Indian saint Sri Satya Sai Baba describes man as an embodiment of PREMA (Love) and it appears that he drew inspiration from the Books of Holy Bible which define God as Love and directs man to Love God and to Love one another. He further asserts that he would be known as Prema Sai (Sai, the embodiment of Divine Love) in his next reincarnation.
Love is a powerful emotion felt for another person manifesting itself in deep affection, devotion or sexual desire. If love is viewed as fondness or affection it may include or based in part on sexual attraction which is related to libido (sexual urge or instinct), and lust (a desire to gratify the senses or bodily appetite that seeks unrestrained gratification).
Love implies feelings that are attached to relationships or objects and assumes various forms such as sexual love, brotherly love, and love of God. The attachment may be felt for inanimate things as well as people, or ideas, or expressed as an abstraction. There are many different kinds of love; different in object, different in tendency, and different in expression.
The problem of the kinds of love is further complicated by the need to differentiate and relate love and desire. The category of love known as sexual love has the tendency to desire possession of the object that is loved. The tendency of desire is acquisitive. Sexual love is a love born of desire, and the drive of desire continues until it is satisfied by possession of the loved object. Physical possession is the basis for the satisfaction of sexual desire, sexual appetite, or sexual hunger, or sexual thirst. The other forms of love do not tend to possess the object loved but seek to benefit the object that is loved. Love is selfish when it acts like hunger, thirst, or appetite which need to be satisfied for the benefit of the person expressing that love.
Love is altruistic when it acts for the good or the benefit of the beloved. Conjugal love may include a combination of selfishness and altruism. The ancient languages have three distinct words for the main types of love; Eros, Philia, and Agape in Greek language; Amor, Amicita or Dilectio, and Caritas in Latin language. However, English language has no such distinct words and hence it becomes necessary to use such phrases as “sexual love”, “love of friendship”, and “love of charity” in order to indicate plainly that love is common to all three, and to distinguish the three meanings.
The idea of love expressed in Biblical Scriptures makes no distinction between Amor, Dilectio, and Caritas.
For example, in The Gospel according to Saint Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 37, 38, and 39 Jesus proclaims the Great Commandments while endorsing the Laws of Moses: Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Jesus brings unity between the idea of self-love, love of God, and the love of one another without making distinction between the three different kinds of love. Jesus does not specify if man should wish and expect to be loved in return. Jesus did not attach any purpose to this act of love, and did not describe the nature of desire, the attachment, and the gratification that may operate the Love Commandment.
THE ORIGIN OF LOVE:
Sigmund Freud’s theory places the origin of love in the sexual instincts, and so for him the many varieties of love are simply the forms which love takes as the ‘Libido’ fixes upon various objects. He states, “The nucleus of what we mean by love naturally consists …… in sexual love with sexual union as its aim. We do not separate from this; on the one hand, self-love, and on the other, love for parents and children, friendship and love for humanity in general, and also devotion to concrete objects and to abstract ideas….. All these tendencies are an expression of the same instinctive activities…. They differ from sexual love only because they are diverted from its aim or prevented from reaching it, though they always preserve enough of their original nature to keep their identity recognizable.” If love is the passion of the sexual instinct, temperance is an inadequate restraint. Neither reason nor law is adequate to the task of subduing the nature of the sexual instinct. Sexual instinct is a very powerful biological instinct and it profoundly influences human behavior. Hence it becomes necessary to transform sexual love either by repressing it, or sublimating it, or mixing it with tenderness or kindness. In that context, friendship, charity or compassion, and devotion to God could be stated as transformations of sexual love. Sexual instincts are inhibited or actually repressed in the expression of brotherly love, or feelings of deep affection for children and others where the relationship should not be based upon feelings of sexual attraction.
THE COMPLEXITY OF LOVE:
Love is a very complex emotional instinct and it is complex as it may not always provide a sense of joy or happiness. There is a fact about love; love frequently turns into its opposite, hate. Sometimes there is love and hate of the same object; sometimes love inspires hate, and love may also cause jealousy, anger, and fear. Love seems to be the primal passion, generating all the others according to the oppositions of pleasure and pain and by relation of cause and effect. The individual’s experience of love is extremely variable and it includes the operation of both positive and negative impulses.
