By: Vijay Kumar Verma, Editor-ICN Group
Just who on earth does not want to be happy. Not only that we all are always trying to be happy, day in and day out. The efforts alas are targetted towards materialistic possessions.
On a most common chartered path one thinks if he gets admission to a particular course and then gets employed or start his business and then gets married and then get a son and then own a house, then a vehicle, all furnishings, all modern and electronic gadgets and so on so forth to be happy. The happiness is chased with the worldly achievements. But could we become happy after amassing all these worldly riches and possessions?
The question always remained the same. Along all these possessions we have gathered the ills of attachments, the problems of maintenence, the irks of poor services and what not. And one has simultaneously also acquired deseases like BP, Sugar, Hypertension, ulcers, gastric etc. Rather the more one tries to be worldly wise and happy the more one keeps drowning into the mud, the soft soil. And the more he moves to come out of this, the quick sand keeps giving way under his feet.
And when the same question is asked again, the reply is still in the negative. Rather it can never be in affirmative. The situation has worsened so much, he laments, that the doctors have restricted even his diet to soups and boiled vegetables and oil free, spice less, tasteless foods. Can’t move without support, without escorts, without medicines, vitamin supplements and mood elevaters, boosters. Earlier atleast he was able to eat his stomach full with whatever food he liked and would relish the street food he got.
This happiness indeed proves to be a mirage. The more one runs after it, the more it drifts away. In fact we get the mirage type feelings in worldly possessions.
Someone was feeling thirsty. He was running for water. He was told that there is a pond of fresh water close to him. He sees the pond but the water is not visible to him. It is covered with a green sloth. He is not able to appreciate water underneath. The green sloth is in fact his ignorance that covers the inner happiness hidden within. At a little distance he sees water and runs towards it. But there is no water but mirage created by rays of sun. He continues running asunder and dies of thirst.
Similarly God has provided a pot full of happiness within us. But we are not able to realise it due to ignorance. In the wordly possessions there is a feeling of satisfaction and happiness. But this all is mirage.
And that this eternal happiness can only be realised from within. Once we start feeling cut off from the external happiness, we will realise it’s worthlessness. The way a child realises the worthlessness of small toys as he grows up, and amuses on seeing other kids running for them, we too will feel like that as we grow up spiritually.
TO BE CONTINUED. …
