Acharya Prashant explains that people commonly need each other, leading to relationships based on mutual fulfillment of desires. He states, "I need you and you need me, I will fulfill your desire, you will fulfill my desire." This transactional connection, which applies to people, things, and places, is often what is called love. When someone becomes useless for one's needs, it becomes difficult and unnecessary to continue the relationship. In this common understanding, saying "I love you" is equivalent to saying "I need you." However, there is another way of living and relating. In this way, you recognize that you are already alright and do not need anyone. Your aloneness is absolutely sufficient and blissful. From this state of fullness, you see others who are not living in this bliss and are unnecessarily punishing themselves by searching for fulfillment through others. You then relate to them not because you are needy, but because you want to show them that nobody is truly needy. This kind of relationship is not one of exploitation, but of compassion. This is when you can really say that you love the other. If the other person exists in your life only to serve your needs, then there can be no love; there is only attachment, dependency, clutching, and suffering. One should either relate to give or relate for no purpose at all, simply for fun. If you come across someone who is also needless, you can relate in fun, as partners for nothing. If you meet someone who is still needy, you relate to them in compassion to help them get rid of their needless needs. Relationships are good and wonderful, provided we do not inject them with selfishness. The great ones have all been great relaters; they related to entire humanity, finding no divisions. Their love and compassion knew no boundaries. Acharya Prashant clarifies that he is not talking about physical dependence. At the level of society and the body, co-dependency is obvious and necessary; one needs a tailor, a doctor, a road, and a train. The discussion is about inner, psychological dependence, which is needless. One can relate to another without being psychologically dependent. Do not use the other to plug in your inner hollow; that is not love.
