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Object of love

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 3

In Vṛndāvana, however, the Lord was not even known as the Paramātmā because the residents of Vṛndāvana were pure unconventional devotees of the Lord and could think of Him only as their object of love
SB 3.2.9, Purport:

In Vṛndāvana, however, the Lord was not even known as the Paramātmā because the residents of Vṛndāvana were pure unconventional devotees of the Lord and could think of Him only as their object of love. They did not know that He is the Personality of Godhead. The Yadus, or the residents of Dvārakā, however, could know Lord Kṛṣṇa as Vāsudeva, or the Supersoul living everywhere, but not as the Supreme Lord. As scholars of the Vedas, they verified the Vedic hymns: eko devaḥ. .. sarva-bhūtādhivāsaḥ... antaryāmī... and vṛṣṇīnāṁ para-devatā. ... The Yadus, therefore, accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supersoul incarnated in their family, and not more than that.

Every living entity has the propensity to love someone. We can see that if someone has no object of love, he generally directs his love to a pet animal like a cat or a dog
SB 3.25.38, Purport:

Every living entity has the propensity to love someone. We can see that if someone has no object of love, he generally directs his love to a pet animal like a cat or a dog. Thus the eternal propensity for love in all living entities is always searching for a place to reside. From this verse we can learn that we can love the Supreme Personality of Godhead as our dearmost object—as a friend, as a son, as a preceptor or as a well-wisher—and there will be no cheating and no end to such love. We shall eternally enjoy the relationship with the Supreme Lord in different aspects. A special feature of this verse is the acceptance of the Supreme Lord as the supreme preceptor. Bhagavad-gītā was spoken directly by the Supreme Lord, and Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru, or spiritual master. Similarly, we should accept only Kṛṣṇa as the supreme spiritual master.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

We shall be able to understand very easily that Kṛṣṇa is the only object of love
SB 10.3.37-38, Purport:

In this age, we are all fallen, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to bestow upon us love of Godhead directly. This was appreciated by the associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rūpa Gosvāmī said:

namo mahä-vadänyäya
kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
(CC Madhya 19.53)

In this verse, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is described as mahā-vadānya, the most munificent of charitable persons, because He gives Kṛṣṇa so easily that one can attain Kṛṣṇa simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. We should therefore take advantage of the benediction given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and when by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra we are cleansed of all dirty things (ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12)), we shall be able to understand very easily that Kṛṣṇa is the only object of love (kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51)).

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

My dear Uddhava, for those women of Gokula I am the most cherished object of love
SB 10.46.5, Purport:

My dear Uddhava, for those women of Gokula I am the most cherished object of love. Thus when they remember Me, who am so far away, they are overwhelmed by the anxiety of separation."

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

The Vṛndāvana pastimes demonstrated that although generally people worship God with reverence, the Lord is more pleased when a devotee thinks of Him as his pet son, personal friend or most dear fiance and renders service unto Him with such natural affection. The Lord becomes a subordinate object of love in such transcendental relationships.
CC Adi 4.19, Translation and Purport:

“In whatever transcendental mellow My devotee worships Me, I reciprocate with him. That is My natural behavior.

The Lord, by His inherent nature, reveals Himself before His devotees according to their inherent devotional service. The Vṛndāvana pastimes demonstrated that although generally people worship God with reverence, the Lord is more pleased when a devotee thinks of Him as his pet son, personal friend or most dear fiance and renders service unto Him with such natural affection. The Lord becomes a subordinate object of love in such transcendental relationships. Such pure love of Godhead is unadulterated by any tinge of superfluous nondevotional desires and is not mixed with any sort of fruitive action or empiric philosophical speculation. It is pure and natural love of Godhead, spontaneously aroused in the absolute stage. This devotional service is executed in a favorable atmosphere freed from material affection.

Yogamāyā is the name of the internal potency that makes the Lord forget Himself and become an object of love for His pure devotee in different transcendental mellows.
CC Adi 4.29, Translation and Purport:

“The influence of yogamāyā will inspire the gopīs with the sentiment that I am their paramour.

