Relationship

   The world is like a ship where al living beings are sailing in the 'Ocean of Sansara' (sansara sagara). The purpose of all the passengers on this ship is only for the single purpose- "crossing the ocean". These passengers are bound to each other by 'desire' and 'fear'. The desire is to cross and fear is of the stormy sea. However, there is nothing to bind them when they cross the ocean; they are all free and they go away on their own. Nobody is bound by anybody in this world. Thus, the relation ship exists as long as there are the ship and an ocean, Sri Krishnanandaji of Shivananda Ashram, Rishikesh says, "All relational existence are unreal".One should realize this truth and live free.

   The jiva (living beings) arrive here on earth as a result of 'desire' of Shiva. It is due to the 'Will of the Lord- shivecche or Sri Hari iccha. It is said, "The Lord Willed". The Lord in  in His transcendental meditative state-'yoga nidra,' became aware of His 'sat' (existence), and felt His aloneness (Ekam). He desired, thought, and willed- "I shall be many" (bahusyam); and, lo, there came the world in many a varied manifest forms. Thus, the world is a manifest form of Shiva.

   Each and every jiva is shiva only and nothing but Shive. Here the term shiva stands for the sound of breath- 'sa', 'ha'  and, the action of breathing is 'i'. Sa ha i eva shiva. The Lord seated in all jiva as prana, breathes! It is He who breathes and no body can stop it; and, nobody can ever revive it if it stops! This simple truth evades all jiva and keeps them in eternal ignorance, avidya. Thus, the jiva comes with 'aham' due to avidya.

   Since all these jiva are the self, independent, there is no support (alambana) or dependence. It is self existent. It is divine. It arrives here on earth alone and departs alone, at the will of the Lord, Shiva. It is due to avidya, jnyan covered by attachment (moha) and desire that jiva clings on to others. The tragedy is that "this avidya keeps the jiva in eternal bondage". The illusory world, the Ship sailing in the Ocean of Sansar, subject to storms, is the key. This illusroy ocean and the ship can be crossed by "Trust in the Creator", the purusha who is seated within and breathing emitting the sound of creation 'sa' and dissolution 'ha' is Shiva.'I'. 

   This is how the independent jivatman gets embodied and embedded in the mire of sansar.  Once it realises its foolishness, avidya (knowledge covered by attachment, moha, and desire, the jiva tries to get rid of its entanglements. The freedom comes only with the help of a 'guru' . When the jiva ardently desires for liberation, emanciation, mukti. Lord Shiva / Krishna only comes as a 'guru' and teaches yoga and liberates. Thus a guru and yoga abhyasa are essential for liberation.

  Gurubrahma gururvishnu gurudevo maheshvarah | Guru sakshaat parabrahma tasmai shree gurave namah ||

 This prayer mantra says, "Lord Vishnu, brahma and Maheshvara re the only Guru and "These teachers are nowhere else but within us as the 'One', 'Who' is breathing"! 'Pranayama' leads us to actual darshan of the Lord in 'savikalpa samadhi' and one can merge in Him in nirvikalpa samadhi..   The  funniest part of relationship is that of parents and siblings. In fact, the jiva arrives on its own from a distant star as a photon, light-energy particle and gets embodied in soil to form living beings or organic bodies. The jiva getting embodied in the womb creates a Mother or father, not the vice versa! Just because i am born, my parents can say, they are my parents.If I am not at all born, or get aborted in the middle, the question of parenting does not arise. Another thing is just because a child is born in India somebody in Australa,USA or England becomes a chacha, mama or Grandpa and Grandma? Funny, isn't it? All relations are fictitious. Take for example a child exchanged or sold by a greedy nurse, or in a hospital fire! Who is father and who is mother of whom? Do we go for DNA test for all kids? All religion, caste and creed are nonsensical in this sense. Social scientists say, "Man is born free and he is in chains everywhere".   

Here is a dialogue that makes these points clear:

'Then as the vital breath was about to depart, he uprooted the organs from their places just as a noble horse tears up the pegs.They (all the senses, manas, buddhi, and ahankar) came to him (the Prana) and said: "Revered Sir, be thou our lord; thou art the best among us. Do not depart from us.

 [Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad V, I - The Supremacy of the Prana, 1]
Prana is thus dear to all. One can have a more reliable and longlasting relationship with the self. The Bhagavad-Gita says, "Do not neglect the Self."Realization of the Self is the only goal of life. All other worldly mundane relationships are subject to limitations of time, space, causation. Anybody depending on external objects, men or materials are bound to be disappointed, sooner or later.