Prīti — The Devotional Love That Leads to Service
Prīti (Sanskrit: prī root = to please/love; 'love, delight, affection') is the deep, joyful, affectionate attachment that arises in the devotee's heart from the blissful experience of Bhagavān's incomparable auspicious qualities, divine forms, and gracious acts.
The Sequence: Śrī Vaiṣṇava theology traces a natural progression: Bhagavad anubhavam (experiencing Bhagavān's qualities and forms) → prīti (love and attachment toward Him) → kaiṅkaryam (loving service rendered to Him). Prīti is the natural middle link — 'Those who have tasted His sweetness cannot help but want to be near Him and serve Him.'
Prīti vs. Fear-Driven Service: Kaiṅkaryam arising from prīti is qualitatively different from service done out of obligation or fear. 'The kaiṅkaryam that flows from prīti is an overflow of the devotee's love — it is effortless, joyful, and inexhaustible.' The Āḷvārs' Divya Prabandham is the supreme literary expression of this prīti.
Prīti as the Goal's Self-Expression: In Paramapadham, the liberated soul (mukta jīva) experiences Bhagavān's infinite qualities directly and without obstruction. This experience generates boundless prīti, which in turn overflows into boundless kaiṅkaryam — which generates still more prīti. This ever-deepening cycle of experience → love → service → experience is the eternal bliss of Paramapadham.