111-709: Amy is an English feminine given name, the English version of the French Aimée, which means beloved . It was used as a diminutive of the Latin name Amata, a name derived from the passive participle of amare, “to love”. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the Middle Ages . It was among the 50 most popular names for girls in England between 1538 and 1700. It was popularized in
222-477: A personal God (like Krishna or Devi ), a formless ultimate reality (like Nirguna Brahman or the Sikh God ) or for an enlightened being (like a Buddha , a bodhisattva , or a guru ). Bhakti is often a deeply emotional devotion based on a relationship between a devotee and the object of devotion. One of the earliest appearances of the term is found in the early Buddhist Theragatha ( Verses of
333-399: A thought-terminating cliché . Several common proverbs regard love, from Virgil 's " Love conquers all " to The Beatles ' " All You Need Is Love ". St. Thomas Aquinas , following Aristotle , defines love as "to will the good of another." Bertrand Russell describes love as a condition of "absolute value," as opposed to relative value . Philosopher Gottfried Leibniz said that love
444-903: A triangular theory of love in which love has three components: intimacy, commitment, and passion. Intimacy is when two people share confidences and various details of their personal lives, and is usually shown in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment is the expectation that the relationship is permanent. Passionate love is shown in infatuation as well as romantic love. All forms of love are viewed as varying combinations of these three components. Non-love does not include any of these components. Liking only includes intimacy. Infatuated love only includes passion. Empty love only includes commitment. Romantic love includes both intimacy and passion. Companionate love includes intimacy and commitment. Fatuous love includes passion and commitment. Consummate love includes all three components. American psychologist Zick Rubin sought to define love by psychometrics in
555-556: A Buddhist. Also, bhakti is clearly connected with a person as an object, whereas śraddhā is less connected with a person, and is more connected with truthfulness and truth. Śraddhā focuses on ideas such as the working of karma and merit transfer . One source for Indian Buddhist devotion is the Divyāvadāna , which focuses on the vast amount of merit ( puṇya ) that is generated by making offerings to Buddhas, stupas and other Buddhist holy sites . This text contrasts faith in
666-552: A central virtue and liberally made use of Buddha images, which are often accompanied by attendant bodhisattvas. These new developments in Buddhist bhakti may have been influenced by the pan-Indian bhakti movement , and indeed, many Gupta monarchs, who were devoted to the Vaishnava Bhagavata religion also supported Buddhist temples and founded monasteries (including great ones like Nalanda ). Buddhists were in competition with
777-428: A conscious choice that in its early stages might originate as an involuntary feeling, but which then later no longer depends on those feelings, but rather depends only on conscious commitment. Evolutionary psychology has attempted to provide various reasons for love as a survival tool. Humans are dependent on parental help for a large portion of their lifespans compared to other mammals. Love has therefore been seen as
888-475: A deeper understanding of love within Jewish thought and life. It goes beyond mere passion, embodying a character trait that is actively expressed through generosity and grace. Hesed has a dual nature: when attributed to God, it denotes grace or favor, while when practiced by humans, it reflects piety and devotion. Hasidim , demonstrate their commitment and love for God through acts of hesed . The Torah serves as
999-405: A devotee takes according to his individual temperament to express his devotion towards God in some form. The different bhāvas are: Several saints are known to have practiced these bhavas . The nineteenth century mystic, Ramakrishna is said to have practiced these five bhavas . The attitude of Hanuman towards the god Rama is considered to be of dasya bhava . The approach of Arjuna and
1110-446: A few unusual and specific domains, such as immune systems , it seems that humans prefer others who are unlike themselves (e.g., with an orthogonal immune system), perhaps because this will lead to a baby that has the best of both worlds. In recent years, various human bonding theories have been developed, described in terms of attachments, ties, bonds, and affinities. Some Western authorities disaggregate into two main components,
1221-543: A form of mysticism or "primitive" religious devotion of lay people with monotheistic parallels. However, modern scholars state "devotion" is a misleading and incomplete translation of bhakti . Many contemporary scholars have questioned this terminology, and most now trace the term bhakti as one of the several spiritual perspectives that emerged from reflections on the Vedic context and Hindu way of life. Bhakti in Indian religions
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#17328444942941332-421: A general liking for arts, sports, and objects, while also encompassing a human instinct. Priti is built on foundations of trust and fidelity. Friendly relations ( priti ) may persist between individuals but are not necessarily bound by affection ( sneha ). Vatsalya originally signifies the tender affection exhibited by a cow towards her calf, extending to denote the love nurtured by elders or superiors towards
1443-552: A guide, outlining how Israelites should express their love for God, show reverence for nature, and demonstrate compassion toward fellow human beings. The commandment "Love thy neighbor as thyself" from the Torah's, gives emphasis on ethical obligations and impartiality in judgment. It highlights the importance of treating all individuals equally before the law, rejecting favoritism and bribery; deuteronomy further emphasizes impartiality in judgment. As for love between marital partners, this
1554-431: A half to three years. Since the lust and attraction stages are both considered temporary, a third stage is needed to account for long-term relationships. Attachment is the bonding that promotes relationships lasting for many years and even decades. Attachment is generally based on commitments such as marriage and children, or mutual friendship based on things like shared interests. It has been linked to higher levels of
