Love is ...

                                            

For thousands of years, poets, writers, artists, philosophers, people have been trying to define love. What is love? We use the word "love" so much it has lost all meaning. In movies, in songs, in books. I LOVE you. I LOVE pizza. I LOVE this song. I LOVE sleeping. Each time we say  the word love, we mean different things. Just like beauty, love is subjective. Don't you think? Each one has their own definition. Each time they utter this word, they mean different things.

But I want to define love. There is this specific sentiment we all feel that can be categorized as love. The true sentiment of love. I think I've got it. Here it goes.

Love is a culmination of various sentiments that boil down to one conclusion. When you see a person and you can let out this prayer for the person you love, without any agenda, any expectation, any personal gain, then you truly love that person. - I want you to be happy. More than anything, more than my own happiness, I want YOU to be happy in your life. - When these words come out of your mouth directly from your heart for someone, you truly love that person. 

It's not like I don't want other people to be happy. In fact, I don't wish bad upon anyone, except one guy. If someone asks me - do you want to see people happy? I'd be like - Of course. Why not? But that response comes from the place of indifference. I mean for most people, I don't really care if they are happy or not in their lives. If they're happy. Good. If they're not happy. Well, I feel bad for them. But that's it. But when the person you love is happy, it makes you even happier. When the person you love is sad, it physically hurts you. 

I have felt this way only twice in my life. The first time I felt this sentiment was when I was 23. It was such an innocent age. So naively optimistic about life, about love, about everything. The point is when you feel this way about someone, it's divine. Normally, human beings are designed to be self-obsessed. When you love someone, you lose yourself. Lately, I have realized I'm too much in my own head. Most of my thoughts are about me. How boring! I want to get out of my own head. Lose myself in something greater than myself. 

The second time I felt this way was for my child. The love you have for your child is greater than yourself. I'd have never felt this love if I didn't have a child. Every time I see her, it reminds of me of this beautiful verse:

जो अपने लिए सोची थी कभी, वो सारी दुआएं देता हूँ |

The problem is we think we can only love a person of opposite sex or our offspring this way. However, your true spiritual progress is when you are able to love everyone around you this way. Love is not meant to be limited to one or two people. I know it sounds irrational but the enlightened philosophers of the world have given the same message. Sant Tukaram said with supreme audacity - I will make the entire world happy.  - That was his life's goal. How much love he must had for the world!

Our Vedic scripture says the same:

सर्वेत्र सुखिनः सन्तु 

सर्वे सन्तु निरामया: |

सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु 

म कश्चिद् दु:ख्मप्नुयात  ||

Let everyone be happy. 

Let everyone be healthy. 

Let everyone see only good. 

Let there be no sorrow. 

I have recited this prayer a million times. I don't know how many times I actually meant it but I know this is true love. To feel this way about the entire world is love.  If loving one or two people can feel so good in my heart, I can only imagine how divine it'd feel to love the entire world.