The Indian tradition has carefully examined this complex instinctual behavior and it instructs people to understand the three major distinctions or categories of love and to apply a sense of restraint, or that of repression. It brings love under the purview of morality, the code of Right Conduct or Dharma. Indian Culture does not provide the linguistic tools to express feelings associated with sexual passion without using temperance. There is no linguistic equivalent in classical Indian languages to profess love. The terms and words that Indians use have specific meaning attached to them.
LOVE vs PREMA:
Love is not a universal term and this idea is not expressed in Indian tradition and classical literature.
The word “Love” appears repeatedly in the Bible, in several different editions of Bible. I am not a language expert and I believe that people who translated Bible have exercised great care to convey the meaning of love. Many editions of Bible have further clarified the meaning of Love in their glossary section or Bible dictionary and define Love as a deep sense of affection, devotion for someone or something and they very carefully exclude sexual desire and sexual passion. In English speaking world, and in English literature, the word Love is used to describe desire, libido, lust, and passion based upon sexual attraction. So, Love is a generic term and it may not always mean brotherly love and goodwill.
Indian Culture has erected subtle barriers and has not provided linguistic tools to use the word Love as we like. It separates Love into various categories and sets them apart. The feelings of affection, or fondness that are associated with sexual attraction are specifically known as ‘Kama’ and intense sexual passion or desire is called ‘Moha’. Any intense or passionate desire could be called Kama and to act under its influence could be stated as Moha. My love for God could only be expressed in terms of Bhakti or Devotion, and the desire could be called Preet. The desire called Preeti or Preet is a legitimate desire. It is also called “Ishta.” I am allowed to seek or desire certain things in my life and that desire is subject to the rule of Good Conduct or Dharma. I can express the sentiment of Preet only when, and where such desire is allowed to be stated in a legitimate manner, and is acceptable to tradition and established conventions and social norms. If I entertain thoughts of sexual attraction about my attractive and rich neighbor, I am not allowed to express my feelings as Preet. It can not be called “Ishta”. I can call it Kama or Moha. In the epic poem of Ramayana, when King Ravana, the King of Lanka desired to marry Princess Sita and had attended her ‘Swayamvara’, his desire was legitimate as he intended to seek the gratification of the feelings of sexual attraction through rightful conduct called marriage. But, when he abducted her while she was lawfully married to Prince Rama, that desire and sexual attraction represents an impulsive action of Moha, and Kama. King Ravana was not entitled to express his Love for Sita if it is formulated by Kama, and intense sexual passion known as lust or Moha. Similarly, a man can express his love or Preet for a woman in a respectful or legitimate manner and to seek a valid relationship based upon trust, respect, and commitment. If the relationship is illegal, it can not be called Preet. A father’s love, or mother’s love, or brother’s love is described as “Vatsalya,” a natural sense of affection and fondness which is not related to sexual attraction or desire. The word “Prema” or “Prem” is used to describe the feelings of affection, fondness, Friendship (Sneha or Maitri)), Kindness (Daya, or Karuna), Compassion (Krupa), Happiness, Joy (Ananda) that have no direct relationship to the satisfaction of sexual desires and passions. The deep sense of affection between husband and wife is often called “Anurag” which indicates an intimate friendship. I can not literally translate this word Love into any of the Indian languages as such expression is not allowed without stating the nature of its contents.
The Commandment of Jesus to Love your neighbor as thyself cannot be easily expressed in Indian languages. Jesus has not stated that idea in terms of Friendship (Sneha), Kindness (Daya), or giving Happiness (Ananda). Only when, and if those qualities of friendship, kindness, and giving joy or happiness are specifically included; Jesus could Command others to express Love or Prema to another person.
However, in the Indian tradition, the deep sense of affection or fondness of God is stated as Bhakti or Devotion.