1665-536: A harmful mutation , but in the progeny produced by sexual reproduction, expression of a harmful mutation introduced by one parent is likely to be masked by expression of the unaffected homologous gene from the other parent. Biological models of love tend to see it as a mammalian drive, similar to hunger or thirst. Psychology sees love as more of a social and cultural phenomenon. Love is influenced by hormones (such as oxytocin ), neurotrophins (such as NGF ), and pheromones , and how people think and behave in love
1776-585: A historical shift in meaning. Similar developments in Buddhist devotion took place with regards to worshipping the Buddha's relics and Buddha images . In later faith-oriented literature, such as the Avadānas , faith is given an important role in Buddhist doctrine. Nevertheless, faith ( śraddhā ) is discussed in different contexts than devotion ( bhakti ). Bhakti is often used disparagingly to describe acts of worship to deities, often seen as ineffective and improper for
1887-475: A mechanism to promote parental support of children for this extended time period. Furthermore, researchers as early as Charles Darwin identified unique features of human love compared to other mammals and credited love as a major factor for creating social support systems that enabled the development and expansion of the human species. Another factor may be that sexually transmitted diseases can cause, among other effects, permanently reduced fertility , injury to
1998-549: A movement , pioneered by the Tamil Alvars and Nayanars , that developed around the gods Vishnu ( Vaishnavism ), Shiva ( Shaivism ) and Devi ( Shaktism ) in the second half of the 1st millennium CE. Devotional elements similar to bhakti have been part of various world religions throughout human history. Devotional practices are found in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. The Sanskrit word bhakti
2109-505: A murti, establishing prana (life force) into the image and inviting the god or goddess to reside in the murti. Bhakti ( bhatti in Pali ) has always been a common aspect of Buddhism , where offerings, prostrations, chants, and individual or group prayers are made to the Buddha and bodhisattvas , or to other Buddhist deities . According to Karel Werner Buddhist bhakti "had its beginnings in
2220-551: A person or thing (cf. vulnerability and care theory of love ), including oneself (cf. narcissism ). In addition to cross-cultural differences in understanding love, ideas about love have also changed greatly over time. Some historians date modern conceptions of romantic love to courtly Europe during or after the Middle Ages , although the prior existence of romantic attachments is attested by ancient love poetry. The complex and abstract nature of love often reduces its discourse to
2331-515: A personal God, or for spirituality without form ( nirguna ). According to the Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar Sanath Nanayakkara, there is no single term in English that adequately translates or represents the concept of bhakti in Indian religions. Terms such as "devotion, faith, devotional faith" represent certain aspects of bhakti , but it means much more. The concept includes a sense of deep affection, attachment, but not wish because "wish
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#17328444942942442-566: A range of emotional states, including distrust, rejection, and anger, leading to trauma and various psychological challenges such as anxiety, social withdrawal, and even love addiction. Individuals may become fixated on past relationships, perpetuating emotional distress akin to addiction. Health benefits grow bigger when married couples are older, this is because the partners play a crucial role in promoting each other's well-being. A loving relationship with God has significant impact on health. Greek distinguishes several different senses in which
2553-413: A reflection of God's beauty and love. This perspective is evident in the poetry of Hafez and others, where the concept of tajalli , or divine self-manifestation, underscores the profound spiritual significance of love as it pertains to both human relationships and devotion to God. In Hebrew , אהבה ( ahavah ) signifies the love of Israelites for God and each other. However, the concept hesed offers
2664-524: A scholar on Theravāda in Myanmar , "warm, personalized, emotional" bhakti has been a part of the Burmese Buddhist tradition apart from the monastic and lay intellectuals. The Buddha is treasured by the everyday devout Buddhists, just like Catholics treasure Jesus . The orthodox teachers tend to restrain the devotion to the Buddha, but to the devout Buddhist populace, "a very deeply devotional quality"
2775-667: A strong liking of something, such as "I love popcorn" or that something is essential to one's identity, such as "I love being an actor". People can have a profound dedication and immense appreciation for an object, principle, or objective, thereby experiencing a sense of love towards it. For example, compassionate outreach and volunteer workers' "love" of their cause may sometimes be born not of interpersonal love but impersonal love, altruism , and strong spiritual or political convictions. People can also "love" material objects, animals, or activities if they invest themselves in bonding or otherwise identifying with those things. If sexual passion
2886-519: A term for one of three possible religious approaches or yogas (i.e. bhakti yoga ). The Bhagavata Purana (which focuses on Krishna bhakti) develops the idea more elaborately, while the Shvetashvatara Upanishad presents evidence of guru-bhakti (devotion to one's spiritual teacher). The Bhakti Movement was a rapid growth of bhakti, first starting in the later part of 1st millennium CE, from Tamil Nadu in southern India with
2997-423: A universal definition. Although the nature or essence of love is a subject of frequent debate, different aspects of the word can be clarified by determining what is not love (antonyms of "love"). Love, as a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like ), is commonly contrasted with hate (or neutral apathy ). As a less sexual and more emotionally intimate form of romantic attachment, love
