The Innate Need
Sunahu Sadhak Pyare - Part 1
A God-realized Saint addresses the seekers of divine bliss and instructs them to pay close attention to His words -
He says - Let me tell you what you desire for in your life. You desire for that happiness which is divine, sentient, is ever-lasting, is ever-increasing and is ever-new. The happiness derived from worldly matters is of limited quantity, short-lived, and decreases with time. Therefore, happiness attained from material objects ultimately results in misery.
The creation of Maya extends all the way from planet earth up to the abode of Brahma (Brahma lok) and everything in between. Out of all the material abodes Brahma lok has the highest form of material opulence. Luxuries of none of those abodes can satiated your desire. Indra is the king of the celestial beings. Uncountable times you have been to the celestial abodes. You have been Indra countless times. Yet the mental afflictions viz. anger, passion, greed, attachments, jealousy etc. have grown. Since beginningless time, you have been tormented by the tritaap (three kinds of agonies of the material world) and have been roaming around in 8.4 million life forms. Had those material pleasures been your goal, your desires would have been satisfied for good and your search for happiness would have ended. The fact that you are still searching for happiness proves that temporary material luxuries is not your goal.
The happiness that you are looking for is God. God and happiness are synonyms. That means these 2 words can be used interchangeably. The Vedic hymns say that
He says - Let me tell you what you desire for in your life. You desire for that happiness which is divine, sentient, is ever-lasting, is ever-increasing and is ever-new. The happiness derived from worldly matters is of limited quantity, short-lived, and decreases with time. Therefore, happiness attained from material objects ultimately results in misery.
The creation of Maya extends all the way from planet earth up to the abode of Brahma (Brahma lok) and everything in between. Out of all the material abodes Brahma lok has the highest form of material opulence. Luxuries of none of those abodes can satiated your desire. Indra is the king of the celestial beings. Uncountable times you have been to the celestial abodes. You have been Indra countless times. Yet the mental afflictions viz. anger, passion, greed, attachments, jealousy etc. have grown. Since beginningless time, you have been tormented by the tritaap (three kinds of agonies of the material world) and have been roaming around in 8.4 million life forms. Had those material pleasures been your goal, your desires would have been satisfied for good and your search for happiness would have ended. The fact that you are still searching for happiness proves that temporary material luxuries is not your goal.
The happiness that you are looking for is God. God and happiness are synonyms. That means these 2 words can be used interchangeably. The Vedic hymns say that
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आनंदो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात्।
तैत्तिरीयोपनिषत् 3.6 |
ānaṃdo brahmeti vyajānāt।
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यतो वा इमानि भूतानि जायन्ते।येन जातानि जीवन्ति। यत् प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति।
तैत्तिरीयोपनिषत् 3.1.3 |
yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante।yena jātāni jīvanti। yat prayantyabhisaṃviśanti।
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रसो वै सः। रसं ह्यवाऽयं लब्ध्वानन्दी भवति ॥
तैत्तिरीयोपनिषत् 2.7 |
raso vai saḥ। rasaṃ hyavā'yaṃ labdhvānandī bhavati ॥
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"God is happiness (ras). And only by attaining Him this jiva will attain happiness". Means God is happiness and happiness is God.
Sometimes, this fact is simply stated as "Happiness lies in God". Since God and happiness are not different from each other, "Happiness lies in God" is a misnomer.
"Happiness lies in God" suggests that an external entity called ras entered inside God. But the Vedic truth is God Himself is the ocean of nectar (ras). The Vedas say,
Sometimes, this fact is simply stated as "Happiness lies in God". Since God and happiness are not different from each other, "Happiness lies in God" is a misnomer.
