THE REAL SEAT OF HAPPINESS

     Under the spell of sense attractions man's mind is constantly flowing into the external world in search of happiness. In his ignorance he imagines that happiness rests somewhere outside in the objects of the world. Hence his incessant mad rush for the possession and enjoyment of the same. His desires are ever on the increase and he is constantly on the move after something or other.

     To understand this predicament of man we must have a clear idea as to the real nature of desire. It is the unsatisfied longing of the sense mind for something outside and other than itself. Every desire posits the absence of the thing sought after. All the desires arise out of a feeling of emptiness within. Unable to bear the sense of emptiness within, the mind rushes out madly to the external world groping here and there for happiness among the sense objects. It loses its equipoise and gets highly agitated and restless.

     We now see that our happiness does not lie in the direction of the increase of our desires. It is only by reducing our desires and finally eliminating them totally, that we can ever hope to attain to a state of lasting happiness. It is the ignorant belief that happiness rests somewhere outside in the external objects of the world, that is at the root of all desires. Hence, if we succeed in tutoring the mind that the real source of happiness is within and not without in the objects of the world, we can easily eliminate all desires.

     Let us take the case of a sweet,Rasagulla. It is nice and tasty to eat. While eating it one experiences great happiness. He is apt to think that it is the source of happiness, having the capacity to confer the same on all those that happen to taste it. If it is really an independent source of happiness, the intensity of happiness experienced must be on the increase as one begins to consume more and more of the same. But on the other hand, when one begins to eat more and more he experiences greater and greater pain, discomfort and suffering. Secondly, a person in normal health, may have a great liking for Rasagullas . This very person, when laid up with a bilious fever, expresses great abhorrence at their very sight and refuses even to touch them. Thirdly, if happiness is in the very nature of Rasagullas, they must be capable of conferring the same on one and all. But to persons who are allergic to sweets they look like poison. If happiness is in the very nature of the object , it must be capable of giving the same to one and all , at all times and climes. Since this is not the case we have to necessarily conclude that happiness does not reside in the external objects of the world.

     In the very act of desiring, man creates an emptiness within and tries to fill it with the possession and enjoyment of the external objects of the world. In the absence of a desire in man, the object is incapable of giving any happiness to him. It is the desire that clothes the object with the hallow of happiness and then goes after it with great avidity. The happiness that man comes to experience , when a desire is satisfied, does not lie so much in the object as in the very act of satisfaction. Happiness is the result of the feeling of satisfaction experienced when a desire is fulfilled. It is an inner experience and not an external contact, since both the desire and its satisfaction take place within. The fulfillment of a desire gives rise to a feeling of fullness, resulting in happiness, however temporary it may be. Thus we see, that it is the satisfaction of the desire that gives rise to the feeling of happiness and not the external object in itself.

     The objects of the external world cannot act as sources of happiness as long as man has no desire for the same. It is his desire that endows them with the power to pass off as vehicles of happiness. After having given them this status, man in his ignorance, goes after the same and becomes their bond slave. The more he tries to satisfy the desire for happiness, with the possession and enjoyment of the worldly objects, the more it increases. It becomes so insatiable and all-consuming, till atlast he comes to a dead-end.

     All the desires of man can be fulfilled if he can succeed in coming into possession of an object which is capable of giving infinite satisfaction. Experience tells him that such an object cannot be found in the external world of limited forms and names. So, he has necessarily to turn his attention inwards and go deep within, in quest of the same. As soon as he goes to the root of his existence, the Heart, he comes face to face with an Infinite Ocean of un-alloyed Bliss. In this Supreme experience all his desires find their total fulfillment giving rise to a feeling of Complete fullness. Now, there is no more any room for empty or dry feeling in him and the entire being experiences Supreme poise and tranquility that passeth understanding. The mind no more flows out after the external objects of the world, since it is experiencing the Supreme and all-full satisfaction, leaving no room for any desire. He is no longer a receiver but a giver, for he is now one with the all-full ocean of Infinite Bliss. Thus we see that the real seat of happiness is ever within us and not anywhere outside in the objects of the external world.

JAI SRI RAM