3108-433: Is preska , characterized by the desire to see something pleasant. Next is abhilasa, involving constant thoughts about the beloved. Then comes raga, signifying the mental inclination to be united with the beloved. Following that is shena , which involves favorable activities directed towards the beloved. Prema is the stage where one cannot live without the beloved. Then there is rati , which involves living together with
3219-437: Is "to be delighted by the happiness of another." Meher Baba stated that in love there is a "feeling of unity" and an "active appreciation of the intrinsic worth of the object of love." Biologist Jeremy Griffith defines love as "unconditional selflessness". According to Ambrose Bierce , love is a temporary insanity curable by marriage. People can express love towards things other than humans; this can range from expressing
3330-549: Is also involved, then this feeling is called paraphilia . Interpersonal love refers to love between human beings. It is a much more potent sentiment than liking a person. Unrequited love refers to feelings of love that are not reciprocated. Interpersonal love is most closely associated with interpersonal relationships . Such love might exist between family members, friends, and couples. There are several psychological disorders related to love, such as erotomania . Throughout history, philosophy and religion have speculated about
3441-412: Is an affliction distorting reality, a primal urge rooted in the biological need for species to propagate. He emphasizes love's futility and self-destructive nature. In contrast, Ovid acknowledges the pleasure of love alongside its risks and complexities. He views love as a game of manipulation and deception, marked by a blend of hedonism and cynicism . Ovid recognizes the transient nature of passion and
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3552-456: Is an important term in Sikhism and Hinduism. They both share numerous concepts and core spiritual ideas, but bhakti of nirguni (devotion to divine without attributes) is particularly significant in Sikhism. In Hinduism, diverse ideas continue, where both saguni and nirguni bhakti (devotion to divine with or without attributes) or alternate paths to spirituality are among the options left to
3663-481: Is commonly contrasted with lust . As an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is sometimes contrasted with friendship , although the word love is often applied to close friendships or platonic love. Further possible ambiguities come with usages like "girlfriend", "boyfriend", and "just good friends". Abstractly discussed, love usually refers to a feeling one person experiences for another person. Love often involves caring for, or identifying with,
3774-624: Is considered a romantically phrased metaphor of love between God and his people, but in its plain reading it reads like a love song. The 20th-century rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler is frequently quoted as defining love from the Jewish point of view as "giving without expecting to take". Bhakti Traditional Bhakti ( Sanskrit : भक्ति ; Pali : bhatti ) is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love. In Indian religions, it may refer to loving devotion for
3885-412: Is deemed an essential ingredient to life: "See life with the wife you love" ( Ecclesiastes 9:9 ). Rabbi David Wolpe writes that "love is not only about the feelings of the lover... It is when one person believes in another person and shows it." He further states that "love... is a feeling that expresses itself in action. What we really feel is reflected in what we do." The biblical book Song of Solomon
3996-498: Is derived from the verb root bhaj- , which means "to worship, have recourse to, betake onself to" or bhañj-, which means "to break." The word also means "attachment, devotion to, fondness for, homage, faith or love, worship, piety to something as a spiritual, religious principle or means of salvation". The meaning of the term Bhakti is analogous to but different from Kama . Kama connotes emotional connection, sometimes with sensual devotion and erotic love. Bhakti, in contrast,
4107-411: Is influenced by their conceptions of love. The conventional view in biology is that there are two major drives in love: sexual attraction and attachment . Attachment between adults is presumed to work on the same principles that lead an infant to become attached to its mother. The traditional psychological view sees love as being a combination of companionate love and passionate love. Passionate love
4218-484: Is intense longing, and is often accompanied by physiological arousal (shortness of breath, rapid heart rate); companionate love is affection and a feeling of intimacy not accompanied by physiological arousal. Love plays a role in human well-being and health. Engaging in activities associated with love, such as nurturing relationships, has been shown to activate key brain regions responsible for emotion, attention, motivation, and memory. These activities also contribute to
4329-458: Is not a ritualistic devotion to a God or to religion, but participation in a path that includes behavior, ethics, mores and spirituality. It involves, among other things, refining one's state of mind, knowing God, participating in God, and internalizing God. Increasingly, instead of "devotion", the term "participation" is appearing in scholarly literature as a gloss for the term bhakti . Bhakti
4440-403: Is not merely a feeling but is also actions, and that in fact the "feeling" of love is superficial in comparison to one's commitment to love via a series of loving actions over time. Fromm held that love is ultimately not a feeling at all, but rather is a commitment to, and adherence to, loving actions towards another, oneself, or many others, over a sustained duration. Fromm also described love as
4551-491: Is one of the earliest use of the word Bhakti in ancient Indian literature, and has been translated as "the love of God". Scholars have debated whether this phrase is authentic or later insertion into the Upanishad, and whether the terms "Bhakti" and "Deva" meant the same in this ancient text as they do in the modern era. Max Muller states that the word Bhakti appears only once in this Upanishad, that too in one last verse of
