Introduction to Vedas and Vedanta - Part 14

Jiva, in search of perfection/ completion

·	The first defect is the pain involved in making any effort for any fulfillment and in accepting its result. Effort involves physical and mental strain and diversion of the available material resources and time.
·	As for the results, they are unpredictable owing to impediments arising from oneself, the world and the natural and supernatural forces. As a result, we may achieve less than what we intended or something entirely different from what we sought or even the opposite of what we wanted. Even in respect of what is achieved, we have  to  exert  towards  its preservation.
·	What we gain is also not permanent as everything deteriorates and becomes unusable eventually.
·	Even when something is fulfilled and we derive enjoyment, the mind discovers monotony in objects and we get tired of the very thing that we considered pleasurable and seek fresh avenues of gratification. To desist from it as and when we want, we enjoy the freedom of either doing it or of not doing it.
·	A stage comes in life when we are not satisfied with the relationships, with our friends, without relatives, with those whom we considered as “bosom friends”.
·	We cannot explain what is going on inside us but even as we make the world believe and make ourselves also believe that we are the happiest person in this world, there is sense of vacuum/ loneliness inside us and we seem to be lost in this world.
·	The world is not divided into persons and things that are desirable and undesirable. It is we who impose such distinction on them. Owing to our personal predilections, we make similar subjective assessment of the nature of things, persons and situations all the time. We do not usually take them as they are without any personal judgement.
·	Our concern is naturally about the solution to this problem. Since we are ourselves the problem, we have to first examine as to whether the basis for our self- judgement is correct.
·	Let us also examine happiness. We do not find any object that can be called as happiness. No object can also be considered as the source of happiness since no object delights any of us, at all times.  This was dealt in detail in the first theme “Purpose of Birth” in which we started with the fundamental part of a human, “The search for happiness”.
·	In that, we learnt the following 2 things clearly:
	1. A thing that gives happiness to one person, cannot/ need not provide the same happiness to the other. We read an example of a South Indian filter coffee which is indispensable for a South Indian Brahmin where as a pathan from Kabul may hate to take that coffee. For a pathan, Tea is everything.
	2.  Even the same thing cannot give happiness to the same human throughout his life. We dealt with this in detail, citing various things which gave happiness to a human in his childhood, in his boyhood, as a student, as a college going , as youth, as a person seeking career, on getting married, on having child, on growing one’s child, on one’s child’s marriage etc. (It would be worthwhile to go back and search for these posts in Dec 2016 posts )

It means that the whole world, which consists of objects, places and time, is not the cause of happiness. If the world is not the source, then we are left with only ourselves as the source of joy. But immediately the question comes up as to how we can be ourselves the source of happiness when we are happy only occasionally.

Continued……..

Love.

“Embodiments of Love, Students!

Whatever you have learnt here, share it with others. It is not enough if you share it with others, you too should put your knowledge into practice and derive benefit therefrom. We prepare many delicious items at home and serve them to the guests. Is it not necessary that we should also partake of them?

Likewise, we should digest the Vedic knowledge we have acquired and also share it with others. All types of knowledge have originated from the Vēdas. That is why the Vēda is extolled as sarva vijñāna sampatti (the treasure chest of knowledge). But unfortunately, we are not making proper use of such a treasure. Share your knowledge to the extent you have acquired. Never forget what you have learnt. With sincere effort, you will certainly be able to attain sākṣhātkāra. Those of you who wish to have the vision of God should digest the Vedic wisdom you have acquired and share it with others.”

Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 19 October 2004