16th century Hindu Saint Meerabai (1498 AD to 1547 AD) reveals her deep sense of affection and adoration of Lord Krishna in songs and actions which still captivates the attention of people who learn about her thoughts and feelings. Her passionate feelings expressed in sweet and endearing words cannot be captured by the term Love.
Jayadeva in his famous Ashtapadi, Gita Govinda gives an enchanting description of Lord Krishna’s creative activities in Brindavan (Vrindavan) and he depicts the intense erotic feelings of the young maidens as a product of their supreme devotion to the Lord. I can not use the word Love to describe the sexual passions of the Gopis or the young maidens of Brindavan.
SELF-LOVE AND NARCISSISM:
My concern is not about Prema or Love. My concern is about self-love, a man’s love of himself. In psychology the word ‘Narcissim’ is used to describe excessive self-love. In my medical practice, I have not encountered such narcissistic tendencies among people of Indian origin. The Indian tradition has erected barriers and would not easily let us identify ourselves with the physical-self. The Indian tradition repeatedly instructs us about our Essence and true Identity and reminds us not to get attached to the physical-self. If I have no feelings of attachment to my physical-self, I can not really love myself. If I can not truly love myself, I can not also love my neighbor in the same manner, or to a same degree of my self-love. If man is not expected to love himself, the issue of loving the neighbor is redundant.
“Prema Sai will be born in Doddamalur”
M B Maramkal & K R Rajendra Kumar, TNN | Times of India, Apr 28, 2011, 05.52am IST
DODDAMALUR (Mandya): Will the reincarnation be reality or not?
Whatever happens, the tiny village of Doddamalur, off the Bangalore-Mysore highway, will definitely be in the news in the coming years, with scores of stories doing the rounds here over the reincarnation of Sathya Sai Baba as Prema Sai.
What has lent credence to claims of people of the Vaishnava sect temples of Aprameya (Vishnu) and Ambegalu Krishna (toddler Krishna) is based on a book `Sri Sathya Sai — Anandasai’ authored by one Swami, an ardent devotee of Sai Baba. In that, he claims that the godman, during his visit to Doddamalur, had told him that Sai Baba had three avatars in kalyug, and of them, he is the second avatar (reincarnation) of Shirdi Sai Baba. The third will be Prema Sai and he will be born in this village. He also claims that Baba, during his visit in the ’60s, showed a small house where he will be born.
However, confusion prevails among people who are making claims of Baba’s reincarnation in the village. According to Ramadas, who runs a Krishna charitable trust, Prema Sai will be born in this village after 2023, as predicted by Sathya Sai Baba. Ramadas said Baba had predicted that his personal assistant, Narayan Kasturi, who died long ago, will reincarnate himself as a woman in a village near Bhadravathi, marry a person from this village and give birth to Prema Sai. “Today you are my assistant, in the next life you will be my mother,” Sai Baba is supposed to have said.
Doddamalur, located on the banks of the river Kanva, will be called Gunaparthy after the reincarnation, said Raghav, an aged villager, disclosing that the soil and water of the village have curative powers. The village will be called Gun (cure) parthy (place) in the years to come.
WHY DID BABA CHOOSE THIS VILLAGE?
Villagers who are well-versed with its history claim that Baba was carried away by the religious history and mythological importance of this village. People say a Kanva sage did tapasya (penance) here and it was an agrahara (Brahmin settlement) in medieval history. It is said that saint Purandaradasa visited the Aprameya and Krishna temples here and presented a kirtana (discourse) on this village and temples. Baba was enamoured by the historic significance of this village.
“My impression about this story is, Sri Satya Sai Baba has attempted to import a foreign idea to the Land of Bharat without fully understanding the subtle cultural barriers that exist in the Land. The notion of Prema could only be expressed in terms of Friendship (lack of animosity), kindness and goodwill, and that of giving happiness to others. It can not be related to the idea of Love. The theory of reincarnation is not the issue. The issue is about the idea itself. He has to attach meaning to the word “Prema” that he used and distinguish it from the word “Love” that is used in English language.
The Rudolf-Rudi doctrine of Spiritualism 