Dear Feel Love Now Community,
"All that matters is what God wants." These words, spoken by Swami Shankarananda in his final days, hold a profound truth. Our existence—every breath, every moment—is a gift from the Divine. To recognize this is to let go of fear and surrender fully to love.
How can we open our hearts so completely that the Divine flows effortlessly through us? This is the invitation: to serve, to love, and to trust that we are always held by something greater than ourselves.
Here’s one of our favorite quotes from the video:
“One of the things that he [Swami Shankarananda] said that most moved me we read in our rededication of our vows. It’s the statement: ‘All that matters is what God wants.’
“I’ll share with you the context in which he shared that statement. I was with him when he received the news medically that it didn’t look like he was going to remain in the body. He had, prior to that, been completely dedicated and devoted to being here—to being of service as long as he possibly could, as long as humanly it was possible, as long as the Divine made that possible.
“I was with him in that moment when he realized that medically it looked like it wasn’t going to be possible for him to remain in the body. With just as much joy as he had about staying here to be in the body, he instantly said: ‘All that matters is what God wants.’
“So, for each of us, this is the invitation to love ourselves so much that we realize we are held by the Divine always, whether we are here in the body or whether we are leaving the body. It is an incredible gift to be here in the body. Stay as long as you possibly can. Be of service as much as you possibly can in the body.
“And know—if you’re putting this into words, it goes something like this—my life has the value that the Divine gives it. My life belongs to the Divine. I am entirely dependent on the Divine every breath, moment, and heartbeat of my life.
“When you know that, nonseparateness is just here. Love is just here. There’s no conflict. There’s no illusion. There’s no confusion. There is simply, how may I open my heart and allow the Divine to flow. The Divine flows where the open door allows it to flow.”
We also shared this video on YouTube, but wanted you to be able to have it on your Substack video player as well, in case you prefer that.
Having it on Substack makes it easy for you to see any other podcasts, videos, articles, or full meditation services that might be available in the Embodied Master by clicking here.
If you have heard this teaching before, we invite you — as Swami so often invites us — to hear it as if you are hearing it for the first time. Often we receive these teachings right when we need them.
In loving service,The Karma Yoga Team at AYM
P.S. If you are interested in joining the Karma Yoga Team to expand your practice of selfless service, love in action, please click here.
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