Search for Happiness - Shri Maharaj Ji
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Every Soul is Searching for Happiness
Whether knowingly or unknowingly, every Jeev (soul) in this world strives unceasingly for happiness, and his quest to find happiness will continue until he attains it. The word “happiness” is a synonym of God. You may call God happiness, God, Khuda, Allah, or any other name - these words all have the same meaning.
आनन्दो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात् ।
"ānandō brahmēti vyajānāt"
"ānandō brahmēti vyajānāt"
"Brahma is Bliss".
Since He himself is happiness, it is not entirely right to say 'God is the abode of happiness.' For this statement means that God is like a vessel that contains happiness and the happiness is something else that came from elsewhere to reside in Him. But the Vedas says
Since He himself is happiness, it is not entirely right to say 'God is the abode of happiness.' For this statement means that God is like a vessel that contains happiness and the happiness is something else that came from elsewhere to reside in Him. But the Vedas says
रसो वै स: ।
"raso vai saḥ" Vedas
"raso vai saḥ" Vedas
"He is happiness."
All the living beings, human, animals, insects, trees, celestial Gods or demons etc, are the inseparable part of God, hence every one naturally strives to attain that happiness. Every fraction naturally desires for it’s origin and by attaining that becomes complete. Although we do not know, but the other name of that happiness is God. All the following verses assert the same.
All the living beings, human, animals, insects, trees, celestial Gods or demons etc, are the inseparable part of God, hence every one naturally strives to attain that happiness. Every fraction naturally desires for it’s origin and by attaining that becomes complete. Although we do not know, but the other name of that happiness is God. All the following verses assert the same.
अंशो नाना व्यपदेशात् ।
"aṃśo nānā vyapadeśāt" Vedanta
"aṃśo nānā vyapadeśāt" Vedanta
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः ।
"mamaivānśō jīvalōkē jīvabhūtaḥ sanātana" Bhagavad Gītā
ईश्वर अंश जीव अविनाशी, चेतन अमल सहज सुख राशी । रामायण
"īśvara aṃśa jīva avināśī, cetana amala sahaja sukha rāśī" Ramayan
"mamaivānśō jīvalōkē jīvabhūtaḥ sanātana" Bhagavad Gītā
ईश्वर अंश जीव अविनाशी, चेतन अमल सहज सुख राशी । रामायण
"īśvara aṃśa jīva avināśī, cetana amala sahaja sukha rāśī" Ramayan
We, the Jeev, are searching happiness since eternity yet we have not yet attained it, because we are looking for it in the wrong area. In other words instead of expending effort to attain God, we are expending effort to increase our materiel possessions. These material possessions are things made of Maya, thus have no trace of happiness in them.
We often get transient and illusive gratification of senses from the world and ignorantly consider it as our own happiness. The Vedas say,
We often get transient and illusive gratification of senses from the world and ignorantly consider it as our own happiness. The Vedas say,
यो वै भूमा तत् सुखम् ।
"yō vai bhūmā tat sukham"
"yō vai bhūmā tat sukham"
"That happiness which is unlimited and everlasting is truly happiness". Transitory pleasure of the senses, is not happiness. That is only an illusion of happiness.
Worldly happiness (luxuries) are limited in nature for there always exists something greater happiness than that. This keeps us constantly dissatisfied. And whatever worldly happiness we experience it is ridden with tides and ebbs and eventually ceases. For example, if you hug your mother after a long separation, the first hug gives you the greatest happiness, the second time this happiness diminishes slightly, the third time it diminishes even more and by the fourth time it ends. This is our daily experience.
So there are two flaws in the worldly happiness, first it is limited and second it does not last forever. And we desire for happiness that is unlimited and lasts forever. Such happiness is Shri Krishna.
From this world (earth) to the abode of Creator Brahma everything is made of Maya. Therefore, the happiness of the entire Sansaar-The World is transient and perishable. To achieve everlasting true happiness, one has to take shelter at the lotus feet of Shri Krishna only.
We do not need to pay anything at all to get the grace of Shri Krishna. All what we have to do is ask earnestly for His grace and He will bestow unlimited, everlasting divine happiness immediate. However, your request should be sincere, free of all craftiness and deceit. Ask innocently and earnestly just like an infant who is completely surrendered to his mother. The child cries to get all the needs fulfilled. The mother hears the cries and runs towards her child. She takes care of the child according to her own understanding of the child's needs. That is complete surrender.
A worldly mother might misjudge the needs of her child, just the omniscient God never misjudges the needs of jeev.