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4662-842: Is selfish, affection is unselfish". Some scholars, states Nanayakkara, associate it with saddha (Sanskrit: Sraddha ) which means "faith, trust or confidence". However, bhakti can connote an end in itself, or a path to spiritual wisdom. The term Bhakti refers to one of several alternate spiritual paths to moksha (spiritual freedom, liberation, salvation) in Hinduism, and it is referred to as bhakti marga or bhakti yoga . The other paths are Jnana marga (path of knowledge), Karma marga (path of works), Rāja marga (path of contemplation and meditation). The term bhakti has been usually translated as "devotion" in Orientalist literature. The colonial era authors variously described Bhakti as
4773-458: Is spiritual, a love and devotion to religious concepts or principles, that engages both emotion and intellection. Karen Pechelis states that the word Bhakti should not be understood as uncritical emotion, but as committed engagement. She adds that, in the concept of bhakti in Hinduism, the engagement involves a simultaneous tension between emotion and intellection, "emotion to reaffirm the social context and temporal freedom, intellection to ground
4884-437: Is the feeling of sexual desire ; romantic attraction determines what partners find attractive and pursue, conserving time and energy by choosing ; and attachment involves sharing a home, parental duties, mutual defense, and in humans involves feelings of safety and security. Three distinct neural circuitries, including neurotransmitters, and three behavioral patterns, are associated with these three romantic styles. Lust
4995-453: Is the initial passionate sexual desire that promotes mating , and involves the increased release of hormones such as testosterone and estrogen . These effects rarely last more than a few weeks or months. Attraction is the more individualized and romantic desire for a specific candidate for mating, which develops out of lust as commitment to an individual mate form. Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love,
5106-420: Is the relationship of the intimate love. In bhakti worship, rituals are primarily directed towards physical images. The terms " murti " and " vigraham " are commonly used in Hinduism to describe these images. A murti denotes an object with a distinct form that symbolizes the shape or manifestation of a particular deity, either a god or goddess. A ritual called pranapratishta is performed before worshipping
5217-491: The Theragāthā , bhatti had the meaning of 'faithful adherence to the [Buddhist] religion', and was accompanied with knowledge. Later on, however, the term developed the meaning of an advanced form of emotional devotion. This sense of devotion was thus different than the early Buddhist view of faith . According to Sanath Nanayakkara, early Buddhist refuge and devotion, meant taking the Buddha as an ideal to live by, rather than
5328-523: The Bhagavad Gita offered an alternative to two dominant practices of religion at the time: the isolation of the sannyasin and the practice of religious ritual. Bhakti Yoga is described by Swami Vivekananda as "the path of systematized devotion for the attainment of union with the Absolute". In various chapters, including the twelfth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita , Krishna describes bhakti yoga as one of
5439-510: The Bhakti movement were ever a social reform or rebellion of any kind. They suggest Bhakti movement was a revival, reworking and recontextualization of ancient Vedic traditions. The Bhagavad Gita introduces bhakti yoga in combination with karma yoga and jnana yoga , while the Bhagavata Purana expands on bhakti yoga, offering nine specific activities for the bhakti yogi. Bhakti in
5550-564: The Harshacharita presents a spontaneous perspective, suggesting it lacks a definitive cause. Due to its emotional nature, sneha is transient, emerging without reason and disappearing likewise. Preman represents a heightened stage in the development of love, characterized by the unbearable feeling of separation from the beloved. Etymologically, it denotes the sense of endearment akin to one's own. Priti , similar to preman , denotes fondness for anything delightful and familiar. It encompasses
5661-611: The Krishna Yajurveda . The Alvars and Nayanars were instrumental in propagating the Bhakti tradition. The Bhagavata Purana 's references to the South Indian Alvar saints, along with its emphasis on bhakti , have led many scholars to give it South Indian origins, though some scholars question whether this evidence excludes the possibility that bhakti movement had parallel developments in other parts of India. Scholars state that
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#17328444942945772-712: The Shaiva Nayanar poets were influential. The Tirumurai , a compilation of hymns by sixty-three Nayanar poets, is still of great importance in South India. Hymns by three of the most prominent poets, Appar (7th century CE), Campantar (7th century) and Sundarar (9th century), were compiled into the Tevaram , the first volumes of the Tirumurai . The poets' itinerant lifestyle helped create temple and pilgrimage sites and spread devotion to Shiva. Early Tamil-Shiva bhakti poets quoted
5883-494: The bhakti movement focused on Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and other deities, that developed and spread in India, was in response to the arrival of Islam in India about 8th century CE, and subsequent religious violence . This view is contested by other scholars. The Bhakti movement swept over east and north India from the fifteenth-century onwards, reaching its zenith between the 15th and 17th century CE. According to Patton Burchett,
5994-1064: The creative arts . Love has been postulated to be a function that keeps human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species . Ancient Greek philosophers identified six forms of love : familial love ( storge ), friendly love or platonic love ( philia ), romantic love ( eros ), self-love ( philautia ), guest love ( xenia ), and divine or unconditional love ( agape ). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of love: fatuous love , unrequited love , empty love , companionate love , consummate love , infatuated love ( limerence ), amour de soi , and courtly love . Numerous cultures have also distinguished Ren , Yuanfen , Mamihlapinatapai , Cafuné , Kama , Bhakti , Mettā , Ishq , Chesed , Amore , charity , Saudade (and other variants or symbioses of these states ), as culturally unique words, definitions, or expressions of love in regard to specified "moments" currently lacking in
