“The third is a still higher test… When one has thrown off all shopkeeping and cast off all fear, one then begins to realize that love is always the highest ideal.”
— Swami Vivekananda
What does ideal love want? The answer is nothing. The ideal love doesn’t care about heaven, about anything in this world, or in the world to come. It’s simply rooted in the present moment.
Love for love’s sake, work for work’s sake, duty for duty’s sake — this is the highest ideal we should practice. And once you no longer have the desire for exchange or the fear of losing what you have, there really is nothing else to do but to practice this ideal.
Don’t let love trap you in fear and misery. Don’t crave it from someone to fill the gap caused by a lack of purpose in your own life. Use love to explore the beauty of the world and to empower others. Make love a part of your swabhāva (your inner nature) and let it guide you towards mukti (freedom from bondage).
Love for God, love for all that’s in the world, and love for your work — these are the hallmarks of a pure soul.