The universal fact that every action – whether of self-denial or indulgence; whether for the sake of oneself or others; whether good or bad, done consciously or unconsciously – is done with the sole aim of gaining happiness in the present or future. Happiness is the single goal of every human being irrespective of caste, creed, religion, gender, age or nationality. In the Seventh Chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, Sanatkumars share a definition of happiness with their elder brother, Sage Narada: यो वै भूमा तत्सुखं नाल्पे सुखमस्ति भूमैव सुखं भूमा त्वेव विजिज्ञासितव्य इति [- छान्दोग्य उपनिषद् ७.२३.१] yo vai bhūmā tatsukhaṁ nālpe sukhamasti bhūmaiva sukhaṁ bhūmā tveva vijijñāsitavya iti [- Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.23.1] (Sanatkumara) “That which is infinite is alone happiness. There is no happiness in anything finite. The Infinite alone is happiness. But one must desire to understand the Infinite.” If we were to ask How much happiness do we want? the universal answer would be I want to be happy forever, everywhere and I want maximum happiness from everything. However, we experience that joyful experiences themselves are fleeting. Moreover, they create a craving for more, fear of loss, attachment, dependence – which are painful. In the above mantra it is said that the Truth (Self) that is infinite (bhūmā) alone is blissful. Infinity is not a number. It is not the addition or multiplication of numbers – infinity is all inclusive. There is nothing equal to It, so there is no question of anything greater than It in magnitude or value. One cannot say: “I have had infinite joy, now I want something more.” The unconditional, eternal, and absolute happiness we seek is nothing but the infinite Truth. The nation seeking political freedom, the child wanting unrestricted movement, the teenager rebelling against parental rules, the youth wanting to be economically self-reliant or the labourer taking to strikes for more pay – are all expressions of ultimately seeking infinite happiness
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 12:51:19 +0000
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