"Happiness lies in God" suggests that an external entity called ras entered inside God. But the Vedic truth is God Himself is the ocean of nectar (ras). The Vedas say,
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आनंद एवधस्तात् आनंद उपरिष्टात् आनंदः पुरस्तात् आनंदः पश्चात् आनंदः दक्षिणतः आनंदो उत्तरतः आनंद एवेद्ॅ सर्वम ।
छांदोग्योपनिषद |
ānaṃda evadhastāt ānaṃda upariṣṭāt ānaṃdaḥ purastāt ānaṃdaḥ paścāt ānaṃdaḥ uttarataḥ ānaṃdo dakṣiṇataḥ ānaṃda evedॅ sarvama ।
chāṃdogyopaniṣada |
"There is unlimited happiness all around Him - above Him, below Him, to His North, South, East and West". Thus, the entity which is bliss is called God. Hence, Shri Maharaj Ji says,
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तुम चाहत आनंद शाश्वत दिव्य चिन्मय प्यारे ।
ब्रह्म या आनंद दोनों एक ही हैं प्यारे ॥ |
tuma cāhata ānaṃda śāśvata divya cinmaya pyāre ।
brahma yā ānaṃda donoṃ eka hī haiṃ pyāre ॥ |
"you desire eternal, divine, sentient bliss. God and bliss are one and the same."
A yaksha (a celestial being of great physical strength) had posed 60 questions to king Yudhishthira. The first question was -What is the biggest surprise in this world? [1] Yudhishthira had answered, saying -
A yaksha (a celestial being of great physical strength) had posed 60 questions to king Yudhishthira. The first question was -What is the biggest surprise in this world? [1] Yudhishthira had answered, saying -
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अहन्यहनि भूतानि गच्छन्तीह यमालयम् ।
शेषाः स्थिरत्वम इच्छन्ति किमाश्चर्यमतः परम्। |
ahanyahani bhūtāni gacchantīha yamālayam।
śeṣāḥ sthiratvama icchanti kimāścaryamataḥ param। |
"People see others die yet those who are left behind are assured that they won't die. There is no bigger surprise than this."
Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says, I will tell you a surprise, bigger than this.
There is incredible amount of disparity and diversity in this world. There are 8.4 million different life-forms [2] and in each of those life-forms there is further diversity. Let us look at the variety in just one life-form - human beings. Every human is different in every aspect - looks, intelligence etc. Even their finger prints are different! Despite astounding amounts of diversity there is one commonality between all of them. That is - Everyone wants happiness and happiness alone.
Take the example of an atheist - a disbeliever in God. What does he want - happiness, joy, peace, contentment, satisfaction.
And what does a genuine [3] saint want? He too wants happiness! Everyone wants happiness; regardless of caste, creed, religion, color, nationality etc. What to talk of human beings even plants, trees, animals, birds, insects want happiness! If you hold an insect it squirms, as if to say "Don’t hold me. I don’t want this pain of captivity and pressure on the body".
When you were born, what was the first thing you asked for? You asked for happiness. You might skeptically ask,"But how could I ask for happiness, when I couldn’t even speak?" It is true that you couldn’t speak. However, what was the first thing you did when you were born? You cried. Your cry was the first slogan to demand happiness. You cried, to relieve yourself of the pain experienced during the birthing process.
So, despite so much diversity in the world, everyone wants happiness. What could be a bigger surprise than this?
Did anyone ever train you or teach you to desire for happiness? On experiencing the slightest discomfort, the child cries. He is hungry he cries. He cannot speak but he wants happiness. He cries scores of times a day to put forth his demand for happiness. Since then, you have done a lot of things, acquired big academic degrees, gained expertise in various fields, accumulated a lot of wealth, acquired numerous items of luxury etc. Why? To attain happiness through them!
However, there is one bliss that God grants for free. That bliss is so big and unachievable that all the luxuries of the uncountable universes can't hold a candle to it. What is that bliss? That is the bliss of crossing over from the state of wakefulness to sleep. When you are trying to sleep, sleep, slee…and then you sleep. You had wanted to get married to this women for 10 years and finally got married. She is lying down next to you but the bliss that you attain when you enter the sleep mode, is such that you become oblivious of your beloved wife. God provides such immense bliss is for free.
The Vedas say –
Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says, I will tell you a surprise, bigger than this.
There is incredible amount of disparity and diversity in this world. There are 8.4 million different life-forms [2] and in each of those life-forms there is further diversity. Let us look at the variety in just one life-form - human beings. Every human is different in every aspect - looks, intelligence etc. Even their finger prints are different! Despite astounding amounts of diversity there is one commonality between all of them. That is - Everyone wants happiness and happiness alone.
