Love: Personal and Transpersonal

Love of God is Transpersonal. It applies to everything that has manifested. It is what is called agape in Greek, as opposed to eros, which is the personal love.

In BhartRhari's vairAgya shatakas (100 verses of dispassion), he decries the illusory and impermanent nature of personal love.

Hence, it is useful to contrast the nature of personal love and Transpersonal love.

The experience of personal love is attributed from a biochemical viewpoint to the release of dopamine, which makes the person in love feel very good. The experience of Transpersonal love arises after kuNDalini is conveyed up the cakras to samAdhi and it results in experiences that correspond closely to those reported by experiencers of the hallucinogenic drug DMT. Of course, through yoga one does not need to take any external substances but can experience the bliss of samAdhi simply by bringing the mind to rest.

The personal love is a reflection of the Transpersonal, but it is rarely seen as so, and it is difficult to maintain that vision without a yogic attitude.
The personal love can be draining, but the Transpersonal love refreshes.
The personal can sometimes make one sick, while the Transpersonal always enhances health.
The personal love is lauded by poets too, but is a pale shadow of the Transpersonal.
Personal love is limiting and has a tAmasic component, while Transpersonal love is is limitless and leads one beyond the guNas.
Personal love is transient and changes eventually, while the other is Eternal.
Clearly, only an ignorant one will choose personal love over Transpersonal Love. The wise who know truly will always choose Transpersonal love over the personal, and the manifestations of their personal love always directly reflect their Transpersonal love.
One who is afflicted negatively by personal love can sometimes look like a beggar, while the one enjoying Transpersonal love always looks like an Emperor.
One afflicted negatively by personal love looks pathetic and foolish and is happy only in his view, while the other enjoying Transpersonal love looks like an ocean of wisdom and is blissful, and beyond the opinions of others.

The Transpersonal love inspires others; whereas the miserable lover does not.

Compare with bhRgu valli. One is dependent, while the other is independent and supportless but can support all.

Here is a useful retake on the vairAgya shatakas. Men blame not women, and women blame not men, the fault is not theirs! The fault is not in the stars either. The fault is in the ignorant vision tainted by the guNas. Overcome that quickly. There is nothing to lose in weakening ignorance and transcending personal love or hatred. Stand strong and rise above! Be a giant by the power of kuNDalini Shakti and emancipate yourself. Free yourself from the bondage of personal love and hate or disgust with your limited self and embrace the true Beloved within you that is Limitless. Become thus a beacon of hope to all humankind. Can one be satisfied with the puddle of love measured out by an inconstant lover when there is an Ocean of unlimited joy giving permanent Bliss available at every instant? Therefore exercise wisdom O mind! You have had the genuine experience of the Transpersonal so you know this is no parroting of a scriptural text. The truly wise do not reject personal love because it can be unrequited, but because they know there is a far greater, far more desirable Love that is infinitely greater than even requited love, which everyone knows is not permanent. Recall TS Eliot: "the torment of love unsatisfied, the greater torment of love satisfied"!

The mind changes but the Self does not. The beginning seeker rejects personal love out of disappointment like BhartRhari, but the jnAni transcends it and looks beyond the puddle to the Ocean. Indeed the Ocean is there in all the puddles, so why focus on only one or two puddles.
Even so, the vairAgyam born of rejection by BhartRhari is necessary. The tapas of VishvAmitra is necessary before one can become a VasiShTha. Only the ignorant deride austerity. Bliss is not reached without crossing the gate of tapas. It is simple, but only a fool will think it is easy.