18.64-65: Love that doesn’t appoint to DIS-appoint
(Valentine’s Day Meditation)
The Bhagavad-gita (18.64) reveals Krishna’s love for all of us by the unequivocal proclamation, “you are dearly loved by me” and then (18.65) calls for a reciprocal love from us, “Becoming my devotee, offer your mind and heart to me.”
Worldly love promises much but delivers little; it appoints to dis-appoint. But Krishna’s love is entirely different from such worldly love, as can be understood by the acronym DIS:
- Durable: It is durable, in fact, eternal, not only because Krishna and his love for us are everlasting, but also because that divine love is based on the platform of our eternal spiritual identity, not on the platform of our temporary, material identity on which all worldly love is formulated and frustrated.
- Integral: Our love for Krishna is innate and integral to us; we simply have to revive through devotional remembrance. On the other hand, all worldly love is external, superficial and artificial, and is actually incompatible with and insufficient for our heart’s innermost longing.
- Supra-real: Worldly love may appear real to us at present, but it is inevitably washed away by the waves of time,which is the ultimate reality in the world. But all-devouring time can do nothing to destroy or even deteriorate our love for Krishna, for that love is supra-real or supremely real.
These distinctive characteristics of Krishna’s love ensures that our appointment with him never ends in dis-appointment. Let’s therefore make Krishna the love of our heart and seek our appointment with him.