Category:That is Love

Theme Analysis

The philosophical essence of this category clarifies the true nature of love as opposed to material lust. In the material world, what passes for love is merely a temporary sentiment based on mutual sense gratification. However, real love is unconditional, unmotivated, and eternal. It is directed solely toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. When one reestablishes this original loving relationship with the Lord, they naturally develop universal love for all living entities. The perfection of this love is exemplified by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the residents of Vṛndāvana, whose devotion is characterized by an eagerness to serve and an ecstatic anxiety in separation from Govinda.

• Lust vs. Love: Material affection is conditional and based on physical beauty or earning capacity. True love is unconditionally reposed in Kṛṣṇa; everything else is simply lust.
• Unmotivated and Unconditional: Pure devotion has no material cause or desired return. A pure devotee loves God without expecting even their daily bread or any other form of sense gratification.
• Eagerness to Serve: The symptom of true love is bhajanti, the active rendering of service. Love is not a passive formality but an eager desire to satisfy the senses of the beloved.
• Universal Compassion: Universal love is only possible when one first loves God. Just as watering the root of a tree nourishes all its branches, loving Kṛṣṇa naturally extends love to all of His parts and parcels.
• The Ecstasy of Separation: The highest stage of love is experienced in viraha (separation). The intense anxiety and constant crying for Govinda, as demonstrated by Rādhārāṇī, represents the absolute perfection of pure love.

• Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Unmotivated Service to God - That Is Love.