What do the scriptures say? What is it that you have to do to be in such divine love, to be a devotee? What is that you have to do to be a devotee?
It says the first principle is non-violence. A devotee cannot afford to be violent. The owner of this universe is with you. What is it that you need to be afraid of? Violence is a sign of weakness. Violence indicates that you are fearful, you have no support, and you have no strength. When you have the greatest support with you, when you own the greatest support in this universe, where is the fear? How can you be afraid of anything? People who are violent are often scared. They have fear fermenting in them. They are afraid of losing something, so they become violent. Ahimsa – non-violence – is the first principle. Satya – truth, acceptance of what is. Shaucha means cleanliness, inner and outer cleanliness, yes? The mind becomes clean and free. That is what meditation does to you. When you go deep into mediation, what happens? When you do Sudarshan Kriya or pranayama, what happens to you? All that negativity just leaves you, drops out of the system – inner and outer cleanliness. Daya represents compassion and belief in a divine existence.
All these values need to be absorbed. You need to observe these laws. Though lovers have no rules, there is no rule that you have to express your love only like this, say only this at such a time. Emotions and feelings are spontaneous, and their expression is also spontaneous.
There cannot be a military rule in expressing your love. It is not a regiment, like a parade where you put your left foot out, or right foot, and you walk like you are in a parade. That is discipline, not a spontaneous expression of love. Discipline and spontaneity are opposites, yet they complement each other. This is the paradox here. On the one hand, Narada is talking about love, which transcends all disciplines.
Love means chaos, and divine love is utter chaos. Love is the form of the Divine. Love alone can merge in love. When one is filled with Divine love He can experience oneness with the Divine.
Happiness arises from pure love Which is also the source of Truth, Righteousness, Peace and Forbearance.
But yet, he says, certain disciplines you need to follow so that there is chaos in discipline. They complement each other somehow on some deep level. Lovers do not like any discipline. Any discipline will suffocate them. They want freedom. That is why they are paradoxical.
Devotion is a path of freedom. The path of love is that of freedom. You have absolute freedom to express your love, but yet, he says, you need to have certain disciplines. What are the disciplines? Ahimsa, non-violence.
So that your freedom does not infringe on someone else’s freedom, your love does not suffocate someone else and become violence for them. Satya-truth, Shaucha-purity, Daya-compassion, and faith in the Divine will all have to be followed in life.