Excerpted from Sri Paramahansa Yogananda

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I Sought Love in Many Lives

And I Shed Bitter Tears of Separation and Repentance Just to Know What Love Is

I Sacrificed Everything

All Attachment and Illusion

To Learn at Last, I Am In Love with One,

With God*, with God Alone.

And Then I Drank Love Through All True Hearts.

I Saw that God is the One Cosmic Lover

The One Sweet Fragrance that Permeates all the Variegated Blossoms of Love

In the Garden of Human Life.

And the Lord Ever Silently Whispers to You,

“I Am Love.”

But to Experience the Giving and the Gift of Love

“I Divided Myself into Three,

Love, Lover & the Beloved

And, My Love is Beautiful, My Love is Pure and Undemanding

My Love is Eternally Joyous.

And, I Taste My Love in Many Ways

Through Many Forms.

As a Father I Drink Reverential Love from the Spring of My Child’s Heart

As a Mother I Drink the Nectar of Unconditional Love

from the Tiny Soul Cup of the Little Baby.

As a Child, I Imbibe the Protecting Love of the Father’s Righteous Reason.

As Infant, I Drink Causeless Love from the Holy Grail of Maternal Affection.

As Master I Drink Sympathetic Love from the Flask of the Servant’s Thoughtfulness.

As Servant, I Sip Respectful Love from the Goblet of the Master’s Appreciation.

As Guru, I enjoy the Purest Love from the Chalice of the Disciple’s All Surrendering Devotion.

As Friend, I Drink from the Self Bubbling Fountains of Spontaneous Love, of Spontaneous Friendship.

As a True Divine Friend, I Quoth Crystal Waters of Cosmic Love from the Reservoir of God Adoring Hearts.

And So, My Love is Playing Hide and Seek in All Human Hearts

That Each Might Learn to Discover and Worship

Not the Temple Human Receptacles of My Love

But My Love Itself Dancing from One Heart to Another.

The Moon Laughs at Millions of Well Meaning Lovers

Who have Unknowingly Lied to their Beloved when saying,

“I Shall Love You Forever”

Their Skulls are Strewn over the Wind Swept Sands of Eternity.

They Can No Longer Use their Breath to Say, “I Love You.”

They Can Neither Remember, Nor Redeem their Promise to Love Each Other Forever.

But, Says the Lord, Without Speaking a Word, I Have Loved You Always.

So I Alone can Truly Say to You My child,

“I love You for I Have Loved You Before You Were Born

My Love Gives You Life

And Sustains You Even at this Moment

And I Alone Can Love You

After the Gates of Death Imprisons You

Where None, Not even Your Greatest Human Love,

Can Ever Reach You.

I am the Love that Dances Human Puppets

On the Strings of Emotion and Instincts

to Play the Drama of Love on the Stage of Life.

My Love is Beautiful and Endlessly Enjoyable

When you Love Me Alone

But the Lifeline of Love and Peace is Cut,

When instead you Become Tangled in Human Emotion and Human Attachment.

Realize My Children, It Is My love

For Which You Yearn Through All Human Hearts

For Those Who Love me As One Person

Or Perfectly Love in One Person

Do Not Know What Love is

Only They Can Know Love,

Who Love Me Wisely, Thoughtlessly,

Completely All Surrenderingly,

Who Love Me Perfectly and Equally In All

And Love Me Perfectly and Equally As All.

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When speaking about “God” here, think of “The All,” “Infinity,” “All That There Is,” “Oneness.”