What is parental love based on? Father’s love is based on reason and motherly love is based on emotions and unconditional love. Actually, now when we examine parental love, we have to exclude male and female affection. We must address it as who assume the fraternal role and who assumes the maternal role.

We view fraternal love as being based on expectations, which are that one has to take care and protect one’s child, and provide the child the gift of values, reason and wisdom. It is also unconditional love initially, and later some fathers expect the child to be like them. Maternal love is regarded as being genuine and unrestricted. It is regarded as spiritual and is there forever.

Love can be described as the way God gives it. Now let us remind ourselves that who granted this love to parents. It is God and the divine spirit is not a tyrant and his/her love is definite and explicit. God has placed one in a world of Maya, and is fully aware of all the crisis and struggles one goes through. One has to perceive oneself as being on the spiritual path and not think that one is full of darkness. The divine power can enable one to change oneself, once one recognizes one’s flaws.

A love song

Swami Yogananda, while meditating sang this love song to the Divine:

O Divine Mother, I am thy little babe, thy helpless babe, secretly sitting on thy lap of immortality. I shall steal my way to heaven secreted on thy lap. No karma can touch me, for I am thy little babe, thy helpless babe. Secretly on thy lap I shall steal my way to heaven.

He also said that was the relationship to have with God, for the love of the mother is the all-forgiving love of the Divine.

You can meditate on this love song.

Once more I come to what is parental love. We have to accept love as being without gender and the Divine Being has always been aware of this. By offering love which is genuine and unconditional, offsprings offer filial (love for the parents and between siblings) love in return to them. Filial love is also based on duties, which children have towards their parents.

Aim Hrim Klim

Reference: The Divine Romance, Sri Sri Paramhansa Yogananda

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