Magic pill for happiness

MAINTAINING OUR SPRITIUAL STRENGHT

We eat daily to gain strength. It’s not that you just eat on monday and comeback the next sunday to eat again. You have to regularly nourish yourself, or else you get weak. Similarly,reading scriptures everyday, regular association with people who uplift us is all important, and regular connection with the Lord of our heart is critical for maintaining our spiritual strength.

People often wish, naively though, for a life free of problems. Our desire for eternal happiness is not unnatural; the soul is by constitution, sat cit ananda, eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. However our attempts to seek this happiness are often beset with unrealistic expectations. We foolishly think our body or mind will provide us the much needed bliss. This hope is thwarted time and again for the body by definition is temporary. We can experience eternal happiness when we connect our eternal souls to the eternal spiritual principles through bonafide spiritual practices and the knowledge for our true nature by reading holy scriptures like Bhagavad Geeta and Srimad Bhagvatam

PERSISTENCE IN PRACTISE

The unfortunate irony is even spiritual practitioners sometimes get discouraged when they encounter challenges, temptations, and obstacles on their path. At such times we need to remember the magic formula for eternal happiness; ‘persistence in practise’. Chanting God’s names every day, reading through the scriptures regularly, and constant association of those people who inspire us makes spiritual life very simple. Thus it’s the consistency in our practises that’s the magic pill of happiness.

INSPIRING STORY OF A GRANDFATHER AND GRANDSON

An old Vaishnava Devotee lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Bhagavad Gita. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, 'Grandpa! I try to read the Bhagavad Gita just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Bhagavad Gita do?'

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, 'Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.' The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house.

The Grandfather laughed and said, 'You'll have to move a little faster next time,' and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, 'I don't want a bucket of water, I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough,' and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, 'See Grandpa, it's useless!'

'So you think it is useless?' The old man said, 'Look at the basket.'

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

The Grandfather said softly, 'Son, that's what happens when you read the Bhagavad Gita. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out.

And this is the reason why we should read  Bhagavad Gita!

Same example can be extrapolated to chanting. Very often, we may not realize why we're chanting. Or we may not 'feel' the benefits of chanting. But constantly, although subtly it purifies us... :)

ON THE HOLY DAY OF EKADASHI,LET US AGAIN REVIVE OUR ENTHUSIASM FOR DAILY SPRITIUAL PRACTICES.

Thank you very much

Ys

Aarti