Devotee (5): Swāmījī, Indian literature and movies, they're . . . the subject is quite often romantic love. But in the literature of Indian religion, it seems to me that there's no place for romantic love. It's either divine love or it's, as you say, "cats and dogs." Do you find a place for romantic love within . . .?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee (5): What is it?
Prabhupāda: That is in spiritual world, not in this material . . . in the material world there is no love. It is lust. We are making business under the name of love. In the material world there cannot be love because . . . suppose a girl loves a boy or a boy loves a girl. Both of them are actuated by sense gratification. So that is not love. That is not love. When there is question of sense gratification, that is not love.
Just like there is little example—just like mother loves the child. There is no question of sense gratification. Simply for the sake of love, the mother loves the child. It is simply a little example. Similarly, love means if I love you, I don't want any return; Still, I love you. You may ill treat me. You may badly treat me. You neglect me. Still, I love you. There is no question of return from you. That is real love.
That you cannot find in this material world. Because it is based on sense gratification, therefore there is love between a boy and girl, and as soon as there is little discrepancy, there is divorce. They are separated. Because the whole principle was on the basis of lust. So there is no love. Or we do not know what is meant by love. Love does not mean just a boy is attracted by a girl or a girl is attracted by a . . . that is not love. That is sense attraction.
So in the material world there is no love. It is impossible. There is little, little example, just like I cited the example of mother and son or similar. That is also temporary. But real love is in the spiritual. That is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. That is real love. There is no separation. There is no cheating. There is no divorce. There is no sex attraction. Simply for love's sake, loving, that is real love.
Devotee (5): But in the great literature, lust is not defined as love. It's more defined as something that has to do with spiritual affinity or communication or . . . in other words, there is a place for romantic love as distinct from lust, because lust is rather elementary.
Prabhupāda: Romantic love is in the spiritual world, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. That is the origin of romantic love. And here we are trying to imitate, although we are on the platform of lust. It is imitation, shadow, perverted reflection. So actually, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means we are trying to reach that platform of real love, exchange of love.
The example . . . one example can be given: just like in diseased condition, actually there is no enjoyment, but still, the doctors gives some diet: "You eat this." But he does not enjoy. Eating enjoyment is in healthy life, not in diseased condition.
So our present condition is diseased. Why you are dying? Because you are diseased. Why you are becoming old? Because you are diseased. That is due to this body. But actually I am spirit soul. I am neither old nor diseased, but I have fallen into the condition of material contamination. Therefore I am thinking that I am diseased. This is called māyā.