Love: The Eternal Mystery

Love is a word spoken and heard countless times, yet it remains incomprehensible. Love has no definition; indeed, it cannot be confined within the bounds of language. Love is the highest pinnacle of emotion, an elevated state we call essence. Love born from essence transcends language, religion, country, or caste. It sees neither king nor pauper. Such a lover is recognized even by the blind without sight and by the deaf without sound.

In today’s world, the love we witness is largely emotional, and only a rare soul ascends to the realm of essence. Modern love often springs from attraction, compulsion, greed, expectation, hope, or desire. This is why many people claim they have been betrayed in love. But friends, no one betrays us; the betrayal comes from within. Love that begins with attraction, fear, compulsion, illusion, or blind trust cannot endure.

Attraction inevitably fades. Where fear, illusion, greed, or expectation exists, love cannot flourish. Love born out of obligation or trust placed without understanding remains confined to the emotional plane. Such emotional love crumbles with even the slightest tremor of disappointment, shattering into fragments.

Love Cannot Be Betrayed

More importantly, how can one be betrayed in love? Love is about giving; it is about being. Love is not a transaction that demands reciprocity. Love happens—it cannot be willed or forced. Any love that is “done” or “made” is not true love; it carries an underlying selfishness. And where selfishness exists, love cannot abide.

True love arises from knowing. It does not spring from mere acceptance or assumption. Until you deeply know your beloved, you cannot truly love. One who has truly known their beloved remains steadfast in their love, regardless of circumstances. Conversely, trust given without understanding is destined to break because love is something entirely different and profound.

The Expansive Nature of Love

A true lover does not confine their love to a single individual. Love born from the depths of the heart expands outward. Such a lover sees their beloved in everyone, not to possess them but to regard all with the same sacred affection. This does not mean they make everyone their beloved—it means they behold all beings with a spirit of love.

Emotion transforms into essence when love arises from true understanding. Emotion, born of thought, is fleeting and shallow, whereas essence is profound and enduring. A lover of this nature loves nature itself, cherishes their family, devotes themselves to their work, and even embraces their enemies with love. This kind of love becomes the first step toward bhakti yoga, the path of devotion.

The Crisis of Love in the Modern World

In today’s context, love has lost its authenticity. Relationships are maintained out of necessity rather than genuine affection. Familial, social, and romantic bonds have become burdensome, riddled with cracks and conflicts. Though we know the reasons for this, we hesitate to accept them, fearing the effort required to change. We seek to confine love or turn it into a transaction, believing this will provide security.

In familial and social relationships, competition often prevails. Siblings and relatives accuse each other of favoritism or neglect. Such disputes reveal an attempt to imprison love, demanding exclusivity. In essence, love is either being caged or commodified—offered only on the condition of receiving love in return. These expectations belong to the realm of trade, not love.

Love: The Path of the Mad

The path of love is the path of the mad. Ordinary intellect cannot tread it. The first requirement on this path is the surrender of the ego. But who among us is willing to let go of their ego? Most people carry their ego as a heavy burden, fiercely protecting it. At the slightest challenge, they react with anger or violence.

On the path of love, however, one must not only relinquish this burden but offer it freely to others. Only the truly mad can do this; ordinary intellect cannot. That is why the path of love is called the path of the mad.

Meera, the queen of Mewar, exemplified this madness. She wandered the streets singing songs of divine love, staying wherever she was welcomed, and sharing meals with whomever she met. She drank poison as though it were holy nectar, consumed by her love for Krishna. Who would dare to live as Meera did? Who would abandon everything for love? Most people merely pretend to love, for true love demands the surrender of everything—including the self.

The Rewards of Love’s Path

Through the path of love, one can attain every joy in life, even the divine itself. The only price is the surrender of the ego. Once the ego is given up, everything becomes attainable. One gains what ordinary intellect cannot achieve even in ten lifetimes.

Love, in its truest form, is boundless. It knows no limits, no conditions, and no expectations. It is the ultimate surrender, the purest freedom, and the highest state of being.