Take the example of an atheist - a disbeliever in God. What does he want - happiness, joy, peace, contentment, satisfaction.
And what does a genuine [3] saint want? He too wants happiness! Everyone wants happiness; regardless of caste, creed, religion, color, nationality etc. What to talk of human beings even plants, trees, animals, birds, insects want happiness! If you hold an insect it squirms, as if to say "Don’t hold me. I don’t want this pain of captivity and pressure on the body".
When you were born, what was the first thing you asked for? You asked for happiness. You might skeptically ask,"But how could I ask for happiness, when I couldn’t even speak?" It is true that you couldn’t speak. However, what was the first thing you did when you were born? You cried. Your cry was the first slogan to demand happiness. You cried, to relieve yourself of the pain experienced during the birthing process.
So, despite so much diversity in the world, everyone wants happiness. What could be a bigger surprise than this?
Did anyone ever train you or teach you to desire for happiness? On experiencing the slightest discomfort, the child cries. He is hungry he cries. He cannot speak but he wants happiness. He cries scores of times a day to put forth his demand for happiness. Since then, you have done a lot of things, acquired big academic degrees, gained expertise in various fields, accumulated a lot of wealth, acquired numerous items of luxury etc. Why? To attain happiness through them!
However, there is one bliss that God grants for free. That bliss is so big and unachievable that all the luxuries of the uncountable universes can't hold a candle to it. What is that bliss? That is the bliss of crossing over from the state of wakefulness to sleep. When you are trying to sleep, sleep, slee…and then you sleep. You had wanted to get married to this women for 10 years and finally got married. She is lying down next to you but the bliss that you attain when you enter the sleep mode, is such that you become oblivious of your beloved wife. God provides such immense bliss is for free.
The Vedas say –
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यथा प्रियया स्तिया संपरिष्वक्तो न बाह्यं किञ्चन वेद नांतरम्।
एवमेवायं पुरुषः प्रज्ञेनात्मना संपरिष्वक्तो न बाह्यं किञ्चन वेद नांतरम्। बृहदा 4.3.21 |
yathā priyayā stiyā saṃpariṣvakto na bāhyaṃ kiñcana veda nāṃtaram।
evamevāyaṃ puruṣaḥ prajñenātmanā saṃpariṣvakto na bāhyaṃ kiñcana veda nāṃtaram। bṛhadā 4.3.21 |
"A very lustful man gets such immense pleasure on embracing his beloved that he becomes oblivious of his beloved. In the same way, the individual jiva gets such immense pleasure, when he crosses over from the awake mode to the sleep mode, he becomes oblivious to everything else". This is the time when the super soul-God embraces the jiva. In that state, if your son, who is dearer to you than life is lying next to you, burning with fever, happens to die, you are completely oblivious of the fact and enjoy you deep slumber.
Now there is a very wealthy man, who does not get proper sleep. He has to take sleeping pills to be able to sleep. Ask him "why does he want acquire so much wealth"? He says, "So I can sleep peacefully. After I make so much money, I will sleep in peace." So, happiness lies in a peaceful sleep. All this wealth is just a means to achieve that peaceful sleep. And God has granted that sleep, free of charge, just to show a sample of how much bliss is there in Him.
Then, imagine the joy you get, when you surrender to Him!!
A newborn's mother drops few drops of milk in the child’s mouth. When the child tastes the sweetness of the milk, he starts drinking it. Similarly, God grants us the bliss of sleep everyday, to inspire us to go to Him and be blissful forever. Bliss of sleep is a preview of the bliss of God. We do not understand that and keep aspiring for material objects one after the other. When the fact is that the bliss of sleep is much bigger than that of acquiring all material possessions.
So, God and happiness are one and the same and every jiva desires only for happiness. Why? Because jiva is a part of that personified happiness, called God.
