted in ignorance. I could not perceive what he could see or know. My Father had a more aerial, less ignorant view and could be like a tree truly in life – stable, nondiscriminating, nonjudgmental, impervious to other’s unkindness etc.
My Father was many things to me – my Father as well as Mother as I lost mine when I was young but most importantly he was my first Teacher in this world. His strength, stability, and kind, nonjudgmental, accepting love for others was his silent teaching every day of my life with him.
The audio track is Kshamapana Stotram - a hymn of unconditional love - sung by young children in Vedic school with their teacher. Since his passing the memory and face of my Father appears whenever I hear this song. Whenever, wherever and from whomever I hear it , uncontrollable tears flood my face and I ask for forgiveness for my own shortcomings and pray one day unconditional love is not just a concept in my head but a living reality in my heart and actions.
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