What do all of us seek in life?

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What do all of us seek in life?

 

In this world different persons have different desires. One person longs for

promotion in his job, another wants to get married, another wants children,

another lot of wealth, and so on. But if we ask each of them why he/she wants

this, he/she will say, “It is because I feel that it will make me happyâ€. So

what everyone ultimately desires is happiness. It has therefore been said that

everything other than happiness is desired for the sake of getting happiness,

but happiness is desired for its own sake and not for the sake of any thing

else. Happiness is thus an end in itself. Vedanta says that this is because

happiness is our own real nature. The nature of water is to be cold. If it is

placed on fire it becomes hot, but if it is taken off it becomes cold again. It

goes back to its own nature. Similarly we always want to go to our own nature.

 

During the waking state we experience joy from various external objects and

events. We experience great happiness during sleep as is evident from the fact

that when a person gets up from sleep he says that he slept happily. This

happiness does not come from any external object. It is the happiness that is

our own nature that is experienced in sleep. However great may be the happiness

that one gets from external objects during the waking state, a time comes when

the person feels tired of them and wants to go to sleep. Therefore the happiness

in sleep is what is desired most by all. This is the happiness that is our own

nature.

 

If happiness is our nature, why is it not always experienced? That is

because the agitations in the mind prevent the happiness from manifesting

itself. When a person intensely desires something, his mind is agitated with

fears about whether his desire will be fulfilled or not. At such a time there

can be no happiness. But when the desired object is realized, the mind becomes

temporarily calm. Since there is nothing to prevent the manifestation of

happiness at such a time, the natural happiness manifests itself. The person

thinks that the happiness is due to the fulfillment of the desire, but it is

really due to the temporary calmness of the mind. Thus happiness does not come

from external objects or events, but happiness is experienced when the mind is

calm. Therefore the way to be always happy is to be free from desire, which

results in calmness of mind. This is the conclusion of Vedanta.

 

A person who has become totally free from desires and identification with

his body, mind and sense organs is a Jivanmukta-liberated even while living. He

is the very embodiment of supreme bliss.

 

Every one of us is Brahman even now, but we wrongly look upon ourselves as

the body-mind complex. Mukti or liberation is only the removal of this wrong

notion and the realization, as an actual experience, that we are Brahman and

not the attainment of any new state.

 

Best wishes to all,

S.N.Sastri