A Comprehensive Collection - Swami Vivekananda

"354 BHAKTI OR DEVOTION.sets big planets flying towards each other, attracts man towoman, woman to man, human beings to human beings,animals to animals, drawing the whole universe, as it ^Tere,towards one centre ? This is what is called love. Its manifestation is from the lowest atom to the highest ideal, omnipresent, all-pervading, everywhereis this love. What ismanifesting itself as attraction in sentient and insentient, inthe particular and in the universal, is the love qf God. It isthe one motive power that is in the universe. Under theimpetus of that love, Christ stands to give up his lifefor humanity, Buddha for an animal, the mother for thechild, the father for the wife. Itis under the impetus ofthe same love that men are ready to give uptheir livesfor their country, and strange to say, under the impetusof that same love, the thii goes to steal, the murdererto murder ; for, even in these cases, the spirit is the same,but the manifestation is different. This is the one motivepower in the universe. The thief had love for gold ; thelove was there, but it was misdirected. So, in all crimes,a,s well ns in all virtuous actions, behind stand thateternal love. Suppose one of you takes out a piece ofpaper from your pocket, and writes a cheque for athousand dollars for the poor of New York, and, at thesame time, I take a piece of paper, and I try to forgeyour name. The light will be the same for both ; youand I are responsible for the manifestation ;it is not lightthat is to blame. Unattached, yet shining in everything,the motive power of the universe, without which theuniverse will fall to pieces in a moment, is love ;and thislove is God.None, O beloved, loves the husband for the husband s sake, but for the Self that is in the husband sheloves the husband ; none, beloved, ever loves the wife