Once, a king went to the forest to hunt. There he met a rishi—a sage. The king talked to the rishi at length and was very impressed by him. He said, ‘Please visit my capital. I will be honoured to host you and give you some presents.’ The rishi said, ‘What will I do with your presents? I sleep in these caves. The trees give me enough fruits to eat. The streams give me pure water to drink. I am perfectly satisfied with what I have.’ The king said, ‘For my sake, please come to my capital and accept some presents.’ At last, the rishi agreed.
The rishi accompanied the king to his capital. The king’s courtiers welcomed him with great pomp and show. He was given accommodation in a well-furnished room with comfortable seating, golden decorations and luxurious amenities. The king asked to be excused while he went into his palace temple and began to pray. Out of curiosity, the rishi also came there. The king began to pray, ‘O Lord! Give me more wealth, more children, more territory.’ Immediately, the rishi began to walk out of the palace. The king ran after him and said, ‘You have not yet accepted any present from me, and you are already going away?’ The rishi said, ‘I am a sage, and I sustain myself by begging, but I do not beg of beggars. What can you give me? You are begging in front of God yourself.’
Many people think they are deeply devoted to God and love Him greatly. Yet they are always making requests of God. Some people respect God because they fear Him. They think of Him as an all-powerful being, holding rewards in one hand and punishments in the other. Where there is fear, there cannot be true love. Can one be frightened into love? Does a deer love a lion? Does a mouse love a cat? If I offer you prayers and you give me something in return, it is nothing but bargaining. True love knows no bargaining. Love is always the giver, never the taker. If we are always asking God to give us this and give us that, do we really love God?
This universe is nothing but a manifestation of God’s love. This love is visible at all scales, from the smallest to the largest. Within the minuscule atoms, electrons orbit nuclei, just as planets orbit huge stars and moons orbit planets. A person who truly loves God wants to offer everything to Him but does not want anything from Him. They love Him unconditionally and ask for nothing in return.