6105-485: The gopis . The behavior of the gopis in the Bhagavata Purana exemplifies the essence of bhakti. When separated from Krishna, the gopis practiced devotion by listening to his stories ( śravaṇa ), praising his glorious deeds ( kīrtana ), and other acts to keep him in their thoughts. Traditional Hinduism speaks of five different bhāvas or " affective essences". In this sense, bhāvas are different attitudes that
6216-488: The 1970s. His work identifies a different set of three factors that constitute love: attachment, caring, and intimacy. Following developments in electrical theories such as Coulomb's law , which showed that positive and negative charges attract, analogs in human life were envisioned, such as "opposites attract". Research on human mating has generally found this not to be true when it comes to character and personality—people tend to like people similar to themselves. However, in
6327-590: The 19th century in the Anglosphere by a character in Sir Walter Scott 's 1821 novel Kenilworth , which was based on the story of Amy Robsart . Enslaved Black women in the United States prior to the American Civil War were more likely to bear the name than white American women because slave masters often chose their names from literary sources. The name declined in use after 1880 but was revived due to
6438-478: The Bhakti movement in Hinduism. Bhakti is also found in other religions practiced in India, and it has influenced interactions between Christianity and Hinduism in the modern era. Nirguni bhakti (devotion to the divine without attributes) is found in Sikhism , as well as Hinduism. Outside India, emotional devotion is found in some Southeast Asian and East Asian Buddhist traditions. The term also refers to
6549-476: The Buddha with bhakti for mundane deities (such as Hindu gods), and in this case, it sees bhakti as something for those who are less developed spiritually. However, in other passages, the term is used positively, and in one story, the sage Upagupta says to the demon Mara : Even a very small bit of bhakti [toward the Buddha] offers nirvana to the wise as a result. In short, the wicked things that you [Māra] did here to
6660-458: The Divine in which caste, class, or gender typically were said to have no place. This was a bhakti that found its most characteristic expression in (a) the context of spiritual fellowship ( satsaṅg ) with other devotees (bhaktas), (b) the medium of song, (c) the idiom of passionate love (śṛṅgāra/mādhurya) or painful separation (viraha), and (d) the remembrance—in meditation, recitation, chant, and song—of
6771-537: The Elders ). In ancient texts such as the Shvetashvatara Upanishad , the term simply means participation, devotion and love for any endeavor, while in the Bhagavad Gita , it connotes one of the possible paths of spirituality and towards moksha , as in bhakti marga . Bhakti ideas have inspired many popular texts and saint-poets in India. The Bhagavata Purana , for example, is a Krishna -related text associated with
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#17328444942946882-412: The English language. The color wheel theory of love defines three primary, three secondary, and nine tertiary love styles, describing them in terms of the traditional color wheel. The triangular theory of love suggests intimacy, passion, and commitment are core components of love. Love has additional religious or spiritual meaning. This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of
6993-637: The Sage, when your mind was blind with delusion, all of these have been washed away by the copious waters of śraddhā that have entered your heart. - Divyāvadāna 360.1–4 [ Aśokāvadana 22.7-9] In the 11th century, the Bengali Buddhist scholar Rāmancandra Kavibhārati composed a work on Buddhist bhakti called the Bhakti Śataka. Today, affective devotion remains an important part of Buddhist practice, even in Theravada Buddhism. According to Winston King,
7104-565: The Shaiva Nayanars and the Vaishnava Alvars . Their ideas and practices inspired bhakti poetry and devotion throughout India over the 12th-18th century CE. The Alvars ("those immersed in God") were Vaishnava poet-saints who wandered from temple to temple, singing the praises of Vishnu. They hailed the divine abodes of Vishnu and converted many people to Vaishnavism . Like the Alvars,
7215-448: The Taoist text, Daodejing , is depicted as open and responsive to each person's unique circumstances. Taoism juxtaposes human beings with the vastness of nature, likening the creation of people to the formation of waves in the ocean. Unlike Confucianism, as portrayed in the Taoist text Zhuangzi , Taoist responses to the loss of a beloved may involve either mourning their death or embracing
7326-455: The adaptive benefit of sexual reproduction as opposed to asexual reproduction. Richard Michod reviewed evidence that love, and consequently sexual reproduction, provides two major adaptive advantages. First, sexual reproduction facilitates repair of damages in the DNA that is passed from parent to progeny (during meiosis , a key stage of the sexual process). Second, a gene in either parent may contain
7437-474: The affection between friends. Cicero , in his essay On Friendship reflects on the innate human tendency to both love oneself and seek out another with whom to intertwine minds, nearly blending them into a singular entity. This suggests that while friends remain distinct individuals, they also, in some sense, become intertwined, embodying a shared essence. Lucretius perceives love as a disruptive and irrational force, leading to madness and despair. To him, it
7548-446: The altruistic and the narcissistic. This view is represented in the works of Scott Peck , whose work in the field of applied psychology explored the definitions of love and evil. Peck maintains that love is a combination of the "concern for the spiritual growth of another" and simple narcissism. In combination, love is an activity , not simply a feeling. Psychologist Erich Fromm maintained in his book The Art of Loving that love
7659-455: The beloved. Finally, srngara represents the playful interaction with the beloved. Kama initially representing desire and longing. Later, Vātsyāyana , the author of the Kama Sutra , explored the concept of kama , defining it as the enjoyment of sensory pleasures with conscious awareness. However, there were also teachings cautioning against becoming overly attached to desire, advocating for
