LET US DISCOVER - Part 2

FACT 4

So, the search for happiness is ON….

In a previous post, Swami Rama tirtha’s article vividly describes about the search of happiness which starts from the moment child comes out of mother’s womb, till the old man meets his death, with the object pursued for finding happiness changing in every stage!!

The following hard facts needs attention of a serious reader, in this search for happiness

   A human being, till the time Swami’s words “Happiness is union with God. If you want to be happy, join God. Then you can be happy” does not come true in his life, keeps continuously searching for eternal joy through out his life and it seems, not only he, but each and every created object is searching for joy in some other object in this creation!! A poet wrote “ Sooraj ko dharti tarse, dharti ko Chandra ma, pani mein seep jaise pyaasi har atma”

  This search thus is a vicious circle like a treasure hunt game where, each participant searches for the treasure in the other participant’s pocket whereas no one has the treasure in his pocket / underneath his hat (Because Swami declared, TRUE HAPPINESS IS WITHIN!

   As a man grows, based on his changing experience with / from this world, his changing perceptions, the object in which he searches, keeps on changing. This is beautifully described by Rama tirtha where he starts with the child’s search for happiness in his mother’s bosom and travels up to the old man’s search for joy in his grandson and so on!!!

   The object which gave him immense joy once upon a time, say , toys for a child, does not have any relevance for the same child when it grows to a youth and to a man. 

   This throws up the million dollar question “ If one object cannot continue to give eternal joy to one person at all times, is the propensity to give / shower joy to a man REALLY IN THAT OBJECT OR ELSEWHERE?????

   Now, a bitter, a hard fact, which, unfortunately, none of us are prepared to accept, but if we are true to ourselves and silently contemplate on this fact in alone ness, seated before the small shrine in our home when the world is asleep, we may .. ne… we must realize that this bitter fact is a truth, in relative terms. What is that bitter fact??? Swami Krishnananda has given this and the article has been posted earlier in the blog. 

I quote “Go on a world tour; go to every country, meet all people and ask, "Are you happy?" The answer you receive from these people is worth knowing. Sorrow gnaws into the vitals of human nature, and it is whitewashed by a smear of egoistic assertion of adequacy of oneself. As we cannot live like puny nothings in this world, we put forth great effort to parade in the eyes of people, and before our eyes also, that we are not what we are. Even if you have fallen down, you will say that your nose is not hurt.

It is not that we are befooling the word around us, but we are befooling ourselves in innocence and ignorance, believing that we are really happy in what ever we do, whereas WE DO THINGS ONLY FOR GAINING HAPPINESS WHICH IS NOT OTHERWISE EXPERIENCED BY US. 

Just sit back and analyse- our wearing hat/ sports shoes, sun glass, adorning dresses which may not suit us many times and starting for a picnic, shouting, singing, youth going to a pub, elders sitting around and engaging in talking, giggling, laughing….,  the parties, the marriages, the ceremonies…….. ARE ALL THESE NOT OUR SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS ONLY BECAUSE WE ARE OTHERWISE NOT HAPPY???????

IF, IN SMALL/ PETTY PURSUITS, WE HAVE SPENT SEVERAL BIRTHS SEARCHING FOR JOY, MUST WE NOT AIM FOR SOME THING WHEREBY, THIS HAPPINESS COMES, SETTLES AND DOES NOT LEAVE US???? DOES IT NOT MAKE SENSE?

THAT WHILE WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY WORKING, DOING SOME JOB FOR SOME COMPANY FOR SOME MONTHLY SALARY, WE DO THINK THAT WE MUST HIT A BIG JACKPOT ONCE AND SETTLE DOWN WITH THAT, THEN, IS IT NOT SIMILARLY LOGICAL THAT INSTEAD OF THIS HAPPINESS WHICH COMES AND GOES, WE SHOULD AIM AT THAT JACKPOT JOY WHICH COMES AND STAYS`?????

Continued………..