To be loved means to love. Love means giving, giving, giving, where there is no thought of any return or reward. To give wholeheartedly and unconditionally is called love. One should learn to love without expectation, or if one cannot live without it, he should expect less and love more. One should not expect any reward from the beloved one. In the path of bhakti, one doesn’t expect any rewards. He surrenders; he gives completely. When one gives completely, he has given up everything, and he gives everything. That is called love, self-surrender. And self-surrender is the highest of all yogas. As long as one has not surrendered his mere self to the highest Self, he cannot learn to love. One has to surrender himself. The principle is to give and to feel delight in giving.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Choosing a Path by Swami Rama, published in 1996, The Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of USA, pp. 74