#93 Romantic Divine Love (Canto 10 Ch 29 Srimad Bhagavatam)

Do you believe in love? Do you believe in romance? Where do these ideas come from? What are their origins and roots? Since the beginning of time, men and women have been inspired by the beauty of romance to reach the heights of poetic rapture. Unfortunately, romance in this world usually leads to crushing disappointment. In every love story, there is the same story: the wonderful honeymoon of discovery and pursuit, followed by a life together-for some weeks, months, years or decades-followed by a change of heart, betrayal, complacency, conflict, leading to separation, divorce or even if the couple are together for their entire life, one of them must die first leaving the other devastated and alone.
Romantic love, is one of the most intense, beautiful, enjoyable, demanding and often devastating aspects of human existence. Despite that, no has ever been able to live “happily ever after.” The ravaging onslaughts of material nature eventually ruin our idyllic dream. Nevertheless, that which we seek exists; it is the very foundation of the ultimate reality-God. In fact, the romantic or conjugal love experienced by human beings is a mere reflection of spiritual reality, in which the same love exists but in its absolute, pristine, pure state. Uncontaminated by lust, desire, need or fear.
Therefore, to totally reject romance is to fail to understand why it exists and why it is so universally pervasive and attractive to all of us. Instead of becoming bitter and renouncing romance, like monks and nuns, we should seek to understand its absolute, perfect, pure form, as it exists with God.
Wait a minute: What connection can romance have with God who is the Absolute truth and the supreme reality? Aren’t humans who wish to come closer to God supposed to give up romance and sex and become renounced?
Let's unravel the mystery.