Your Partner Isn’t Yours. The Gita Says Not Even Your Body Is Yours
Riya Kumari | Aug 27, 2025, 17:07 IST
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Okay, sit down. And maybe grab your latte or wine, no judgment. I need you to hear something that will sound like it belongs in a self-help meme but is actually ancient wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita: nothing, and I mean nothing, is truly yours. Not your car, not your Instagram followers, not even your body. And yes, that includes your partner.
We live in a world built on possession. We collect things, achievements, and, most dangerously, people. We say “my partner,” “my spouse,” “my best friend,” as if love can be confined by words. And yet, the Bhagavad Gita offers a quiet, unsettling truth: nothing belongs to us. Not our relationships. Not our bodies. Not even the life we think we control. At first, this feels harsh. But the deeper you look, the more liberating it becomes. Understanding this transforms how we act, how we love, and how we carry ourselves in the world.
Relationships: Letting Go of Ownership

Think about it: how often do we get upset because someone didn’t text back, didn’t act the way we expected, or didn’t love us “enough”? Every expectation is a small claim of ownership. Every worry about their actions is a shadow of control we imagine we have.
The Gita reminds us that your partner is their own person. Their thoughts, choices, and feelings are not your property. When we try to “own” them through jealousy, manipulation, or constant reassurance-seeking, we create tension and fear. Instead, love as a space of freedom. Support them. Cherish them. Celebrate their choices—even the ones you don’t fully understand. The paradox: the more freedom you allow them, the deeper and more genuine the connection becomes.
Your Body, Your Mind: Temporary Guests

Now consider yourself. How often do we obsess over how we look, what we say, what we achieve? We treat our bodies and minds as if they belong entirely to us. Yet the Gita reminds us: our body is a vessel, our mind a guesthouse of thoughts and emotions, and life a temporary passage.
This doesn’t mean neglect. It means awareness. Care for your body, nurture your mind, but recognize that they are borrowed. Aging, illness, unexpected events, they arrive without permission. Stress, control, and self-criticism are futile because they assume ownership where there is none.
Freedom in Detachment

Here’s the profound yet practical lesson: when we release the illusion of ownership, we gain freedom.
Relatable Daily Examples

Reflection
Nothing in life is truly ours. Not love. Not relationships. Not bodies. Not even the next breath we take. And yet, in this truth lies the deepest power: the ability to live fully, love deeply, and accept reality as it is.
Stop trying to hold. Start observing. Stop claiming. Start appreciating. Stop controlling. Start connecting. Freedom, presence, and joy emerge not when we own, but when we understand that nothing ever truly belongs to us.
Relationships: Letting Go of Ownership
Peace
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Think about it: how often do we get upset because someone didn’t text back, didn’t act the way we expected, or didn’t love us “enough”? Every expectation is a small claim of ownership. Every worry about their actions is a shadow of control we imagine we have.
The Gita reminds us that your partner is their own person. Their thoughts, choices, and feelings are not your property. When we try to “own” them through jealousy, manipulation, or constant reassurance-seeking, we create tension and fear. Instead, love as a space of freedom. Support them. Cherish them. Celebrate their choices—even the ones you don’t fully understand. The paradox: the more freedom you allow them, the deeper and more genuine the connection becomes.
Your Body, Your Mind: Temporary Guests
Soul
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Now consider yourself. How often do we obsess over how we look, what we say, what we achieve? We treat our bodies and minds as if they belong entirely to us. Yet the Gita reminds us: our body is a vessel, our mind a guesthouse of thoughts and emotions, and life a temporary passage.
This doesn’t mean neglect. It means awareness. Care for your body, nurture your mind, but recognize that they are borrowed. Aging, illness, unexpected events, they arrive without permission. Stress, control, and self-criticism are futile because they assume ownership where there is none.
Freedom in Detachment
Soulmate
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Here’s the profound yet practical lesson: when we release the illusion of ownership, we gain freedom.
- In love: we stop clinging and begin truly appreciating.
- In friendships: we stop demanding and start supporting.
- In ourselves: we stop judging and start observing.
Relatable Daily Examples
Universe
( Image credit : Pixabay )
- Feeling hurt because your partner forgot your anniversary? The sting fades when you remember they are their own person.
- Frustrated with your body’s imperfections? Respect the vessel that carries your life instead of resenting it.
- Anxious about the future of a friendship or job? Focus on your actions; the outcomes aren’t “yours” to control.
Reflection
Stop trying to hold. Start observing. Stop claiming. Start appreciating. Stop controlling. Start connecting. Freedom, presence, and joy emerge not when we own, but when we understand that nothing ever truly belongs to us.