As per natural law, a fraction wants to be one with its whole. The fraction has natural attraction towards its whole. That is why Valmiki wrote in the Valimiki Ramayan -
Now there is a very wealthy man, who does not get proper sleep. He has to take sleeping pills to be able to sleep. Ask him "why does he want acquire so much wealth"? He says, "So I can sleep peacefully. After I make so much money, I will sleep in peace." So, happiness lies in a peaceful sleep. All this wealth is just a means to achieve that peaceful sleep. And God has granted that sleep, free of charge, just to show a sample of how much bliss is there in Him.
Then, imagine the joy you get, when you surrender to Him!!
A newborn's mother drops few drops of milk in the child’s mouth. When the child tastes the sweetness of the milk, he starts drinking it. Similarly, God grants us the bliss of sleep everyday, to inspire us to go to Him and be blissful forever. Bliss of sleep is a preview of the bliss of God. We do not understand that and keep aspiring for material objects one after the other. When the fact is that the bliss of sleep is much bigger than that of acquiring all material possessions.
So, God and happiness are one and the same and every jiva desires only for happiness. Why? Because jiva is a part of that personified happiness, called God.
As per natural law, a fraction wants to be one with its whole. The fraction has natural attraction towards its whole. That is why Valmiki wrote in the Valimiki Ramayan -
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लोके न हि स विद्येत यो न राममनुव्रतः ॥
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loke na hi sa vidyet yo na raamamanuvratah
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"There cannot exist any living being, who is not a devotee of God". Why? Because God and happiness are one and everyone desires happiness. In other words, everyone desires for God. There are many who are obstinate or atheist and therefore they not call him God. Their logic is akin to someone addressing a person as "my mother’s husband" and not my father. Are they any different? Both mean the same thing. Someone calls Him Brahm, someone calls Him Parmatma, someone calls Him God, someone calls Him Khuda and someone calls Him Anand. All these are synonyms and refer to the same personaltiy.
So, we are a fraction of God
So, we are a fraction of God
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चिन्मात्रं श्री हरेरंशं सूक्ष्ममक्षरमव्ययम्॥
कृष्णाधीनमितिपाहुर्जीवं ज्ञानगुणाश्रयम्॥ वेद |
cinmātraṃ śrī hareraṃśaṃ sūkṣmamakṣaramavyayam॥
kṛṣṇādhīnamitipāhurjīvaṃ jñānaguṇāśrayam॥ veda |
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अंशो नाना व्यपदेशात्
बह्मसूत्र |
aṃśo nānā vyapadeśāt
bahmasūtra |
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ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः
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mamaivānśō jīvalōkē jīvabhūtaḥ sanātana
Bhagavad Gītā |
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ईश्वर अंश जीव अविनाशी, चेतन अमल सहज सुख राशी ।
रामायण |
īśvara aṃśa jīva avināśī, cetana amala sahaja sukha rāśī
Ramayan |
"Being part of happiness we desire happiness". Innately, we can desire only for happiness. Even after trying for millions of lifetimes we cannot desire unhappiness. What a big surprise!
Being part of happiness, everyone wants happiness, be it a genius, an uneducated person, an animal, bird, everyone. Every part wants to unite with its whole. Just as any object when dropped, falls towards the earth, to unite with its whole- the earth. Fire goes upwards towards the Sun, to unite with its whole-the sun. In the same way, the jiva naturally gravitates towards its whole – God. Now, due to ignorance they don't know that. That is topic for another time.
So, all the jiva, mobile (humans, animals, insects, birds etc.) or immobile (trees, plants etc.), even celestial beings want happiness because they are part of happiness (also called God).
Being part of happiness, everyone wants happiness, be it a genius, an uneducated person, an animal, bird, everyone. Every part wants to unite with its whole. Just as any object when dropped, falls towards the earth, to unite with its whole- the earth. Fire goes upwards towards the Sun, to unite with its whole-the sun. In the same way, the jiva naturally gravitates towards its whole – God. Now, due to ignorance they don't know that. That is topic for another time.
So, all the jiva, mobile (humans, animals, insects, birds etc.) or immobile (trees, plants etc.), even celestial beings want happiness because they are part of happiness (also called God).
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