HAPPY

When it comes to happiness, the natural question would be: If it can’t be found outside oneself, can it be found within oneself and can it be permanent?

The great sages who have experienced this joy and happiness have gone on record to say that – ‘That’ happiness is an ecstasy, which is so beautiful and all embracing that one feels like sharing it with the entire humanity.

Once, having experienced this happiness, life becomes joyful. Then, every little thing is full of joy. The dewdrop in the morning, the breeze that gently blows replete with the scent of jasmines, the fragrance of the earth after the first rain, the snow-clad peak of a distant mountain, the laughter of a child, the song of the peasant. All of this, though previously unnoticed, begins to impart a superior joy.

Everything becomes a festival of joy and the root of this lies within oneself. It is when the inner being becomes happy, that the world becomes full of joy for us. We can take the example of musk deer to illustrate humankind’s pursuit of happiness. Usually found in the Himalayal regions, the deer has the musk gland underneath its skin. In the breeding season, this musk gland exudes a substance with a lovely perfume to attract the female deer. The poor male deer goes around searching for the source of this perfume in the forest, poking its nose amongst thorns and not finding it. The deer with the bloodied nose doesn’t realise the perfume was coming from its own body all the while. So there we are!

This is the most perfect example for our search for happiness. We search all over the world, forgetting that happiness is resident within us and, only when it is found within us, that we derive the complete satisfaction. Reaching Aatman by practicing Sadhana is finding happiness from within one self.

But apart from all this yogic practices, how can a worldly person attain permanent happiness?

Simplicity is the actual key for finding happiness. Worldly person see happiness as anything that gives pleasure to the materialistic needed body and mind. But the problem with this is it does not last forever. This is the first insight that Indian spirituality got thousands of years ago that pleasure does not last after some time we need more and more of it and in different ways otherwise we won't get the same pleasure. Now going for the next permanent source of happiness which is people finding happiness in their work or career or hobby, for instance a wood worker's work is actually strength demanding and tiring but he feels happy doing that work. He would rather choose to wood work inspite watching a serial about wood work. Earn for the work that we like do is like we are getting paid for that work which we would actually do for free,  just because we feel happy to do that work. This is more lasting and deeper sense of finding pleasure. Now there is one more way for permanent happiness which is "Meaning in Life" beyond engagement with work which is doing something for others without the expectation of getting something in return may it be donating knowledge to the society or wealth or anything. Although we can't measure all the three ways on the same plane but finding happiness in work, career and meaning in life gives more deeper and deeper happiness and satisfaction.

It is not impossible to be permanent happy in life neither it is possible but here the development of the source of it makes a great change. 

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