Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream…

Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream…

Ice cream can be compared with Nirguna Brahmam…and the melting Ice cream can be called Saguna Brahmam… Using the imagery of Ice cream, Bhagawan, in His inimitable style of punning, taught the tiny tots from the Primary School the profound spiritual lesson of the ‘sixth-element’ called L – O – V – E. … Prof Kasturi’s son, Late Dr MVN Murthy chronicled the beautiful incident on an enchanting Sunday morning in ‘heavenly’ Prasanthi Nilayam…

It was a Sunday morning at Prasanthi Nilayam. After finishing the morning ‘interviews’, Baba went to the western side of the Mandir where the children from the Primary School were seated. Baba does not like anybody, and certainly not the sweet little ones, to sit in the hot sun! He made them all sit in the shade in the porch very near the ‘interview’ room. The children beamed as they troop­ed in and sat in an orderly fashion, follow­ed by Baba who came behind them, glow­ing with a big smile! He came to the first row and all of a sudden started sing­ing, ‘Love is My Form! …… ‘ He asked the children to join. All of us who were fortunate to be present had this unexpect­ed gift of Grace! (I have found that grace always comes unexpectedly!). Half way, He stopped and asked the children, “What is Love?’, with a teasing smile. The children were taken by surprise at this question and smiled, non-plussed! He ‘minused’ their bewilderment by oblig­ing the answer!

“Love is Ice cream!” I heard Baba say. He allowed the children’s laughter and the adults’ surprise to die down, before He explained further. Baba, the ideal teacher, is Master of the technique of teaching. A startling question to evoke attention, provoke curiosity and secure interested listening is The Master’s method! All ears were now alert, awaiting Baba’s explanation! ‘Love is sweet, like Ice cream; love is joy, like Ice cream; love cool, like Ice cream and love is pure, like white Ice cream!’ Baba explained. Apparently meant for the children, it was a gift from Baba to all of us, this extra-ordinarily original definition of Love from Love Incarnate! Images are sketched by poets to make the abstract concrete. Baba, The Poet of poets, gives images which have great spiritual depths, and uses the most modern of them to make us understand what He wants to convey. In the Krishna Avatar, it was milk, curds and butter; Sai Krishna uses the imagery of Ice cream!

Who will not understand that Love is sweet like Ice cream? Baba had also said, Love is joy like Ice cream. We understand this best when Baba gives us a taste of what Love really is. The kind of Love that we experience with Baba is sweetness itself. “Rasovai sah” ‘He is the very Essence of sweetness,” says the Upanishad. I remembered the imagery of a cup of water with a spoonful of sugar added to it, given by Baba on another occasion. Baba said: “There is sugar in the cup, but the water is insipid, for you have not stirred it well. There is God in the world, and by stirring the Divine well into every drop and atom thereof, you can make the world a sweet thing to live by.” Life becomes sweet and joyful by stirring the Divine, whose most potent expression is Love, into every action of ours.

I also recollected another illustration of Baba, viz., sugar candy. Baba had used this imagery to explain the apparently paradoxical Upanishadic statement, “That is full; this is also full”. Just as even a small particle of sugar candy is sweet like the larger lump, every bit of the ice cream is as sweet as the whole block. The part is as sweet as the whole. The quality of sweetness is not any the less in a small portion! Love is also like that; every act of love is complete, pure, full, nothing held back. Every act of love is a total act; love cannot be graded!

Baba said: ‘Love is ‘cool’ like ice-cream!” This is so very different from the commonly understood meaning attach­ed to the word love. We somehow think that love is ‘hot’. Our popular conception of ‘love’ is that of a heated passionate emotion. This is what happens when people ‘fall in love’! But Baba is talking of a kind of love which belongs to a higher realm, more lasting and sustained than the passion that fluctuates!

Like the finely dispersed globules of butter fat in milk, we all have within us little globules of love which do not be­come obvious. Like natural milk in which the fat content varies from cow to cow or between cow and buffalo, we also vary in our love potential. This can also be increased by appropriate feed! In our case, the feed is in the form of opportunities for manifesting our love. Love must be practised, until it becomes a natural habit !

However, to get the best out of life, we must get the cream out of the ‘milk of human kindness’, to use a common expression. The natural process is slow, but we must also be centrifuged to help the separation of love! We need the centrifuging force of challenging opportunities, which we must seek. Then the minute acts of love, compassion and kindness oft-repeated come together and float on top, above the otherwise insipid water of life. Love globules also must be forced to accrete!

