Tuesday, 2 June 2026

Worshippers & Lovers of God

It may be paradoxical but there is a world of difference between the two. The worshippers do so because they expect worldly benefits like health, wealth, power, status or progeny as a reward. Their true goal in life is to obtain the above by lawful (or even unlawful!) means & when they fail, worship God as an additional last resort. The quintessential examples are the politicians doing the "Temple Run" during critical phases of their careers.

As repeatedly noted in the Upanishads, Christ's teachings, & even in one instance in the Quran, humans cannot get "the peace beyond understanding" by the above. In fact they have to be abjured to get real peace. "Thou shall not serve both God & Mammon" admonishes the Bible.

The real lovers of God are those who give up everything, repeat EVERYTHING for God. The Hindu, Jain, Buddhist & Christian monastics (both monks & nuns) & the odd sufis like Rabia of Basra exemplify this truth. The sine qua non is to give up the most desired things & embrace voluntary poverty & celibacy & true love of God will follow.

No comments:

Post a Comment