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Sandesh - In Search of Happiness
*:*:* SANDESH *:*:*
American Gita Society
IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS
Part 1
by Dr. Mrudula Vadi
American Gita Society, Ahmedabad
It is a great blessing to be born a human being with the
unique faculties of discrimination and choice in desires,
action and knowledge. Animals do not have these faculties and
their life is driven by natural instincts -- they eat, sleep,
protect, and reproduce without any goal in life.
What are we (human beings) seeking? What is our goal of life?
We are in a better position than animals, unless we choose not
to be, because of power of discrimination and choice. All of
us are seeking happiness through much more than merely
eating, wandering, sleep and reproduction or sensual
pleasures. America is a place that can fulfill all these at
the utmost level. Still we find people feel lacking in
something and feel: "All is not well with me." This is a
universal statement. In wealthy countries, people are
comfortably unhappy and in poor countries, people are
uncomfortably unhappy.
Thus, we see that everyone is in search of happiness --
happiness that is eternal and full and unlimited. We search
happiness through possession of desired objects, place, people
and in spite of getting these even by luck, our search for
still more happiness goes on for ever. All our activity in
life is to attain unlimited, everlasting happiness. This
shows happiness is my nature. One would never strive for that
which is not our nature because what is natural is naturally
acceptable. The fact that we strive against mortality,
ignorance, and sorrow show that they are not acceptable to us
because they are against our nature.
No matter how old, how sick, how poor a person is, his or her
all effort is to keep oneself alive through all possible
means. A person wishes to avoid mortality by having a son who
will propagate his name; person seeks immortality by giving a
large donation and getting his name carved on temple, building
or whatever; dying person makes all attempt to pull on his
life as long as possible. This also shows no one likes
mortality but likes to be immortal because immortality is
one's nature.
Everyone wants and strives for existence by all means. No one
likes ignorance. Right from a child to old age, we are always
seeking knowledge. A child always wants to know what's the
noise that's coming and immediately he turns his/her head to
that side. A school going child wants to know all about a
thing he comes across, and asks parents, teachers, friends.
Even as we grow up, we always want to know what is going on in
the world and around us and we even want to know what is going
in the neighbor's house or what two people are talking about
even though it may be a senseless talk or private talk.
Search for knowing continues even in old age and till we die.
No sooner we get up in the morning, we sit down with the
newspaper, radio or with TV to know what's going on even
though there may be nothing new than some calamity, murder, or
political instability. This desire to know at all ages in our
life also shows one's nature is knowledge.
A third thing, which everyone strives through whole life,
again from birth to death is search for happiness. A newborn
or an infant cries when he is hungry or not well and he feels
happy when his hunger and thirst are satisfied or when he is
well. As the infant grows older, the child seeks happiness
from playing games, meeting friends, etc. As he becomes a
teenager, he seeks happiness by getting rank in school or
college, getting a desired degree or getting a desired
girl-friend or boy-friend. As the person grows older, he
seeks happiness through marriage, children, good job, change
of job, through acquiring comfort giving commodities and
objects of enjoyment like TV, car, house, and other gadgets.
When old age comes the person seeks happiness through
sympathy, grand-children and by remembering past achievements,
past name, fame and happy memories.
This also shows happiness is our nature. We are not happy
when we get a thorn-prick in our foot or when we fall sick.
We are happy no sooner the thorn is out of foot or when cured
of disease. We never complain about that which is my nature.
We never complain: "I am happy." We always complain when we
are not well or are unhappy. This also shows happiness is my
nature.
Thus, we find that each of us is nature of existence,
knowledge and bliss (unlimited happiness). We are aware of
the existence and knowledge but we are not aware of happiness.
We are not aware that my nature is happiness. Our nature is
happiness and therefore, our activities are directed outward
toward the world or in sensual pleasures, drinks, drugs,
smoking, etc. in search of happiness. All these can never
give real happiness but a delusion of happiness and a delusion
can never give eternal happiness. Delusion always has fear,
unhappiness in it or, may give a false, temporary happiness.
We find that when we are fast asleep, there is no world, no
objects, persons, nothing and still, when we get up, we say:
"I slept well, I feel fresh." This also shows happiness is my
nature and not obtained through person, objects or
surroundings or circumstances. We might question, if I am
happiness, how is it that we experience unhappiness, sorrow,
grief? How can, what is experienced be wrong?
The answer to this is: unhappiness is because of ignorance of
Self. For example, when we see a rope on a dark street, one
sees snake there, and not the rope, and there is fear and
tendency to run away. Even if one sees a necklace where
there's a rope it might give happiness. This is because of
the ignorance and delusion about the rope as a snake or
necklace. Once we find out that the object is just a rope and
neither a snake nor a necklace, there is no cause for false
fear or unhappiness, and there is no cause for false
happiness.
In the Gita, Arjun is taken as an example representing human
being, with conflicts of a deluded mind. Of course, a mind
that is not deluded, has no conflicts. Lord Krishn removes
the conflicts and sorrows of Arjun -- and thereby ours -- by
showing that conflicts, sorrows, etc. are false, and that we
are an integral part and parcel (Vigrah or expansion) of that
Par-Brahm, Sachchidaanand, that is Sat or Existence, Chitt or
Consciousness, and Ananad or Bliss. There is nothing other
than this, and ultimately Arjun comes to know himself in the
true sense and said: I shall follow your command, my Lord.
The moral is that true happiness can be only found by studying
or teaching , and obeying or practicing the words of the
Lord as given in our holy scriptures -- the didactical epic,
"The Holy Bhagavad-Gita" and other scriptures -- and not by
running after name, fame, and material wealth only.
To be continued . . .
Note: Dr. Vadi and her husband are surgeons in Ahmedabad.
They are the Western India Regional president and
coordinators of the American Gita Society.
OM TAT SAT
*:*:* SANDESH *:*:*
Copyright 1996 by American Gita Society, All Rights Reserved.
Please obtain authorization prior to reproducing any portion
in any medium.
Jai Maharaj <jai@mantra.com> Jyotishi
%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:%:% Om Shanti %:%:%
