How do I know the difference between romantic love and spiritual devotion?

Mirabai lived this question her whole life. She loved Krishna—a god, a memory, an absence—with the same fierceness most people reserve for another person. Here's what I've noticed: romantic love often asks, 'What can you give me?' Devotion asks, 'What can I offer?' But that's not quite the full picture. Both can be transformative. Both can break you open. The difference isn't in the intensity; it's in the freedom it grants you. Mirabai's love for Krishna didn't chain her to one man's approval. It freed her to sing, to dance, to leave her husband's house, to become who she needed to be. So ask yourself: does this love expand who I am, or contract me? Does it make me more honest, or more afraid to speak? Devotion—whether to a person, a path, or a practice—should feel like permission to become yourself, not permission to disappear. That's the heart of it.