7770-432: The brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including the neurotransmitter hormones dopamine , norepinephrine , and serotonin , the same compounds released by amphetamine , stimulating the brain's pleasure center and leading to side effects such as increased heart rate , reduced appetite and sleep , and an intense feeling of excitement . Research indicates that this stage generally lasts from one and
7881-425: The chemicals oxytocin and vasopressin , to a greater degree than what is found in short-term relationships. Enzo Emanuele and coworkers reported the protein molecule known as the nerve growth factor (NGF) has high levels when people first fall in love, but these return to previous levels after one year. Psychology depicts love as a cognitive and social phenomenon. Psychologist Robert Sternberg formulated
7992-527: The choice of a Hindu. The last of three epilogue verses of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad (6.23), dated to be from 1st millennium BCE, uses the word Bhakti as follows: yasya deve parā bhaktiḥ yathā deve tathā gurau । tasyaite kathitā hyarthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ He who has highest Bhakti of Deva (God), just like his Deva , so for his Guru (teacher), To him who is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating. This verse
8103-462: The closing credit to sage Shvetashvatara in verse 6.21 can mean "gift or grace of his Soul". Scholarly consensus sees bhakti as a post-Vedic movement that developed primarily during the Hindu Epics and Puranas era of Indian history (late first mill. BCE-early first mill. CE). The Bhagavad Gita is the first text to explicitly use the word "bhakti" to designate a religious path, using it as
8214-665: The concept of creation stems from love, viewed as the fundamental essence from which all beings originate and to which they ultimately return. This notion, influenced by neoplatonism , portrays love as both earthly and transcendent, embodying a universal striving for reunion with the divine. Scholars such as Abdolhossein Zarrinkoob trace this philosophical stance, highlighting its fusion with ancient Persian religious beliefs in figures like Ibn Arabi . According to Islamicists like William Chittick and Leonard Lewisohn , all forms of love find their origin in divine love, with creation serving as
8325-404: The cowherd boys of Vrindavan with the god Krishna is regarded as sakhya bhava . Radha 's love towards Krishna is madhurya bhava . The attitude of Krishna's foster-mother Yashoda towards him exemplifies vatsalya bhava . The Chaitanya Charitamrita mentions that Chaitanya came to distribute the four spiritual sentiments of Vraja loka: dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and sringara . Sringara
8436-409: The divine, highlighting a transcendent experience. The children of Adam are limbs of one body Having been created of one essence. When the calamity of time afflicts one limb The other limbs cannot remain at rest. If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others You are not worthy to be called by the name of "man". Sa'di , Gulistan In Persian mysticism ,
8547-419: The earliest days". Perhaps the earliest mention of the term bhatti in all Indic literature appears in the early Buddhist Theragatha ( Verses of the Elders ). As such, Har Dayal writes that, bhakti "was an integral part of the Buddhist ideal from the earliest times". John S. Strong writes that the central meaning of Indian Buddhist bhakti was "recollection of the Buddha" (Sanskrit: buddhanusmrti ). One of
8658-440: The earliest form of Buddhist devotional practice was the early Buddhist tradition of worshiping the Buddha through the means of stupas and bodily relics ( sarira ). Later (after about the third century CE), devotion using Buddha images also became a very popular form of Buddha bhakti. Sri Lankan scholar Indumathie Karunaratna notes that the meaning of bhatti changed throughout Buddhist history. In early Buddhist sources like
8769-424: The emotional facet of love, stands in contrast to the intense passion of kama with its calm demeanor. Characterized by moisture and viscosity, the term originally denoted oiliness. It is often compounded with words for family members, reflecting attachment to individuals like mothers, fathers, and sons. Those experiencing sneha tend to exhibit great concern for one another. While traditionally attributed to sensing,
8880-492: The epilogue, could have been a later addition and may not be theistic as the word was later used in much later Sandilya Sutras . Grierson as well as Carus note that the first epilogue verse 6.21 of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad is also notable for its use of the word Deva Prasada (देवप्रसाद, grace or gift of God), but add that Deva in the epilogue of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad refers to "pantheistic Brahman " and
8991-490: The experience in a thoughtful, conscious approach". One who practices bhakti is called a bhakta . The term bhakti, in Vedic Sanskrit literature, has a general meaning of "mutual attachment, devotion, fondness for, devotion to" such as in human relationships, most often between beloved-lover, friend-friend, king-subject, parent-child. It may refer to devotion towards a spiritual teacher ( Guru ) as guru-bhakti , or to
9102-518: The feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states. The word "love" can have a variety of related but distinct meanings in different contexts. Many other languages use multiple words to express some of the different concepts that in English are denoted as "love"; one example is the plurality of Greek concepts for "love" ( agape , eros , philia , storge ). Cultural differences in conceptualizing love makes it difficult to establish
9213-409: The fetus, and increase complications during childbirth . This would favor monogamous relationships over polygamy . Interpersonal love between a man and woman provides an evolutionary adaptive benefit since it facilitates mating and sexual reproduction . However, some organisms can reproduce asexually without mating. Understanding the adaptive benefit of interpersonal love depends on understanding
9324-403: The four key features of this early modern bhakti movement in north India were: First and foremost, these communities were united by a distinctive focus on personal devotion to the Divine, as opposed to other traditional pillars of Indic religiosity such as knowledge , ritual, or the practice of yoga or asceticism . This devotion took place in the context of an intimate, loving relationship with