Yogamāyā is the name of the internal potency that makes the Lord forget Himself and become an object of love for His pure devotee in different transcendental mellows. This yogamāyā potency creates a spiritual sentiment in the minds of the damsels of Vraja by which they think of Lord Kṛṣṇa as their paramour. This sentiment is never to be compared to mundane illicit sexual love. It has nothing to do with sexual psychology, although the pure love of such devotees seems to be sexual. One should know for certain that nothing can exist in this cosmic manifestation that has no real counterpart in the spiritual field. All material manifestations are emanations of the Transcendence. The erotic principles of amorous love reflected in mixed material values are perverted reflections of the reality of spirit, but one cannot understand the reality unless one is sufficiently educated in the spiritual science.

CC Adi 4.133, Translation:

“I taste the bliss to which the object of love is entitled. But the pleasure of Rādhā, the abode of that love, is ten million times greater.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 23.8, Translation:

“"When one develops an unflinching sense of ownership or possessiveness in relation to Lord Viṣṇu, or, in other words, when one thinks Viṣṇu and no one else to be the only object of love, such an awakening is called bhakti (devotion) by exalted persons like Bhīṣma, Prahlāda, Uddhava and Nārada."

"The object of love is Kṛṣṇa, and the container of that love is the devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Learned scholars call them ālambana—the foundations."
CC Madhya 23.51, Purport:

"That which causes love for Kṛṣṇa to appear is called vibhāva. That has two divisions—ālambana (in which love appears) and uddīpana (by which love appears)."

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.16), the following is stated about ālambana:

kṛṣṇaś ca kṛṣṇa-bhaktāś ca budhair ālambanā matāḥ
raty-āder viṣayatvena tathādhāratayāpi ca

"The object of love is Kṛṣṇa, and the container of that love is the devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Learned scholars call them ālambana—the foundations."

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 1.58, Translation:

Thus Rūpa Gosvāmī became the object of love and affection for all the devotees of the Lord, including those who came from Bengal and those who resided in Orissa.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

"Devotional service with ecstatic attachment for that service, which becomes natural for the devotee, is called rāga, or transcendental attachment." Devotional service discharged with such attachment is called rāgātmikā, and deep attachment with deep absorption in the object of love is called rāgātmikā.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 13:

The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, Vrajavāsīs, are living examples of devotional service. Theirs is ideal devotional service with attachment, and such devotion can be found only in Vrajabhūmi, Vṛndāvana. If one develops devotional service and attachment by following in the footsteps of the Vrajavāsīs, he attains rāga-mārga-bhakti, or devotional service in attachment to the Lord. According to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.270), "Devotional service with ecstatic attachment for that service, which becomes natural for the devotee, is called rāga, or transcendental attachment." Devotional service discharged with such attachment is called rāgātmikā, and deep attachment with deep absorption in the object of love is called rāgātmikā. Examples of these can be seen in the activities of the residents of Vrajabhūmi. One who becomes attracted to Kṛṣṇa by hearing of such attachment is certainly very fortunate. When one becomes deeply affected by the devotion of the residents of Vrajabhūmi and tries to follow in their footsteps, he does not care for the restrictions or regulations of the revealed scriptures. This is the characteristic of one discharging rāga-bhakti.

"When one is firmly convinced that Viṣṇu is the only object of love and worship and that there is no one else—not even a demigod—worthy of receiving devotional service, one feels intimacy in his love relationship with God, and this is approved by such personalities as Bhīṣma, Prahlāda, Uddhava and Nārada."
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 13:

"When one is firmly convinced that Viṣṇu is the only object of love and worship and that there is no one else—not even a demigod—worthy of receiving devotional service, one feels intimacy in his love relationship with God, and this is approved by such personalities as Bhīṣma, Prahlāda, Uddhava and Nārada."

Nectar of Instruction

"The madhyama-adhikārī is a devotee who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the highest object of love, makes friends with the Lord's devotees, is merciful to the ignorant and avoids those who are envious by nature."
Nectar of Instruction 5, Purport:

"The madhyama-adhikārī is a devotee who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the highest object of love, makes friends with the Lord's devotees, is merciful to the ignorant and avoids those who are envious by nature."

