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I am the Soul
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priya (dear), what we love even more is priyatara (dearer) and what we love most of all, exclusively is priyatama (dearest). How does this term refer to a husband or a lover? Whenever the poets have sung the praise of the Lord with a feeling of superlative love, they have called the Lord as priyatama. The devotee says, "O Lord! There is none more dearer to me in this whole universe, than you. Hence you are my dearest (priyatama)."
What is most dear to you? This world. Then this world is your dearest. If sensual desires and passions are most dear to you, then they are your dearest. If you love wealth most, then wealth is priyatama, if prestige then prestige is priyatama. If you relish tasty food most, then food is your priyatama. What do you like? What do you like most of all? Please inquire within! Your inquiry will not clear any doubt, it is bound to leave you baffled. You will feel badly after that. This day you have heard me say, now all through the day or at night, whenever you find time, try to sit down for a few minutes and ponder over this! You don't have to come back and tell me, I don't need to know. So don't bother about telling me, simply question your self.
I have a feeling, you will come up with a list of five or six items. You will be wondering, 'how do I rank them? Shall I call this dear or that? Should I call this dearest because I like it more? But hold, I like that more than this. And what about those many other things that I like most?". This goes to show that there is nothing dearest to you. The status of the dearest is linked to your selfishness. Where your purpose is served, when ever your feelings in the mind find someone more favourable than the others, then at that moment he/she is your dearest. How is this possible? Does it really sound good? What does your social or moral view say about this? Is it possible to have a shifting rank for the dearest depending on whom you like when, or can there be one and only one dearest? There could never be more than one. But that is just how it is. If you ask your mind it is bound to say, 'I like this, this and this too. I am not going to rank anything
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