True Happiness is Independent of Cause
There is evidently a joy in being alive. How, then, is it that we suffer misery? The reason is that we become oblivious to the true objective of human life. We want things in order to make us happy, but instead of remaining the means they become the goal in life. All things in the world are perishable, impermanent, and therefore illusory. The gladness they bring is consequently, fleeting, momentary.
That everyone desires joyfulness is a clear indication that unification with God is a universal need; for God is the fountainhead and the storehouse of joy. We have contracted a habit of extracting joy from something; that is to say, keeping our joy dependent on something or other. Every person hankers for joy; but we seek to get it through the medium of prapancha, that is, through a medium fraught with misery. We should therefore learn to extract joy which exists by itself, not because of something else. Joy which comes because of something must necessarily be short-lived, because that something is itself short-lived.
In order to acquire supreme, causeless beatitude, one should practise to sit quiet, silent, actionless, for a while. This kind of purposelessness is really a very high achievement, far superior to being active. It is, indeed, far more difficult than action; for it signifies total unison with the Cosmic Spirit, complete annihilation of the pride of doership.
If you keenly yearn to be happy, then learn to be happy under all circumstances. If a desired thing does come about, you may feel contented, but not rapturous. Conversely, suppose there is someone who delights in vexing us; our reaction should not be one of annoyance; our joy should continue unbroken. To be doing our duty happily, unexpectantly, in the awareness of God, is the hall-mark of a fruitful human life.
Trust not people who try to dislodge your faith in nama. Listen not to sterile philosophy. Every repetition of nama is a reminder of God; so consider nama as the be-all and end-all of life. The omnipotence of nama will become apparent only to those who repeat it ceaselessly. Pilgrimages to holy places or to saints are not for acquiring material ends, but for acquiring undisturbable satisfaction, and nama-smarana is the infallible means to it.
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