Viraha
Etymology
From Sanskrit (विरह), formed from the prefix “vi-” (apart) and a root meaning to leave or be separated. It is a central concept in classical Indian poetry and aesthetics, and in devotional (bhakti) traditions the soul’s viraha for the divine became a whole spiritual mood. The word passed into Hindi and other South Asian languages, where it still carries this poetic weight.
noun · /vee-RAH-hah/
The intense longing and pain of separation from a loved one.
What it names
The bittersweet ache of being apart from the beloved, where absence itself intensifies and deepens the love.
Example
His letters from overseas were full of viraha, every line circling back to how much he missed home.
Related idea
English longing is broad and can point at anything; viraha specifically names the pain of separation from a beloved, and treats that suffering as a heightening of love itself.