9435-504: The gap between the human and the divine. Ren's significance lies in its ability to foster genuine human connection and empathy, laying the foundation for harmonious relationships within society. Mozi, a Chinese philosopher, articulated a philosophy centered on the principle of universal love. At the core of his teachings lay the belief that genuine harmony and societal well-being could only be achieved through love for others, transcending narrow self-interest. Mozi contended that universal love
9546-500: The goddess Tara . Mahayana sources like the Lotus Sutra describe the Buddha as the loving father of all beings, and exhorts all Buddhists to worship him. Mahayana bhakti also led to the rise of temples which were focused on housing a central Buddha image, something which became the norm during the Gupta period . Gupta era Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism stressed bhakti towards the Buddha as
9657-413: The good of another"—and its vice representing a human moral flaw akin to vanity , selfishness , amour-propre , and egotism . It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, oneself, or animals. In its various forms, love acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships , and owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in
9768-449: The hit song Once in Love with Amy from the 1948 Broadway musical Where's Charley? . The name peaked in usage in the United States between 1973 and 1976, when it was among the five most popular names for American girls. It remained among the top 250 names for American girls in the early 2020s. Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states , from
9879-839: The inevitable disappointment in romantic relationships. Ren (仁), a concept in Confucianism philosophy, embodies the essence of humanity and virtue. It is regarded as the sum of all virtues within a person, encompassing traits such as selflessness and self-cultivation. Ren emphasizes the cultivation of harmonious relationships within society, starting from the family unit and extending outward. Within Confucianism, these relationships are delineated by five main categories: father-son, older brother-younger brother, husband-wife, older friend-younger friend, and lord-servant. In Confucianism, one displays benevolent love by performing actions such as filial piety from children, kindness from parents, loyalty to
9990-410: The king and so forth. Central to the concept of Ren is the notion of reciprocity and empathetic understanding. It is often interpreted as akin to love (愛, ài ), but sometimes it also considered a stage between ài and ling , characterized by the sincere and open-hearted expression of human feelings. Through genuine love for others, individuals cultivate Ren and foster deeper connections that bridge
10101-587: The later sense of self-surrender. But already in the Commentary to the Abhidhamma text Puggalapaññatti , it is mentioned that the Buddhist devotee should develop his saddhā until it becomes bhaddi , a sense not mentioned in earlier texts and probably influenced by the Hindu idea of bhakti . There are instances where commentator Buddhaghosa mentions taking refuge in the Buddha in the sense of mere adoration, indicating
10212-467: The loss and finding joy in new creations. Daoist love seeks connections that surpass distinctions and superficial reflections. The Japanese language uses three words to convey the English equivalent of love — ai ( 愛 ) , koi ( 恋 or 孤悲 ) and ren'ai ( 恋愛 ) . The term ai carries a multiple meanings, encompassing feelings of feelings from superior to inferiors, compassion and empathy towards others and selfless love, originally referred to beauty and
10323-449: The modern term ren'ai ; its usage more closely resembles that of koi in the form of romantic love. The concept amae ( 甘え ) , the dependency and emotional bonds between an infant and its mother—a bond that lays the foundation for the archetypal concept of love. Japanese culture traditionally distinguishes between marriage and love, valuing practical considerations and complementarity within family units. In ancient India , there
10434-513: The most devoted to Me. The Shandilya Bhakti Sutra and Narada Bhakti Sutra define devotion, emphasize its importance and superiority, and classify its forms. According to Ramana Maharishi , bhakti is a "surrender to the divine with one's heart". It can be practiced as an adjunct to self-inquiry, and in one of four ways: The Bhagavata Purana (verse 7.5.23) teaches nine forms of bhakti: The Bhagavata Purana describes many examples of bhakti, such as those exhibited by Prahlada and
10545-524: The most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection , to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse , which differs from the love of food . Most commonly, love refers to a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment . Love is considered to be both positive and negative, with its virtue representing human kindness , compassion , and affection —"the unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for
10656-464: The name(s) of God. Second, these new devotional communities of Mughal India were alike in their production and performance of devotional works, composed in vernacular languages, remembering the deeds of God (especially Kṛṣṇa and Rām ) and exemplary bhaktas. Third, important in all these communities was the performance and collection of songs attributed to renowned bhakti poet-saints like Kabīr, Raidās, and Sūrdās. Finally, despite their many differences,
10767-599: The paths to the highest spiritual attainments. In the sixth chapter, for example, the Gita states the following about bhakti yogi: The yogi who, established in oneness, Honors Me as abiding in all beings, In whatever way he otherwise acts, Dwells in Me. He who sees equality in everything, In the image of his own Self, Arjuna, Whether in pleasure or in pain, Is thought to be a supreme yogi. Of all yogis, He who has merged his inner Self in Me, Honors me, full of faith, Is thought to be
10878-490: The phenomenon of love. In the 20th century, the science of psychology has studied the subject. The sciences of anthropology , neuroscience , and biology have also added to the understanding of the concept of love. Biological models of sex tend to view love as a mammalian drive, much like hunger or thirst. Helen Fisher , an anthropologist and human behavior researcher, divides the experience of love into three partly overlapping stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. Lust
