11. Happiness - Miseries

The soul wanders to gain happiness since infinite births and when born in mankind, from childhood only, struggles for happi­ness. But a majority of the class don’t even know that where lies the real and eternal happiness and how to achieve it. So there is no end to the miseries.

Everyone desires for happiness and the luxuries to achieve happiness. But on not understanding the difference bet­ween pleasure and welfare, some of them become worldly-joy-oriented. The one who understands the difference in real sense and adopts the path of welfare, becomes spiritual-oriented.

The worldly pleasures can be enjoyed properly only by that person who enjoys them with self control and within the limits of holy scriptures, e.g. the one who eats too much, because of taste, falls sick and the one who takes less and controlled food becomes healthy and nourished.

If a worshipper; who has the desire, to achieve Parmatma, to achieve salvation and if he keeps on enjoying the pleas­ures related to the five sensual objects with attachment; can never attain absolution.

The person, who carries the belief that there is happiness in the enjoyment of five sensual objects also, can never be relieved from the greed towards those pleasures.

The one, who has the desire to have pleasure of one organ, can never be saved from having the pleasure of other organs. When liberty is given to one organ, all the other organs also take liberty and are enticed towards the respective objects.

When one organ is attached towards having pleasure, other organs are encouraged too. For instance, the sensing-nerves are incited when beauty is seen by the eyes. When delicious dishes are seen by eyes then taste is incited in the taste-organ, nose will be lucited to smell, hand will be at work to take them. When a sweet sound is heard, the desire to see the form - beauty also, arises. Therefore when control is applied to one organ, gradually the other organs also come under control e.g. On conquering the organ of taste, the other organs can be conquered one by one.

Initially it is felt that there is pleasure in five worldly objectives and after their use it is realized, in the end, that they contain only miseries. Where as, sorrow and pain are felt initially, on the path of achieving bliss related to Parmatma, but in the end permanent happiness is achieved. Happiness of five worldly ob­jects is illusive and perishable like a mirage, whereas the happiness related to Parmatma is worth experiencing, divine and immortal.

"The inclination of organs towards sensuality can be controlled". Many people accept this fact. But the positive, firm attitude that, "I will immediately conquer this inclinations of organs" and relative efforts are made by some distinct person only.

Saints and the holy scriptures say that there is only an illusory happiness, just like a mirage, in the worldly objects. It is not happiness, it is sorrow only; then too it is considered as happiness for worldly persons. What should be done now, as there is a paradox in the opinions of holy person and worldly human? Then a worshipper should, undoubtedly, with trust and faith in the words of holy persons and holy scriptures, should accept and adopt them in life or else he cannot succeed in Sadhana -spiritual practices.

The person, who is perplexed due to sorrows, cannot proceed towards achievement of God due to lack of concentration. There­fore, it is a must to remain steadfast in happiness - sorrow.

It is a wrong thought that efforts and labour are painful because they are the first step to achieve happiness. The pleasure and blessings from God, are also showered only on the person making efforts.

If the penance, performed to conquer mind and organs is accepted as a medium of achieving God then it appears to be joyful rather than painful, but if it is not considered as the medium of pleasing God then it becomes painful.

Peace can never be experienced if the pains in the past are repeatedly thought upon. On the contrary, it becomes the cause to produce new pains. Therefore, the perfect remedy to achieve happiness - peace is to live joyfully in the present, with the memory of God and forgetting the past.

There is a verse which means "Happiness is not found in all the three -in Heaven (region of Gods - Surpur), on earth (region of mankind - Narpur), in hell (region of serpants, infernal region - Nagpur). Happiness is found either in the feet of God (Hari) or within the saints (Sant)". According to this, the real happiness is found in God and holy persons only. But what should be done when there is no such clear opportunity? When there is no such opportunity then one should, with inner inclination, acquire complete oneness with the form of God and with Mukta Purush by their divine memories. This is the in­valuable remedy for gaining happiness.