What is love

Normally by love, we mean love between two human beings of opposite gender. This also refers to sexual activity. That is why the term love making comes. The term ‘love making’ has sexual meaning. But there is wider meaning of love.  Whatever pleases the mind is lovely. So, you love books, literature, nature, lake ,mountain, babies, works of art.  The meaning of love is best understood when we use the term as opposite of hate. Love attracts whereas hate distracts. You love to be close to the object of love but  hate to even look at the object of hate.  The best meaning of love is expressed in words of philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, who said that  love is “to be delighted by the Happiness of another.”  This means that love implies that you wish good for the object or person of love.  You cannot bear the suffering of  the beloved or loved object.  

Love and lust 

Often love is confused with lust.  Lust and attraction are temporary phases. Third stage- attachment- gives stability to the relation. Without attachment, which means commitments, there is no stability and hence no love. There are three components of love- intimacy, commitment and passion. Eros is passionate love. This is derived from Greek deity Eros. This actually means appreciation of beauty. Eros is felt for another person but this helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty and leads to understanding spiritual truth. 

Love in religious context 

According to Christianity,  love comes from God. That is why they say- Love is God.  The two most important things are to love God and  love neighbor. St Thomas Aquinas best explained love according to Christianity as “to will the good of another”.  Thus thinking and working for good of others is love. 

Ishq, or divine love is an element of Sufism in Islamic tradition.  The saints of Sufism are ‘drunk’ due to their love of God. So, there is reference to wine in Sufi poetry and music. 

The Hindu god of love is Kamadeva or Madan. He is accompanied by his wife rati.  That is why sexual act is also called rati kriya. 

Platonic love 

Love is pure and of non sexual orientation in Plato thoughts. Love differs from lust. Plato expressed his thoughts in form of dialogue. His view on love is contained in his Dialogue  “ symposium’. This work expresses the origin and meaning of love in sexual and non sexual contexts. There is special reference to a speech by Socrates, Plato’s master. Socrates referred to the prophetess Diotiema. She presented love as a means of ascent to contemplation of the divine. There is also a branch of devotion saints (Bhakti) in India who believe in Prem Marg (path of love) to attain God. Plato adhered to thoughts of Dioima on love. According to him, the best use of love is to divert this to divinity. Thus, Platonic love for another person directs mind to divinity. Love of Radha and Krishna is also Platonic type. 

Two types of love or Eros are explained in ‘symposium’ by  Socrates .These are vulgar or earthly and divine. Vulgar Eros is nothing but physical attraction towards another human body for physical pleasure or lust. Divine Eros is a transformation of physical attraction gradually to love for supreme beauty. This kind of love is called Platonic love. 

conclusion

We may conclude that love is not just physical attraction, which is temporary phase but rather this is deep atachment and lasting relation. This may be between human beings and also have spiritual meaning. One may love even inanimate objects. There is no limit to love.