Ephemeral relationships and the eternal journey within

December 19, 2025

Dr Tanu jain
(Chief executive officer
Bareilly cantonment board
Ministry of defence)

As I sit alone in my car, maneuvering the bends of the hills, a thought gently presses against my soul—“I am alone.” There is no one on the passenger seat. No music. Just the rhythmic hum of the engine and the silent company of the mountains. But then, a whisper from within asks—“Have I always been alone?” The answer is no. I’ve had people, plenty of them. Friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintances… in fact, there were times I was never really by myself.

And yet, today, I am more alone than ever—and more at peace. Once, I thrived in conversations. I waited for phone calls, for dinner invitations, for someone to check in. I stood by people in their darkest times, gave unconditionally, listened deeply, loved selflessly. But as time unfolded, those hands I once held slipped away.

“ saath dene nahin, poori duniya matlab se aati hai. Aur matlabkhatam toh aadmi bhi khatam hojata hai “
Such is the brutal honesty of life. And no one warns you enough.
Now I sit in silence, not in resentment but in reflection. I wonder: Why did I invest in the wrong people? Why did the connections I poured my soul into vanish like smoke? Why do relationships feel so fleeting, so… ephemeral?
The word ephemeral means short-lived, transient. And in a world where attention spans are brief and loyalty is conditional, relationships often dissolve before we even understand their depth. The truth is, many people are not looking to connect soul-to-soul—they seek comfort, convenience, validation, entertainment. When those needs are met elsewhere or when life changes, they move on. And we are left behind—confused, wounded, questioning our worth.

But maybe, just maybe, this emptiness is not a curse. It’s a calling. The Shift: From Ephemeral to Eternal
In the vacuum left by these fading relationships, I started seeking something constant, something that would not leave. My heart turned to the Bhagavad Gita. To Krishna’s wisdom. To those timeless verses that gently pull you back to center. “You came alone, and you will go alone. All relationships in this world are momentary companions on the journey of the soul.” This line shattered me—and healed me in the same breath. What if the purpose of all these broken relationships was not to punish me, but to push me—inward, upward, deeper?
I began to realize that the problem wasn’t the world—it was my expectation from it. I looked to people to give me compassion, care—the very things I had forgotten to offer myself. I was outsourcing my peace. I wanted others to be the balm for wounds only I could heal with God’s grace.
The truth is, not all people come to stay. Some come to teach.Some come to reflect our flaws, some to show us our strength. And when the lesson is done, the chapter closes. It’s painful, yes—but necessary. Because each goodbye from the world is a hello from the Divine.
What Do I Want in Life? That question haunts me still. And yet, slowly, in the lap of the Gita and the quietude of the hills, an answer emerges—not in words, but in stillness: I want peace. I want truth. I want purpose. Not fleeting companionship, not shallow praise, not conditional love. I want to know who I am beyond all roles—friend, relative, guide, giver. And I want to live in that truth, even if it means walking alone.

Aloneness is no longer a punishment. It’s a sacred path. A path that leads to correction of the self, to purification, to inner awakening. Every broken relationship has brought me closer to this realization: the only relationship that truly matters is the one I have with my own soul—and with the Divine.

The Way Forward
1. Accept the transience. Relationships are seasonal. Don’t resist their departure. Trust their timing.
2. Anchor yourself in dharma. As the Gita says—Do your duty, without attachment to results. Stand by others because it is right—not because they will stand by you.
3. Seek mentors, but also become your own guide. If a living teacher isn’t around, let scriptures, silence, and self-inquiry guide you. The answers will come.
4. Offer love without expectation. When you give from fullness, you never run empty.
5. Turn your wounds into wisdom. Each hurt is a lesson. Each loss is a redirection.
Yes, there are answers. Yes, your pain is valid. And yes, the journey is sacred—even in its solitude. This phase of walking alone is not the end. It’s your initiation into truth. Into spiritual adulthood. Into vairagya—the kind that doesn’t reject the world but sees through its illusions. And once you walk far enough on this path, you’ll find that you are never truly alone. The Divine walks with you. In silence. In strength. In love that never leaves. Keep driving. Keep reflecting. The mountains are listening. And so is your soul