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Our life, property, home, wife, children, house, country, society and all paraphernalia which are very dear to us are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the central object of love because He gives us all bliss, expanding Himself in so many ways according to our different situations, namely bodily, mental or spiritual.
Krsna Book 23:

Lord Kṛṣṇa here confirms that the conditioned soul can reach the highest perfectional stage by surrendering to Him. One must give up all other responsibilities. This complete surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the most auspicious path for the conditioned soul because the Supreme Lord is the supreme objective of love. Everyone is loving his self according to the advancement of his knowledge. Ultimately, when a person comes to understand that his self is the spirit soul and that the spirit soul is nothing but a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, he recognizes the Supreme Lord as the ultimate goal of love and then surrenders unto Him. This surrender is considered auspicious for the conditioned soul. Our life, property, home, wife, children, house, country, society and all paraphernalia which are very dear to us are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the central object of love because He gives us all bliss, expanding Himself in so many ways according to our different situations, namely bodily, mental or spiritual.

That Kṛṣṇa should be the object of love is the central point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Krsna Book 35:

“Kṛṣṇa is compared to the moon, born in the ocean of the womb of Devakī. When He returns in the evening, it appears that He is fatigued, but He still tries to gladden the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana by His auspicious presence. When Kṛṣṇa returns, garlanded with flowers, His face looks beautiful, adorned with golden earrings. He walks into Vṛndāvana with a stride just like the elephant's and slowly enters His home. Upon His return, the men, women and cows of Vṛndāvana immediately forget the scorching heat of the day.”

Such descriptions of Kṛṣṇa's transcendental pastimes and activities were remembered by the gopīs during His absence from Vṛndāvana. They give us some idea of how attractive Kṛṣṇa is, not only to human beings but to all animate and inanimate objects. In Vṛndāvana, everyone and everything is attracted to Kṛṣṇa, including the trees, the plants, the water, and animals like the deer and cows. That is the perfect description of Kṛṣṇa's all-attractiveness. The example of the gopīs is very instructive to persons who are trying to be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One can very easily associate with Kṛṣṇa simply by remembering His transcendental pastimes. Everyone has a tendency to love someone. That Kṛṣṇa should be the object of love is the central point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By constantly chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and remembering the transcendental pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, one can be fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus make his life sublime and fruitful.

"Kṛṣṇa, You are free and independent in all respects. You can either embrace Me or crush Me under Your feet—whatever You like. You may make Me brokenhearted by not letting Me see You throughout My whole life, but You are My only object of love."
Krsna Book 47:

Since Kṛṣṇa is absolute, His so-called unkind activities are as relishable as His kind activities. Therefore saintly persons and great devotees like the gopīs cannot give up Kṛṣṇa in any circumstances. Lord Caitanya therefore prayed, "Kṛṣṇa, You are free and independent in all respects. You can either embrace Me or crush Me under Your feet—whatever You like. You may make Me brokenhearted by not letting Me see You throughout My whole life, but You are My only object of love."

Sri Isopanisad

The madhyama-adhikārī behaves differently toward four classes of person. He adores the Lord, considering Him the object of love; he makes friends with those who are in devotional service; he tries to awaken the dormant love of God in the hearts of the innocent; and he avoids the atheists, who deride the very name of the Lord.
Sri Isopanisad 6, Purport:

Those who have attained the second stage of realization are called madhyama-adhikārīs. These devotees observe the distinctions between four categories of being: (1) the Supreme Lord; (2) the devotees of the Lord; (3) the innocent, who have no knowledge of the Lord; and (4) the atheists, who have no faith in the Lord and hate those in devotional service. The madhyama-adhikārī behaves differently toward these four classes of person. He adores the Lord, considering Him the object of love; he makes friends with those who are in devotional service; he tries to awaken the dormant love of God in the hearts of the innocent; and he avoids the atheists, who deride the very name of the Lord.

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Love is there, object of love is there, but it is misplaced.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

Everyone is serving. If a person has nobody to serve, he keeps a cat, he keeps a dog and serves him. So to give service, to love somebody else, that is my real characteristic. But I am missing the point. I am loving cats and dogs and so many things, but I am missing to love God. That is the missing point. Love is there, object of love is there, but it is misplaced. Therefore, we are not getting happiness. When it will be properly placed, love and the object of love, then we'll be happy.

Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate object of love.
Lecture on SB 1.15.50 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1973:

Why do you love your body? Or why do you love your son's body? So long the spirit soul is there. As soon as the spirit soul is off, you do not care for the son's body or daughter's body or your wife's body. Then who is the lovable object? The soul. It is very natural to understand. Why don't you love a dead body? Because the soul is not there. The soul is the object of your love, not this body. And why you take care of the soul? Because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate object of love. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But they do not know.

