Acharya Prashant explains the concept of purification through pain in love using an analogy. He states that even removing something as external and superficial as chewing gum from the body can be painful, especially if it sticks to a delicate part. This illustrates that when anything forms a bond with even the surface of our physical being, there is pain in separation. This pain is present despite the object being inanimate and external. He then relates this to the internal attachments or "gums" that stick to us, noting that removing them would be far more demanding and painful. The essence of love, he clarifies, is purification, which is another name for wise separation. This involves separating the real from the unreal, the life-giving from the life-sapping, and contentment from mere titillation. He distinguishes between real love and superficial love. Superficial love is marked by the absence of pain and the presence of instant pleasure, which he calls toxic. Real love, in contrast, is a demanding practice that tests one's patience, energy, and entire personality. The deeper the love, the deeper the pain caused by this process of purification. Real love is not romantic or like a fairy tale; it is a challenging journey where lovers push each other toward clarity and purity. Real earthly love can be of two kinds: one where you associate with someone to be separated from the lifeless and useless, and another where you relate to someone to liberate them from trivia and attachments. In either case, the process is a sustained, patient journey of self-elevation, which is ultimately self-dissolution. The success of real love lies in the eventual disappearance of the lovers' old selves. If two people are truly real to each other, they will assist and push one another toward this final absence, and in the end, neither will survive in their original form. One must pass through this pain because one's very being calls for this disappearance, without which one cannot find rest.