Love Untainted, Love Unconditional

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On p. 927 Karla says “... because I don’t feel sorry
for any of it... I’m cold inside... I don’t love any of
them – not even myself – and I don’t really care
about them – and I don’t really wish that I did care.”

Karla read Madame Bovary and the Sufi Poets
she resembles Isabel in “Portrait of a Lady”, all
glamour and beauty and glittering intelligence
as Isabel was exploited by Madame Merle and
fostered onto Oswald, Karla was exploited by
Khaderbhai in the same way

Like Isabel Karla embraced cynicism, refusing to
be released from despair by innocence, accepting
role models found in literature, found no escape in
Sufi love poetry, just an acceptance of Allah’s will
she became much more lonely in having no
values and wanting none

It is a sad end for Karla, she refused to accept
responsibility for what she did wrong, blaming
others for what happened to her, became stuck
in a groove, just like Isabel did – but I refused,
after reading “Portrait” I sought answers and
found them in Don Quixote

Following his dictum to dream the impossible
dream, to chase the unreachable star, to love
pure and chaste from afar...

Shantaram was in the same boat, he was exploited,
his love repudiated, by Khaderbhai using him as a
pawn – expendable – in a game, even worse, he
was exploited by Karla, she never told him she was
pulling his strings like a puppet master – but he did
not sink into despair

Did not give up on values, did not take revenge
he did not hide his choice for forgiveness and
love behind a smoke screen, he fulfilled his
ideals by forgiving both Karla and Khaderbhai
applying the spiritual ideal that love should be
unconditional, without need

Love without expectation, without dreams, love
anchored in his own heart, he was a light unto
himself, he forgave totally, a new Don Quixote
triumphant who had fought the windmills of war,
crime and drugs, he gave up the fight to embrace
the light in the beauty of hope

Rejoiced in the freedom of accepting responsibility
for his own mistakes, saved by his code of invincible
integrity, he did everything for love of people, he never
served anything else, when Love was used to almost
kill him, he chose to remain loyal to the Ideal of Love
as Freedom and Goodness

He did not equate Love with the scarred people who
misused and defiled Her, he redeemed Love by for-
giving all the Lovers who had reduced Her to money
and exploitation, he lived an example that delights
my heart - I shall continue to love, pure and chaste
from afar, expecting nothing in return

Cherishing the joyous feeling of freedom, enjoying
the beauty of Love Untainted,
Love Unconditional


Gregory David Roberts “Shantaram” Abacus 2004
Quotes taken from p. 927
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