November 21

The Best Comforter Is Inside

Question: Why do we want so much to be loved, instead of just being contented to love others? Why do we crave emotional comfort and want others to care about us?

Sri Gurudev: Because we still haven’t realized that there’s somebody in us, always, who is caring for us every minute, who is loving us every minute. If we realize that, why do we want somebody else to love us? In a way, the more you look for somebody else to love you, the more you might not get that love. Failing to get love from outside yourself may actually be helpful, because ultimately it will make you turn inward and say, “Nobody seems to be loving me. God, You are the only one to love me.” If others love you, you will forget God. “God, I am happy with that person. I don’t need to worry about You now.” Yes, when everything fails you turn to God.

In a way, God seems to really be loving you. That’s the very reason God doesn’t want anybody to love you or doesn’t want you to go looking for love anywhere else. God is helping you to turn toward that Divine Presence. If we feel that Presence in us, where is the need for any other comfort? The best Comforter is inside. All other kinds of comfort are temporary. They come, and there will be a time when they must go. Don’t depend on something that comes from outside. Outside things are never going to make you happy. And it should be that way, so that one day you will realize that there’s always someone to love and comfort us inside.