A questioner asks Acharya Prashant about a statement from one of his articles: "There is nothing called love between two human beings or love between a human being and any other object." She acknowledges that relationships are formed to fulfill an inner dissatisfaction and that we see people through our own perspectives, with expectations and past experiences attached. However, she questions why we are drawn to certain people, are willing to do anything for them, and overlook their flaws, and asks if this is not love. Acharya Prashant explains that whether love exists or not depends on why a person is in your life and why you like them. He defines love as the mind's attraction towards liberation (mukti). It is something between the mind and liberation. Therefore, in a specific context, he stated that love is not a matter between two human beings. He elaborates that humans are consciousness, but a flawed, polluted, and bound consciousness. This consciousness is unhappy with its current state and seeks completeness, health, and liberation. This very desire of consciousness is what is called love. So, consciousness desires health, liberation, completeness, knowledge, and understanding, and this is love. If a person comes into your life and brings understanding and liberation, and you like their company for this reason, then it can be called love. In this case, although you are attracted to the person, you are actually attracted to what you are getting through them; the person is merely a medium. Your love is not for the person but for liberation. If this is the case, it is fine. If a person brings you liberation, they are dear to you. The day they become a cause of bondage, they will no longer be dear. He then addresses the questioner's example of a mother's love, questioning why the child is on the wrong path if the mother's love is so great and the child is under her supervision. He implies that the mother's love, without understanding, might be the very thing that spoils the child. When we don't know what love truly is, we cause destruction in its name. The common idea of love, like giving a child whatever they want, is not true love. Acharya Prashant asserts that the world's biggest problem is not hate, but the common, flawed understanding of love, which is the root of hate. He quotes Kabir Saheb: "Everyone talks of love, but no one recognizes it. The path on which you meet the master (Saheb), that is called love." He explains that the path to liberation is love, and anything else is not. The 'Saheb' refers to the Self (Atma) or the Supreme (Paramatma). Therefore, whatever or whoever connects you to your Self is your lover. The problem is not that we don't want good for others, but that without understanding (bodh), we don't know what is truly good. In the absence of understanding, even our goodwill is meaningless and can cause harm.
