Apratibandhya prema—love unrestricted by barriers—emerges when grief for lost identity removes the obstacles that the former self placed between you and authentic connection.
Apratibandhya means unobstructed or without hindrance in Sanskrit. Apratibandhya prema is love that flows without impediment, no longer dammed up by the defenses and constraints of a constructed identity. Mirabai's life exemplified this: by releasing her identity as a respectable woman bound by social duty, she freed her capacity to love completely and publicly—to dance, to sing ecstatically, to merge with the divine without self-consciousness. The grief for who you were includes recognition of the ways that identity obstructed your authentic relating: the personas you maintained, the parts of yourself you hid, the connections you couldn't make because you were protecting an image. As that identity dissolves, apratibandhya prema becomes possible. This isn't romantic love necessarily, but a quality of presence and authenticity in all relating. The grief contains liberation: you mourn the wasted connection capacity, but you're simultaneously freed to love more fully now. Apratibandhya prema suggests that identity loss, consciously grieved, opens channels of love you didn't know were blocked.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
Explore related journeys or tell Peri what you're working through.