The Most Astonishing Thing In This World
A true knower of spiritual philosophy says to a spiritual aspirant,
Listen to me attentively. What do you desire? I will tell you. You only desire happiness. That happiness is divine, everlasting, and spiritual. Happiness related to the world is mayic, that is, it is material, temporary, and constantly decreasing. These flaws exist in worldly happiness, regardless of whether it is the happiness in the celestial abodes or on Earth. The soul has never been satisfied by this happiness. Countless lives have passed, and you have gone to the celestial abodes countless times. You have even attained the seat of Indra, the king of the celestial abodes. Imagine, such an elevated position! But lust, anger, greed, delusion, envy, and sorrow have still not left you. You are still experiencing mental, physical, and environmental pain. You have been wandering in the 8.4 million species of life.
Thus, you do not want worldly happiness because you have received it uncountable times. If such happiness was genuine happiness, your desires would have ended. Your pursuit of happiness would be over. So, the happiness you truly desire is God. God and happiness are synonyms. You can say happiness, or you can say God.
anando brahmeti vyajanat . . . (Taittiriya Upanishad 3.6)
Happiness is God. This verse states, “God is happiness.” It does not state that happiness is within God. I repeat, it does not say happiness lies in God. Happiness is God. God is happiness. That is what it says. There is another Vedic verse:
raso vai saha . . . (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.7)
“He is divine bliss.” In other words, He is happiness. It does not say that bliss is in Him. If so, then it would say, raso vai tasmin. But it does not say this. raso vai saha, He is bliss, and by attaining Him, the soul becomes blissful.
Therefore, when people say that bliss is in God, it is just a manner of speaking. God and happiness are not two different entities. If we were to say that happiness is in God, it would mean that happiness and God are two separate entities. Consider the example of a rasgulla. There is a ball made of cheese. When it is placed in a sweet syrup it becomes a rasgulla. The sweet syrup is something different from the ball of cheese. When the syrup soaks into the cheese ball, we call it a rasgulla. But saying that happiness is something different, something which has merged into God, and that happiness resides in God, this is not correct.
ananda evadhastat ananda . . .
Happiness is to God’s south, north, east, west, as well as below and above Him. He is full of happiness alone. That is God. Saying happiness is in God is just a manner of speaking and is used to explain. But it is incorrect. Happiness itself is God. This is correct. In this way, God and happiness are synonymous terms.
Now, what is the most astonishing thing in this world? Yudhisthira answered this question. “Every day people die and leave this world. Yet, those still alive think, ‘I will not die any time soon.’ Nothing is more astonishing than this.” But I say no. I will tell you something even more astonishing. What is that?
Diversity exists throughout this world. God intentionally created this world full of diversity. There are 8.4 million species of life, all various types. The physical appearance of every human is different. Their intellects vary. Their fingerprints are different. So much diversity! Nevertheless, everyone desires happiness alone. There is no difference in this regard.
Ask an atheist, one who insults God, “What do you want?” “Bliss, peace, happiness, enjoyment to the fullest, complete contentment.” Ask a renunciate, “You keep reciting God’s name, what do you want?” “I am seeking bliss.” Everyone desires happiness! They may be Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish; whatever. Even birds, animals, worms, and insects desire happiness. For example, when you pick up a worm, it squirms in pain. It thinks, “Why are you grabbing me? I want happiness. I do not want this pain of being grabbed.” Similarly, when all of you were born, what was the first thing that you did? You asked for happiness. “How could I ask for happiness when I did not know how to speak?” No. You knew how to ask. What does every human do at birth? He cries. The very first thing he does is cry. When the baby cries, the mother is happy. “Oh, he is alive. Everything is fine.” But if the baby does not cry, then the mother will cry. “Why is he not crying? Is he dead?” What does the baby’s crying mean? It means, “I do not want the pain I experienced being born. I want happiness!” Thus, he is releasing his pain by crying. In other words, he is searching for happiness. This was your very first demand. “Give me happiness! I do not want this pain!”
So, diversity is everywhere in this world, and yet, everyone only wants happiness. What could be more astonishing than this? Did someone teach us to desire happiness? No. One desires happiness at birth. If there is even a little pain, a baby cries. When he feels hungry, he cries. The poor baby cannot speak, but he wants happiness. He expresses this 50 times a day by crying.
Since then, you gained great capabilities and degrees. You gained great wealth and prosperity. What for? For happiness . . .
An excerpt from a discourse originally given in Hindi by:
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj
15 November 2002
