The essence of love

1. Unconditional and Absolute Surrender !!: The necessary (but not sufficient) condition for blossoming of love is unconditional and absolute surrender. This is the only war, which is won by unconditionally surrendering to the beloved. This means, "Do what the beloved wants you to do and let your beloved do what he/she wants to do." In a way, your beloved seems greater than God, because you tend to devote your life, which was granted by the God, to him/her. You must feel free, without restrictions or boundaries, not even societal or communal.
2. Vanish into your beloved !: Your beloved is the only one visible to you and you transform the relationship into a more profound one, without further interest in others. Your surrender must facilitate the two of you to become one and you become your beloved. Let him/her make your life complete. 
3. Sacrifice is the hallmark of love !!!: Love isn't bitter, but it's improbable to have love without pain. This is the ultimate test of love.
4. Is this love ?: If you need to ask: "Is this love ?" then the Answer is: "No", for when/if it ever happens, you will know. 
5. Consummation is not necessary for its existence !! : Love empowers you to reach closest to your beloved. Where, there is nothing between you and him/her, be it thoughts, demeanor or even clothes. Though Love is incomplete without physical intimacy, but it can definitely sustain without that. 
6. Love happens only once ??:  One can find love again and then yet again ! However, profundity, the degree of unconditional surrender and the sense of sacrifice may differ. There would definitely be one for whom these attributes would be the ultimate and then everything stops there and no one else exists for you.
7. Likes/Unlikes: Infatuation, romance, chemistry, marriage, sex and love may or may not be related. Each of these can happen independently of the others.  
8.  Power: Love is very powerful in itself and it can't vanish once you fall out of your beloved. 
9. Acid Test of Love:  One fine day, you find that your significant other has run away with the other man! Are you happy? In 99.9% of the cases you aren't. We tend to love ourselves more than anyone else. We love people around us, our family, our friends, our possessions-- but we love them for ourselves! Try staying away from your beloved for six months, while staying at the same place, yet without touching her or talking to her or seeing her or interacting with her or even listening to her. Be with her, without her being actually present!