Lasting Happiness Comes from Within

19 August 2001, 12:22am IST
Harsh Kabra, TIMES NEWS NETWORK & AGENCIES.

The driving force behind every individual's worldly pursuit is a craving for mental peace and material pleasure. the yearning is for happiness that can weather the vicissitudes of the material world; happiness that is self-sustaining and that which cannot be impeded even by the strongest resistance.

This longing for happiness is founded on definite expectations that revolve around intuitive happiness that is integral to the being. the experience is akin to the intuition of the chilly feeling that grows upon us as soon as we enter a snowy region. or like a desert, nearing which we experience the intensity of heat and light.

Likewise, the insurmountable pleasure embodied by the pursuit and realisation of the almighty inspires an emotion of happiness that is overwhelming and results in the culmination of self-discovery. one might then ask ^ notwithstanding the pursuit of the almighty that all of us embark upon out of the fear of an uncertain future and the need for an instrument to extricate us from the troughs of despair ^ why does happiness continue to elude us?

As revealed in the bhagavad gita: whenever the wavering heart wanders away, then so often let him subdue it and bring it back to the control of the soul; for supreme happiness comes to the yogin whose heart is at rest, in whom passion is tranquillised, who is one with brahma, and free from sin.

At the root of our inability to merit happiness figure our extrovert minds and senses. these prevent us from experiencing the happiness borne out of the realisation of the divine. they distract us from the most superior of aspirations of being one with the self to win over all battles within and without. this brings us to the next important question: is it possible in the present times with all its dilemmas to fulfil this aspiration? what physical and spiritual conquests hold out the promise of headway?

We need an escort while trekking, climbing peaks and traversing forests so that he anticipates and solves on our behalf all likely obstacles and setbacks we are likely to face during our journey. an escort becomes indispensable only by virtue of his familiarity with the path leading up to our destination. similarly, the feeling of god's presence as an escort ameliorates the difficult path of the spiritual seeker, making his advance appear effortless. the mere assurance of an escort personifying strength, vigour, enterprise and success makes difficult situations endurable.

Shallow waters cannot be used for an invigorating dip or for cultivation of crops. it is a prerequisite to conserve that water for instance by building a dam, with virtues of human effort to augment its depth and thereby its potential. the ability to shore up the unyielding flow of thoughts helps increase the mind's power of perception and hence the potential to benefit one and all.

It is important to rid the mind of material pleasures to make place for happiness. just like one does not have a robust appetite during an ailment, the appetite to explore truth and discover the true self cannot be sustained with an ailing mind cluttered with transient and fruitless concerns.

Lord krishna tells arjuna that a selfish medium lacks a lasting purpose in the scheme of this world. hence happiness that emanates from dilution of the self is lasting in nature. this dilution is irreversible like a crystal of salt or sugar that, after dissolving in water, becomes irretrievable. this selfless state of the mind cannot be generically defined, but is characterised by the absence of anger and frustration.

Lord krishna himself admitted the inability to objectively define this state of mind. but the expression of spiritual gratification does not depend on the vocabulary of words, it can well articulate itself through the powerful sound of silence and intrinsic quietude woven by the strength of piety.

Kabir believed that the undoing of knots of ignorance and internal contradictions is god's greatest blessing to us. this explains in significant measure the power of restraint of mental and sensual traits in helping us fathom the depths of happiness by drowning in it the self-created dilemmas of life.