Guiding Light: Can Love & Authority Co-Exist?

Love and authority are totally opposite values, yet they co-exist.

The grosser the consciousness, the more pronounced the authority must be. The more refined and subtle the consciousness, the less need there is to exercise authority.

When you are unrefined, you demand authority and when you demand authority, love recedes. Asserting authority indicates lack of confidence and love. The more evident one’s authority, the less sensitive and effective it will be.

A sensible person will not demand authority at all, but will assume it. The most effective CEOs will not make you feel their authority, for authority can never bring inspiration.

Your sincere servant has more authority over you than your boss, isn’t that so? A baby has full authority over his mother. Similarly, a devotee has complete authority over the Divine, though he never exercises it.

The subtler you become, the more authority you gain. The greater the love, the subtler will be the authority. The lesser the love, the more pronounced will be the authority.

Mistakes keep happening all the time. Often you get irritated by them and want to correct them. How much can you correct? There are two situations when you correct others’ mistakes: you correct someone’s mistake because it bothers you. But even if you correct it, this does not work. You correct someone’s mistake, not because it bothers you, but for their sake so that they can grow.

To correct mistakes, you need authority and love. A friend needs to have both authority and love but they need to be in the right combination. This can happen if you are totally dispassionate and centered.

When you allow room for mistakes, you can be both authoritative and sweet. That is how the Divine is, the right balance of both. Krishna, Jesus and all the enlightened masters have both. People in love also exercise authority with those they love. Authority and love exist in all relationships.

Published on: Monday, June 01, 2026, 07:00 AM IST