Ice cream makes people who taste it allowing it melt slowly on the tongue joyful, happy. The solid block of Ice cream loses its form by melting and finally disappears, fulfilling itself. Pure love springs from self-sacrifice; pure love is fulfilment. It is in losing that one gains everything.

Like Ice cream, God also melts when the heart of the devotee displays the warmth of Love towards Him. Sri Ramakrishna compared the inactive snake curled up, as Nirguna Brahman, while the same snake in motion is Saguna Brahman; both are the same essentially. The block of Ice cream is Nirguna Brahman; when the Ice cream melts giving ananda to the devotee, it is Saguna Brahman. The Avatar incarnates for this very purpose.

II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II

Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream – A Sweet Lesson for the Heart

Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream is a gentle and joyful way to understand the beauty of love. Ice-cream brings comfort, sweetness, and delight, especially when the day feels hot and tiring. In the same way, true love cools the burning heat of anger, jealousy, fear, and loneliness. It does not make life complicated; it makes life softer, kinder, and more meaningful.

Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream because it has the power to refresh the heart. A harsh word can disturb the mind for hours, but one loving word can bring peace almost instantly. A small act of affection, a caring smile, or a patient reply can change the mood of a person who is silently struggling. Love may look simple, but its effect is deep.

In today’s world, many people are tired inside. They may have responsibilities, dreams, pressure, and hidden worries. They may appear strong outside, yet feel emotionally dry within. What they need is not always advice or judgment. Sometimes they only need warmth, understanding, and kindness. This is where love becomes like a sweet cooling touch in the middle of life’s heat.

Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream also teaches that love should be shared before it melts away in missed chances. Many people postpone appreciation, forgiveness, and affection. They think there will always be another day to speak kindly or repair a relationship. But life is uncertain. A loving word should not be delayed. A sincere apology should not wait too long. A good heart expresses love while the moment is still present.

True love is not noisy or proud. It does not always need grand gifts, big promises, or public display. Sometimes love is quietly asking, “Have you eaten?” Sometimes it is listening without interrupting. Sometimes it is staying calm when anger could have taken over. Sometimes it is helping someone without telling the world about it. These simple actions carry the real sweetness of love.

The teaching behind Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream is also about emotional balance. Love cools the ego. Ego wants to win arguments, prove superiority, and receive attention. Love wants peace, understanding, and togetherness. Ego heats the mind; love refreshes it. When love enters a conversation, the voice becomes softer and the heart becomes more willing to understand.

A loving person does not become weak. Real love has strength. It can forgive, but it also knows what is right. It can be gentle, but it does not support harmful behavior. It can care deeply, but it does not become blind attachment. Just as ice-cream is sweet but must be held carefully, love also needs wisdom, respect, and self-control to remain beautiful.

Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream reminds us that love should bring joy, not burden. Many people confuse love with possession, control, or expectation. They say they love someone, but they want that person to think, speak, and act exactly according to their wishes. Such love becomes heavy. True love gives space, dignity, encouragement, and trust. It helps another person grow instead of keeping them trapped.

This idea also applies to family life. A home becomes peaceful when love cools the heat of daily stress. Parents may be tired, children may be restless, and elders may feel lonely. But when family members speak with patience, share responsibilities, and appreciate one another, the atmosphere changes. Love becomes the sweetness that holds everyone together.

Friendship too becomes stronger through this kind of love. A true friend is not only someone who laughs with us in good times. A true friend stands near us when life becomes difficult. He may not solve every problem, but his presence gives strength. A sincere friend cools anxiety by reminding us that we are not alone.

Love should also extend beyond people we know. A kind heart does not limit compassion only to family and friends. Helping a stranger, feeding an animal, respecting workers, supporting the needy, and protecting nature are also expressions of love. When love expands, the world becomes less harsh and more human.

Spiritually, love is the most natural language of the soul. Prayer, worship, meditation, and service become meaningful when they are filled with love. Without love, even religious practice can become dry. With love, even a small act becomes sacred. A flower offered with devotion, a meal served with care, or a word spoken with compassion can become worship.

Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream finally reminds us to keep the heart sweet and calm. Life will bring heat in the form of problems, misunderstandings, pressure, and pain. But love gives us the strength to respond without bitterness. It teaches us to forgive, serve, smile, and remain gentle. A loving heart becomes a blessing wherever it goes.

In the end, the sweetness of life is not found only in success, money, or comfort. It is found in the love we give and the love we allow ourselves to receive. When love cools the mind and sweetens our actions, ordinary life becomes beautiful. Love Is ‘COOL’ like Ice-cream because it refreshes the soul, heals hidden pain, and makes the world feel a little more tender.

Mother Sweet Mother