Suppose in a war, an enemy soldier dresses like a defending soldier and enters into the defending army. If the defenders aren’t alert enough to recognize the masquerade, they will be deceived and destroyed. 

We all are vulnerable to similar deceitful attacks in the war for our consciousness between godly and ungodly forces. At our core, we are souls, parts of God; we are meant to be on the godly side – especially when we start aspiring to live spiritually.

To thwart us, the ungodly forces often impersonate the most cherished aspiration of our heart: the longing to love and be loved. This longing stems ultimately from the soul’s longing for the all-attractive Supreme, Krishna. Unfortunately, that pure longing gets distorted by materialistic influences. When distorted, love becomes a tool for evil to penetrate our consciousness, gaining first a foothold and then a stronghold. 

Sometimes, people in sacred relational bonds act immorally; their actions break hearts and destroy families. While acting immorally, they claim to be in love. But is it love? Sometimes what appears to be love may just be lust, which can be a self-destructive evil force (Bhagavad-gita 03.37). Lust just puts on a masquerade of love. 

How can we know whether what we feel is love? By looking beyond our emotion to our action and its consequence. Love is not just the emotion we feel in the presence of someone; love is the dedication of our actions for everyone’s holistic well-being. Love inspires us to become our best so that we can offer our best to our beloved. And ultimately love is seen in how it takes us closer to the source and object of all love, Krishna – not away from him. 

 

Think it over:

  • What war is going on in our consciousness?
  • How do ungodly forces penetrate our consciousness?
  • How can we evaluate whether what we feel is real love? 

To know more about this verse, please click on the image
Explanation of article:

Podcast:

Download by “right-click and save”