True Love: The Penultimate Emotion

The chapter begins with a brief outline of the Indian Rasa and Bhava perspective on emotions given by sage Bharat in his Natya Shastra. The potential of this view for bringing about more effective realms of being (ego transcendence and development beyond ego-consolidation) is then highlighted. It is proposed that such a shift in one’s emotional life offers a unique way to overcome differences, barriers, and conflicts between individuals as well as communities. The path of devotion may be understood basically as a way to improve and enhance one’s way of loving God and sharing the Bliss that He incarnates. In bhakti yoga, the spiritual path of devotion, the normal types of relationships in human life are directed not toward transient human relations but toward the Divine Being. It focuses especially on the conception of the Divine in his personality as the divine Lover and enjoyer of the universe, but other relations with the Divine, such as Friend, Teacher, Mother, Father, and even Opponent may also be developed. Sri Aurobindo asserts that the Divine is not limited to an impersonal existence or state, but that the Divine also stands behind all persons and personalities in the universe and is quite capable of entering into personal relationship with the human devotee in whatever form or manner the devotee seeks him (Seidlitz, Transforming lives: an introduction to Sri Aurobindo’s integral yoga. Sri Aurobindo Centre for Advanced Research, Puducherry, 2014). Finally, the chapter reflects on the nature of true love in human relationships.