At least we have seen in our India. There is no question of separation. There is no question of divorce. The love is there from the very beginning. The propensity was there and immediately the object of love is there. A girl has got husband; a husband has got a wife. So the love continues spontaneously.
Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:

All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they did not undergo any regulative principles. But spontaneously, they are always ready to serve God, Kṛṣṇa. That is called rāga-bhakti. Just like to... The example... There are examples. Just like a mother, as soon as there is child, baby, she takes care. She takes care. Although she does not go to a school how to take care of a child, but automatically. Automatically she takes care. Similarly, this automatically serving Kṛṣṇa, that is called rāga-bhakti. That is reached by vaidhī-bhakti, by practicing. Just like formerly there was marriage, child marriage—a small boy, a small girl. But simply by association the girl understands how to serve the husband and the husband also understand how to give protection to the wife, and mostly, the life was very pleasing, happy. From the very beginning she knows, "Here is my husband," and he knows, "Here is my wife." At least we have seen in our India. There is no question of separation. There is no question of divorce. The love is there from the very beginning. The propensity was there and immediately the object of love is there. A girl has got husband; a husband has got a wife. So the love continues spontaneously.

Dhruva Mahārāja was thinking of becoming happy by getting a great kingdom and ultimately when he met the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he found the object of love. He said, "No. I don't want anything. I have got now everything. I have seen You."
Lecture on SB 7.6.2 -- Vrndavana, December 3, 1975:

Real love is with Viṣṇu. Because by nature there is love. Just like the child. It loves the mother. And in the absence of the mother he cries, and when the mother comes he becomes satisfied. So our real love is for Kṛṣṇa but that we have forgotten. And you are offered, "Why you are crying? You take this. You take this. You take this." No. Nothing will satisfy us unless we again come back to love our original source of life. Just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja was thinking of becoming happy by getting a great kingdom and ultimately when he met the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he found the object of love. He said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "No. I don't want anything. I have got now everything. I have seen You." Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. If you get Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, the same thing—then you become satisfied. Otherwise there is no possibility of satisfaction. That is not possible.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

When one becomes actually devoted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and takes pleasure by chanting his object of love, his mind becomes perturbed by such chanting.
Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.80-95 -- San Francisco, February 10, 1966:

When one becomes actually devoted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and takes pleasure by chanting his object of love, druta-citta uccaiḥ, his mind becomes perturbed by such chanting. And then hasaty, hasaty, he laughs; atho roditi, sometimes cries, roditi; and rauti, and, by seeing him, others also cry; roditi, rauti; gāyati, and chants very loudly; unmādavan nṛtyati, and dances like a madman, nṛtyati; loka-bāhyaḥ, and he doesn't care that "Somebody is looking upon me just like I am madman." He doesn't care for them. This is the perfectional stage of chanting.

The impersonalists, they cannot understand that even in individuality there is no difference. As soon as they think of individuality, oh, they think that there is a difference. Then what is liberation? Yes. And actually there is no difference. The difference is only that Kṛṣṇa's personality and others' personalities, they are conscious that "Kṛṣṇa is our object of love."
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.13-49 -- New York, January 4, 1967:

The living entities, when they enter into the spiritual planets, they become as good as Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu—there is no difference—because it is absolute world. Here the difference is there. The impersonalists, they cannot understand that even in individuality there is no difference. As soon as they think of individuality, oh, they think that there is a difference. Then what is liberation? Yes. And actually there is no difference. The difference is only that Kṛṣṇa's personality and others' personalities, they are conscious that "Kṛṣṇa is our object of love." That's it. The center is Kṛṣṇa. In this way the individual boys and girls and Kṛṣṇa, everyone is enjoying spiritual bliss.

Our love for Kṛṣṇa is dormant. It is within us, but because we have no information of Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are reposing our love to something which is frustration. That is not the object of love.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.11-15 -- New York, January 9, 1967:

Our love for Kṛṣṇa is dormant. It is within us, but because we have no information of Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are reposing our love to something which is frustration. That is not the object of love. Therefore we are frustrated. So many instances we have got, we did not describe. But here in this material world, love is 99.9% all frustration, because the love is not reposed to the proper place. The proper place is Kṛṣṇa. If we love Kṛṣṇa, then we can love everyone. Just like if we pour water on the root of the tree then the other parts of the tree, leaves and flowers and fruits and branches, automatically... So if we learn to love Kṛṣṇa, then we can perfectly love others.