10989-492: The pursuit of genuine happiness through transcending desires. The Atharvaveda , presents kama as the tender affection between partners. Nevertheless, kama is also often associated with insatiable sexual desire intertwined with intense emotions like anger and greed, portraying it as potentially harmful. Over time, kama took on anthropomorphic qualities, evolving into the figure of the Indian Cupid. Sneha , considered
11100-421: The regulation of the autonomic nervous system , leading to stress reduction over time, although the initial stages of love may induce stress. Love's social bonds enhance both physical and mental health, fostering resilience, compassion, and closeness. It boosts immune function and promotes healing, while also encouraging positive motivations and behaviors for individual flourishing and survival. Breakups can evoke
11211-553: The selection of rulers and the structuring of society, emphasizing reciprocity and egalitarianism as foundational principles for a harmonious social order. In Taoism , the concept of 慈 ( ci ) embodies compassion or love, with connotations of tender nurturing akin to a mother's care. It emphasizes the idea that creatures can only thrive through raising and nurturing. Ci serves as the wellspring of compassion or love that transcends preconceived notions of individuals, instead fostering compassion for people as they are. Love, as depicted in
11322-549: The term koi generally represented romantic love. Koi describes a longing for a member of the opposite sex and is typically interpreted as selfish and wanting. The term's origins come from the concept of lonely solitude as a result of separation from a loved one. Though modern usage of koi focuses on sexual love and infatuation, the Manyō used the term to cover a wider range of situations, including tenderness, benevolence, and material desire. The fusion of ai and koi gave rise to
11433-438: The transcendent nature of love. These interpretations emphasize Rumi's rejection of mortal attachments in favor of a love for the ultimate beloved, seen as embodying absolute beauty and grandeur. Scholars like William Chittick assert that all love stems from the divine, with God being both lover and beloved. Leonard Lewisohn characterizes Rumi's poetry as part of a mystical tradition that celebrates love as pathways to union with
11544-472: The vast majority of bhakti authors and sectarian communities in early modern North India came together in articulating a devotional sensibility distinct from—and often explicitly positioned in opposition to—certain tantric paradigms of religiosity. Bhakti poetry and ideas influenced many aspects of Hindu culture, religious and secular, and became an integral part of Indian society. It extended its influence to Sufism , Christianity , and Jainism . Sikhism
11655-447: The word "love" is used. Ancient Greeks identified three main forms of love: friendship and/or platonic desire ( philia ), sexual and/or romantic desire ( eros ), and self-emptying or divine love ( agape ). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of romantic love. In Latin, friendship was distinctly termed amicitia, while amor encompassed erotic passion, familial attachment, and, albeit less commonly,
11766-431: The younger or inferior. This love is exemplified in the affection of parents towards their children, a husband's care for his wife, or a ruler's concern for their subjects. Conversely, bhakti denotes the love expressed by the younger towards the seniors, exemplified in a child's devotion to their parents. Interpretations of Rumi's poetry and Sufi cosmology by scholars emphasize a divine-centric perspective, focusing on
11877-513: Was a understanding of erotics and the art of love. References in the Rigveda suggest the presence of romantic narratives in ancient Indo-Aryan society, evident in dialogues between deities like Yama and Yami , and Pururavas and Urvashi . The Sanskrit language , offered various terms to convey the concept of love, such as kama, sneha, priya, vatsalya, bhakti , priti and prema . In Indian literature, there are seven stages of love. The first
11988-654: Was and remains a part of the actual practice. This is observable, states King, in "multitudes of Pagoda worshippers of the Buddha images" and the offerings they make before the image and nowhere else. A rich devotionalism developed in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism and it can be found in the veneration of the transcendent Buddha Amitabha of Pure Land Buddhism and of bodhisattvas like Mañjusri , Avalokiteshvara (known as Guanyin in East Asia and Chenrezig in Tibetan) and
12099-747: Was founded by Guru Nanak in the 15th century, during the bhakti movement period, and scholars call it a Bhakti sect of Indian traditions. Saints such as Mirabai , Soordas , Narsinh Mehta composed several bhajans that were a path towards Bhakti for many, that are universally sung even today. A modern age saint, Shri Devendra Ghia (Kaka) has composed about 10,000 hymns. These hymns are related to bhakti, knowledge, devotion, faith, introspection and honesty. The movement has traditionally been considered as an influential social reformation in Hinduism, and provided an individual-focused alternative path to spirituality regardless of one's birth caste or gender. Postmodern scholars question this traditional view and whether
12210-604: Was not merely an abstract concept but a practical imperative, requiring individuals to actively promote the welfare of all members of society through their actions. In Mozi's philosophical framework, universal love was not only a moral obligation but also a divine principle originating from Heaven itself. He argued that this principle was exemplified through the actions of sage-kings from ancient times, who demonstrated how love could manifest in tangible ways within human interactions. Mozi's advocacy for universal love extended beyond interpersonal relationships; he believed it should guide
12321-421: Was often used in a religious context. Initially synonymous with koi , representing romantic love between a man and a woman, emphasizing its physical expression, ai underwent a transformation during the early Meiji era . It evolved into a euphemistic term for renbo ( 恋慕 ) or love attachment, signifying a shift towards a more egalitarian treatment and consideration of others as equals. Prior to Western influence,
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