He cares not for one’s form or clan, But seeks devotion’s steady hand…

Love—the Language God Listens To

Beyond Name, Race, or Ritual

Muktanand Swami begins this exquisite composition with a truth that unites all seekers across time: God is won not by status or scholarship, but by love.

“The dark-hued Lord, so full of grace,
Is won by love—not name or race.
He cares not for one’s form or clan,
But seeks devotion’s steady hand.”

In every era and every culture, humans have tried to approach God through action, intellect, and austerity. Yet Muktanand Swami—one of Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s foremost paramhansas—reminds us that love (prem bhakti) is the truest path to His heart.

God is not moved by external qualifications—beauty, birth, or brilliance—but by the quality of the heart. Whether a scholar or a shepherd, what draws the divine near is sincere, selfless affection. Love is the universal language that the Supreme understands perfectly.

This teaching aligns deeply with Bhagwan Swaminarayan’s own words in the Vachanamrut:

“God is attained only through the path of ekantik bhakti—devotion joined with love, humility, and purity of heart.”

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The Nature of True Love

Love Cannot Be Bought or Borrowed

Muktanand Swami continues by describing love’s rare and priceless nature:

“True love is not found travelling land,
Nor sold by any merchant’s hand.
He who bows with ego gone,
Becomes a lover, pure and strong.”

Real love for God is not acquired through travel, pilgrimage, or trade—it cannot be imported, inherited, or imitated. It must arise from within, cultivated through humility, service, and surrender.

In today’s fast-moving world, where everything can be purchased or downloaded instantly, this verse strikes a timeless chord: love cannot be bought—it can only be offered.

“He who bows with ego gone…”
Here lies the secret. Love for God blooms only when ego dies. The more we identify with “I” and “mine,” the less room there is for Him. When we bow completely—letting go of pride, preference, and pretense—love rushes in like sunlight through an open window.

Understanding Love—Beyond Intellect and Argument

When Knowledge Meets Devotion

“When Parikshit heard love’s true theme,
He did not grasp divinity’s scheme.
Shukdev hid true love’s delight,
And showed the path to endless light.”

In the Bhagavatam, King Parikshit listens to Shukdevji’s narration of Lord Krishna’s divine play. Yet even he, despite his royal wisdom, struggles to comprehend the essence of divine love. Shukdevji, seeing his listener’s limits, veils certain deeper truths—revealing only what the heart can bear.

Here, Muktanand Swami illustrates a profound insight: spiritual knowledge alone cannot grasp divine love. Intellect analyzes, but love experiences. Logic divides, but love unites.

The Love That Humbles the Wise

The Power of Vraj Prem

“The love of Vraj’s maids so high,
Humbles even Kabirs that try.
Muktanand says: this path is known
By saints with hearts mature and grown.”

The highest example of divine love, Muktanand Swami reminds us, is found in the gopis of Vraj. Their love for Krishna was so pure that even great saints and poets like Kabir stand humbled before it.

They did not love God for liberation, recognition, or reward—they loved Him because He was theirs.

This is the love that saints throughout time have aspired to—a love so unconditional that it dissolves the boundary between lover and Beloved.

This love finds expression in the relationship between the devotee and Bhagwan Swaminarayan as mediated through the Satpurush. To love God as the gopis loved Krishna means to live with total dependence, surrender, and joy in His will.

“Muktanand says: this path is known
By saints with hearts mature and grown.”

Saints, free from ego and expectation, walk this path with steady hearts, knowing that God is won not by power, but by affection.

Verse	Translation
Premi janne vash pataliyo, Shyām sundar sukhkari re; Jati varan ne rupe na rijhe, Prabhujine bhakti pyari re…	The dark-hued Lord, so full of grace, Is won by love-not name or race. He cares not for one’s form or clan, But seeks devotion’s steady hand.
Prem na nipje desh videshe, prem na hate vechay re; Premina pasangma je shish sope, te jan premi thay re…	True love is not found travelling land, Nor sold by any merchant’s hand. He who bows with ego gone, Becomes a lover, pure and strong.
Premni vat suni Parikshit, savli samjan nav lidhi re; Samjine Shukmunie rasne chhapadyo, mokshni rit kahi didhi re…	When Parikshit heard love’s true theme, He did not grasp divinity’s scheme. Shukder hid true love’s delight, And showed the path to endless light.
Vraj vanitana premni age, udya koti Kabira re; Muktanand e premno marag, sanje te sant sudhirà re…	The love of Vraj’s maids so high, Humbles even Kabirs that try. Muktanand says: this path is known By saints with hearts mature and grown.

Introduction on Paramhansa (Text): https://www.baps.org/About-BAPS/TheFounder%E2%80%93BhagwanSwaminarayan/Legacy/Disciples/Paramhansas.aspx

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