Our life is an amazing story of relations. From the time we are born till we die we keep on making and breaking relations and the real quest of our life is to find that true relative who is really ours, one who loves us, supports us, never leaves us and will be forever ours.
Our scriptures say relationship (“Sambandh”) means a connection that is selfless and eternal. But if we measure the standard of the relations we make, then they actually can’t be our relative.
But why do we make relatives? We seek selfless love, compassion and care and in all we are in the quest for love divine. But is there anyone in this material world who can really give us selfless love and compassion? Well, if we ponder, everyone in this mundane world is in pursuit of such selfless relationships. One in quest for selfless relationship forges relation with another with the same quest. But both are incapable of becoming selfless as until and unless we are deprived of divine love we can’t be selfless. It is just like a beggar begging another beggar.
The divine love can be attained only by realizing God by surrendering to a Bonafide Guru. But what has ruined our infinite lives even after being blessed with a Guru and his divine association? - "Attachment to this material world." I should get name, fame, position, etc.– these silly desires have taken huge toll over our spiritual health.
We could have lived a better life, but we are strongly attached to our mother, father, shops and bank balance, etc. This attachment has ruined our body, mind and intellect, leading to the continuation of the vicious cycle of birth and death. We invest our precious time and energy in building and managing relations and when they break, we are pulled in cobweb of pain, emptiness, sorrows taking a toll on our mind and health.
When the trees bear fruits, the birds come uninvited, and they fly away after consuming all the fruits of that particular tree. Similarly, in the world, when we have wealth, health, prestige, etc. there will be a huge traffic of people around us– sons, daughters, doctors, leaders all remain with us.
When we lose our wealth or prestige, not a single person can be seen around us. This is the reality of this world. When the flower has dried up, you'll never find a bee. A honeybee revolves around a flower as long as it’s fresh. When the pond dries up, geese disappear from the area as they can't get fish anymore. Similarly, when a person becomes incapable, even his dearest followers leave him. You had prestige and position, that's why people came to you and now that you are useless, no one worries about your existence anymore.
Once I was travelling to Haridwar for a spiritual retreat. In my front seat was seated the former PM of our country along with a veteran leader of a regional party. When he came out at the station, he didn’t receive any red-carpet reception with magnificent garlands, rather a small lot of dried flowers which looked more like a noose. People outside were cheering for him unintentionally. The leader of the regional party who accompanied him had to tell people to chant slogans in his praise. What a pity!
But this is no surprise, but the sad reality. Everyone remains with you only until their vested interests are fulfilled.
The Vedas proclaim, “No worldly husband, wife, father, son, etc., can love another person for the sake of one’s own happiness. Everyone loves for the sake of one’s own happiness.”
But only God and True Saints will accompany us forever. They only are our true relatives.
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