Philosophy Discussions

That Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the supreme object of love, either by adoration or by serving or making friendship with Him, or loving Him as child, or loving Him as beloved—there are five different relationships: śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, mādhurya—that is real love.
Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Real love is only with God—individually, collectively, anyway. And that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the supreme object of love, either by adoration or by serving or making friendship with Him, or loving Him as child, or loving Him as beloved—there are five different relationships: śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, mādhurya—that is real love.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

The central object of love is Kṛṣṇa.
Room Conversation -- June 24, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Kīrtanānanda: Sometimes I've heard you say, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that love only exists between similar categories.

Prabhupāda: Similar categories, the love is very conducive. Otherwise, love is possible with any living entity. The central object of love is Kṛṣṇa. That is Vṛndāvana. The animals love Kṛṣṇa, the human beings love Kṛṣṇa, the trees love Kṛṣṇa, the water love Kṛṣṇa, everyone loves Kṛṣṇa-central point. That is the perfection of love. The Deity is kept in the same house?

Correspondence

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

You say the waves of the creations are the different aspects, why a particular type of waves namely the mankind should be partially selected and offered services and why other types of waves such as the beasts or birds, the plants and the stone shall not be offered a similar type of services? In that case how can you say that the worship of a stone is sinful while a man who is more than a stone shall be considered as the object of love?
Letter to Raja Mohendra Pratap -- Cawnpore 13 July, 1947:

In continuation of my last post card, I beg to inform you that I have finished the reading of your book Religion of Love. In my opinion the whole thesis is based on the philosophy of pantheism and the approach is made by the services of mankind. Religion of love is the true religious idea but if the approach is made through the service of mankind only, then the process is made imperfect, partial and unscientific.

As you say the waves of the creations are the different aspects, why a particular type of waves namely the mankind should be partially selected and offered services and why other types of waves such as the beasts or birds, the plants and the stone shall not be offered a similar type of services? In that case how can you say that the worship of a stone is sinful while a man who is more than a stone shall be considered as the object of love? These are some of the questions that arise out of a critical study of your book.

When we speak of love there must be the object of love and the lover too.
Letter to Raja Mohendra Pratap -- Cawnpore 13 July, 1947:

If you so desire I can enter into discussions about it and my opinion is that your approach is partial and unscientific. There is no hesitation to accept the principle of the Religion of Love because the Absolute Truth is, as we have known, Godhead Who is sat, cit and ananda. Without ananda there cannot be any love that is an accepted fact. Your delineation of society, friendship and love among the human beings is based on this ananda portion only but you have avoided the other portions of eternity and cognition of God the Whole Soul. Thus the approach is partial and unscientific. The true religion of love is perfectly inculcated in the Bhagavad-gita. When we speak of love there must be the object of love and the lover too.

Here in this world we find that the object of love and the lover both are the cheater and the cheated in their reciprocal dealings.
Letter to Raja Mohendra Pratap -- Cawnpore 13 July, 1947:

Here in this world we find that the object of love and the lover both are the cheater and the cheated in their reciprocal dealings. That is our experience. But the ultimate end being one Whole Soul, the dual existence of the object of lover and the loved loses identity. In that case the eternity and cognizibility of the loved and lover vanish at once. In this way there arises many questions which may be put forward to you for further discussions to adjust your ideas of religion.

1970 Correspondence

The basic principle of love is that both the lover and the beloved or object of love and the lover must be happy by loving activities of the living being.
Letter to Japanese brothers and sisters -- Los Angeles 10 March, 1970:

At the present moment, the human society has been educated to love his country or family or one's personal self, but they have no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. Because the basic principle of love is that both the lover and the beloved or object of love and the lover must be happy by loving activities of the living being. In the primary stage a child loves his parents, then his brothers and sisters, and thus, as he grows up daily, he begins to love his family, society, community, country, nation, or up to the point of loving the whole human society. But the loving propensity is so expansive that even by loving the whole human society the loving propensity is not fulfilled on account of its imperfectness. This loving propensity can be fully satisfied when it is reposed in Krishna, and that is the sum and substance of this Krishna Consciousness movement.

Page Title:Object of love
Compiler:Siddha Rupa, Visnu Murti, MadhuGopaldas
Created:23 of Jan, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=4, CC=6, OB=7, Lec=8, Con=1, Let=4
No. of Quotes:30