Day: December 7, 2024

Swami ji said…

If someone were to ask us as to how many times in a day do we feel , find and see ourselves in a genuine state of happiness – what would our answer in all honesty be ? How many of us could spontaneously answer – ” I am happy most of the time ? ” ” I find many reasons to smile in a day ! ” And , at the same time, how many of us could look around sheepishly and say – ” I find it difficult to stay
happy…” ” I don’t see much to be happy about …” But, what if, the number of people looking sheepish – exceeds the number of those who answered spontaneously ? If, so, then it is an attitude, a mindset that needs to be corrected immediately.

Why do we find it difficult to be ‘unconditionally’ happy these days ? Most of us can recall the joyful faces of our parents and grand – parents – who lived life in a contented and happy manner. They didn’t have too many expectations from life ; were very grateful with what life would bring to them.Their carefree attitude showed their deep belief in God and His plans for them…”
वह जिस भी हालात मैं रहते थे, उसी मैं सुख देखते थे और खुश रहते थे …”

But , if , we were to see the state of the majority of us – in the present time – we would see a sharp decline in our mindset , temperament and attitude. Rather than being happy – at the reality of being ‘alive’ and enjoy the gift of life ; grateful to get an opportunity to inhale that breath of fresh air that God has allowed us to breathe – in that present moment of our lives – we let that precious moment pass by, instead, in worrying about things and issues over which we have no control and which apart from causing frowns and lines of worry on our faces – can do nothing good for us. As after all , what we see is a person with a face – that doesn’t come across as too pleasant, when seen, both – by others or us. Do the regrets of the past and anxieties of the future – deprive us of enjoying the beauty of the present moment ? Our past is our past. We cannot change it – but we can certainly heal by smiling in the present time, looking at a better future. Has – being unhappy – looking for reasons to stay unhappy – become a natural way of living life these days ? Have the demands and pressures of today’s life eroded the very foundation of happiness ? Is it that only ‘more’ of everything – gives us happiness – and when desires are unfulfilled and not met – worry and unhappiness – takes over us completely ?

But , unfortunately, these days – it appears that we have to hunt for reasons to find that elusive happiness ? Unhappiness, on the other hand – seems to be readily available – at the snap of our fingers. If we try to analyse the reasons that cause us unhappiness – make us feel sad and depressed – we would be taken aback to realise that the majority of the ‘reasons’ arise from external happenings. Occurances , instances and events that happen outside of us – which give us unending reasons to remain unhappy.

” हमने जो अपनी यह ये एक सोच बना ली है कि खुश रहने के लिए हमे बहारी चीज़ों पर निर्भर होना पड़ता है …” – is a creation of our fickle mind, and, we, have thus, unfortunately,
come to a conclusion that happiness comes with a cost attached to it. We need to remind ourselves all the time – that happiness doesn’t involve any expenditure. It comes without a price tag – unlike unhappiness – that affects our health severely.

At times , we feel agitated and upset over issues as worthless and trivial – as to what ‘others’ think about ‘us’. Why do we give undue importance to this foolish notion – is known only to us. We should be very clear in our mind – that what others think of us – should not matter to us – as long as we know we are on the right path – but , we still unnecessarily , make it our business. Our mind is not only filled, but , in a way , plagued by what others think of us. Why don’t they like us ? Why do they look with such malice at us ? What makes them feel that way about us – despite all that we’ve done to make them feel valued and important – are the needless doubts that keep on churning in our mind – wiping out all traces of happiness from within us.

We have formed a firm opinion in our mind that our life will be exactly the way we want it to be. And not every situation in life will turn out the way we want it to be. Life’s pattern can change in an instant. But, nothing – absolutely nothing – should ever take away from us – the sense of calm – that only happiness can bring to us.