THREE TYPES OF LOVERS OF GOD

 
Baba then turned to a description of the three types of lovers of God.

"The first type," He said, "is the mast, who loves and knows only God. He loses all consciousness of self, of body, of the world. Whether it rains or shines, whether it is winter or summer, it is all the same to him. Only God exists for him. He is dead to himself and to the world. He exists no longer as an individual, for, after thus annihilating himself, he becomes one with God, the source of infinite love.

"The second type of lover is one who lives in the world, attends to all worldly duties one hundred percent, yet all the time in his heart he knows that this is temporary, that only God exists, and he loves Him internally, without anyone knowing it.

"The third type, which is the highest, is very rare. Here the lover surrenders completely to the Christ, to the Avatar, to the God-Man. He lives, not for himself, but for the Master. This is the highest type of lover. Unless you have such love, just to criticize and judge will take you nowhere."