When the jeev has a firm belief that only Shri Krishna can grant the happiness I seek and cries out to Him He promptly bestows the bliss. Sincerely crying out to Him is all that the jeev needs to do.
Our lack of knowledge has caused us to have a firmly established misapprehension that, "There is happiness in this world, which I will attain one day." This belief alone has caused us to be deluded since eternity. For this reason also we do not want to accept that Shri Krishna is the only source of happiness. Frequent and repeated assertion of this knowledge is needed to expel this delusion and inspire your faith in God.
Worldly happiness (luxuries) are limited in nature for there always exists something greater happiness than that. This keeps us constantly dissatisfied. And whatever worldly happiness we experience it is ridden with tides and ebbs and eventually ceases. For example, if you hug your mother after a long separation, the first hug gives you the greatest happiness, the second time this happiness diminishes slightly, the third time it diminishes even more and by the fourth time it ends. This is our daily experience.
So there are two flaws in the worldly happiness, first it is limited and second it does not last forever. And we desire for happiness that is unlimited and lasts forever. Such happiness is Shri Krishna.
From this world (earth) to the abode of Creator Brahma everything is made of Maya. Therefore, the happiness of the entire Sansaar-The World is transient and perishable. To achieve everlasting true happiness, one has to take shelter at the lotus feet of Shri Krishna only.
We do not need to pay anything at all to get the grace of Shri Krishna. All what we have to do is ask earnestly for His grace and He will bestow unlimited, everlasting divine happiness immediate. However, your request should be sincere, free of all craftiness and deceit. Ask innocently and earnestly just like an infant who is completely surrendered to his mother. The child cries to get all the needs fulfilled. The mother hears the cries and runs towards her child. She takes care of the child according to her own understanding of the child's needs. That is complete surrender.
A worldly mother might misjudge the needs of her child, just the omniscient God never misjudges the needs of jeev.
When the jeev has a firm belief that only Shri Krishna can grant the happiness I seek and cries out to Him He promptly bestows the bliss. Sincerely crying out to Him is all that the jeev needs to do.
Our lack of knowledge has caused us to have a firmly established misapprehension that, "There is happiness in this world, which I will attain one day." This belief alone has caused us to be deluded since eternity. For this reason also we do not want to accept that Shri Krishna is the only source of happiness. Frequent and repeated assertion of this knowledge is needed to expel this delusion and inspire your faith in God.
अभ्यास वैराग्याभाम् तन्निरोधः ।
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ।।
"Abhyāsa vairāgyābhām tannirōdhaḥ,
Abhyāsēna tu kauntēya vairāgyēṇa ca gr̥hyatē" Bhagavad Gītā
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ।।
"Abhyāsa vairāgyābhām tannirōdhaḥ,
Abhyāsēna tu kauntēya vairāgyēṇa ca gr̥hyatē" Bhagavad Gītā
"Regular practice may result in faith in God and elimination of delusion, which will create natural detachment from the world." Thus, eventually the mind will become attached to God and attain happiness. This is also called the Sadhana Bhakti to accomplish the ultimate goal of life - happiness.
An aspirant starts his practice from this point and as the aspirant gets detached from the world proportionately he becomes attached to God. As he practices loving devotional remembrance of God he feels great love and longing for Him. After this, he reaches a more advance stage of love/devotion called bhav bhakti. At the completion of this stage, the aspirant's Guru or Spiritual Master infuses divine love (prem) in the heart of the aspirant. There are seven more ecstatic levels of divine bliss. One can reach up to bhavavesh bhakti, very few souls reach the highest level of happiness, mahabhav.
So it is our first and foremost duty to realize the nature of material happiness and keep recalling and pondering on this knowledge, then start practicing devotion under the guidance of an true Guru, through whose grace the ultimate attainment of true happiness and divine love could be attained.
An aspirant starts his practice from this point and as the aspirant gets detached from the world proportionately he becomes attached to God. As he practices loving devotional remembrance of God he feels great love and longing for Him. After this, he reaches a more advance stage of love/devotion called bhav bhakti. At the completion of this stage, the aspirant's Guru or Spiritual Master infuses divine love (prem) in the heart of the aspirant. There are seven more ecstatic levels of divine bliss. One can reach up to bhavavesh bhakti, very few souls reach the highest level of happiness, mahabhav.
So it is our first and foremost duty to realize the nature of material happiness and keep recalling and pondering on this knowledge, then start practicing devotion under the guidance of an true Guru, through whose grace the ultimate attainment of true happiness and divine love could be attained.
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