The beginning of autumn puts me in a reflective mood. I find it to be a time of repose and serenity. As its other name, fall, suggests, it is a season of falling leaves and decline making way for the still and dark quietude of winter.

This season reminds me of change and inevitable death, but it also reaffirms for me the power of life and love, which only become quiet for a short time before they re-emerge in thousands of colors and sounds in the spring.

The recent passing of my mother brought me to a new understanding that human life is ever-changing and short. Even though my wise mother had been preparing me to face this reality since my early adulthood, I had no idea how I would react when my pillar of love fell and light of love dimmed. All the wisdom that she taught me seemed to not make sense anymore because I missed hearing her voice. I could not fathom the idea that I would not see her again when I return home to India, and that there is no one left to guide me.

Deep inside, I felt very silent. In that silence, which seemed sad and dark at first, I suddenly felt the pulsating voice of her deep love and her wisdom, which was more vibrant and clear than ever. I began to understand her teachings — which I had grasped intellectually but had not actualized.

My mother often told me to differentiate between the concepts of “love” and “attachment.” In Indian languages, various words are used for love, signifying various forms of love: affection, devotion, lust, passion, attachment, etc. In our modern-day English we usually use the word love for many forms of love such as: “I love watching movies”; “I love having fun”; “I do not love you anymore”; “I love God”; and “God is love.” How do we differentiate between these various forms of love?

My mother taught me that in its pure form love brings freedom, and attachment yields bondage.

Love gives life and is selfless; attachment brings despair and is selfish. Love brings serenity and attachment brings agitation.

Now, I begin to understand the teaching. Love is the most powerful and eternal principle of life: Love and God are interchangeable.

According to an ancient Hindu text, the world comes into being through the power of love. If I were to illustrate with an example, attachment would be the turbulent surface of the sea, and the deepest part of the ocean would be love, which keeps the ecosystem in balance.

Gandhi reflects on the power of love: “If love was not the law of life, life would not have persisted in the midst of death.” In the depths of my being I hold the supreme, eternal power of love that manifested in the form of my mother and manifests in countless loving forms around us. I must listen in the silence of deep repose for the sound and sign of eternal love.

Veena Howard practices the Way of Saints and Sages. This column is coordinated by Lane Interfaith Alliance to offer inspiration, share personal spiritual experiences and bring a deeper understanding of individual faith perspectives with the intention of blessing our community and world. For information, visit www.laneinterfaithalliance.org or call 344-5693.