What is love ?

Introduction

What is love ? : Love is a word we often use, but its true meaning can be a bit mysterious. One way to understand it better is by thinking about how long it lasts. Some love is short-lived, like a fleeting crush that lasts only a few days. Some love can span a whole lifetime, like the love between couples who stay together till the end. And then there's the idea of love that lasts forever, which many people hope for. But what is love exactly ?

Love is temporary

However, the tricky part is that love between our physical bodies is naturally temporary because our bodies are not permanent—they age, change, and eventually pass away. But what about our souls? Could there be a place in a spiritual world where our souls meet and experience a love that never ends?

Spiritual world

It's an interesting idea, but it leads to another question: how do we reach this spiritual world? To get there, we need a unique kind of love, a love that connects our individual soul with the Supreme Soul, often known as God. The challenge we face is that we may have forgotten how to love God because we get caught up in temporary and sometimes unfulfilling human relationships.

What is love ?

This special kind of love, the one between our individual soul and the Supreme Soul, is the most important and truly everlasting form of love. In fact, all the other kinds of love we experience in life are like reflections of this original loving connection between our soul and the Supreme Soul. In Sanskrit, this special love is called "bhakti."

What is bhakti ?

Bhakti involves three key elements: the one who loves, the one who is loved, and the loving relationship itself. What makes it unique is that in the realm of bhakti, all three of these things are eternal and don't change over time.

Embrace the path of bhakti

To embrace the path of bhakti, you work on awakening this everlasting love. Bhakti-yoga, often called the art of eternal love, is the way to nurture this connection. It's a journey that goes deep into your soul's desire to reunite with the Supreme Soul, cultivating a love that goes beyond the limits of time and touches the core of your being.

Spiritual love

In the world of spiritual love, there are three eternal aspects: the lover (the individual soul), the beloved (the Supreme Soul or God), and the loving relationship itself, which is called "bhakti."

More about love

What is Love according to us, in its worldly form, is often connected to particular places, like the romantic allure of Paris in the spring or a memorable beach where someone walked with their beloved. Similarly, spiritual love is also linked to special places. The most exalted of these places is Vṛndāvana, a physical representation of the eternal spiritual realm where God enjoys loving interactions with His eternal companions in the spiritual sky.

In Vṛndāvana, you'll find numerous temples, and one of them, the Rādhā-Damodara temple, holds a special connection to Rūpa Gosvāmi because his physical remains are buried there. You can see a small memorial dedicated to him called a "samadhi" in one of the temple courtyards.

Srila prabhupada about love

 Srila Prabhupada taught that to develop this love for Krishna, one should engage in devotional activities, such as chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, reading sacred scriptures, and serving in the temple. By doing so, individuals can purify their hearts and gradually cultivate a deep, loving relationship with the divine.

He also stressed that this love for God should extend to all living beings. By recognizing the spiritual essence in others, we can practice compassion and kindness. Srila Prabhupada's teachings promote a universal love that transcends boundaries and fosters harmony among all people.

In summary, Srila Prabhupada's concept of love is centered on selfless devotion to Lord Krishna, which, when cultivated, can lead to a deep and fulfilling spiritual connection and extend to all living beings, promoting love and harmony in the world.

We hope this article helped you to understand what is love ?

Also read our blog importance of spirituality.