HAPPINESS THROUGH CONTENTMENT

Kinkar Vitthal Ramanuja

One of the easiest ways to obtain freedom from tensions is to adopt an attitude of contentment. Sage Patanjali, in his important work, Yoga Sutras (2/42), declares: You must try for the best in your material and spiritual pursuits, but gracefully accept whatever God grants according to your fate. The best judges in prestigious matches honour good players with grand prizes. The players usually accept these prizes rather cheerfully.

On the other hand, when the umpires and referees in these great matches sometimes show the players, the Yellow or sometimes the Red Card, for some fault or the other, it is common etiquette or good sense to check oneself with good humour without any protest or delay. Similarly, or more importantly, when the Universal Umpire or Referee (the Almighty), shows us the Yellow or Red Card through some unpleasant judgment in the shape of adverse fate, it is our divine duty to honour the ruling peacefully, and pray or wait for His next judgment, which may not be so severe. This is because He is not only All-Powerful, but He is also All-Merciful. This equanimity of mind in success and failure, accomplishment or disappointment, reputation and condemnation, is the richest yoga, says the Gita.

Happiness and sorrow appear in the life of a human being in cyclical order. If today brings happiness, tomorrow might usher in sorrow. Regardless of his position, great emperor or poor peasant, no one is exempt from these vagaries. When some happiness comes your way, accept it as the grace of God or the fruit of virtuous deeds and live devoid of ego. Likewise, when sorrow comes your way, it must be gracefully accepted as a fruit of some sinful deed and the Lord’s admonition for the same. In this way, one must try to be of cheerful disposition amid success and failure, accomplishment or disappointment, reputation and condemnation, health or disease. Such poise is an excellent spiritual practice.

Let’s ponder. Actually who is the one who experiences happiness or sorrow? The Mahabharata, an epic from Vedic history, declares: In English literature John Milton writes in Paradise Lost, Book I, ‘Mind has its own place and by itself can make a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven.’ This shows the significant position of the mind in human life – for it is capable of transforming hell into heaven and vice versa.

One often sees that a common man, despite lacking several things, lives contentedly in what is ordained by providence, while a wealthy person is often discontent despite all his riches. Actually, only the person who learns to be content in all circumstances is able to enjoy a peaceful mental disposition. He is able to live without any tensions, experiencing God’s grace in all circumstances.

In Srimad Bhagawat, another Vedic epic, Sri Uddhava asks Sri Krishna:

Lord Krishna replies: He who is possessed of virtue (and wisdom), is truly wealthy and he who is discontented the true destitute (poor).

One of the easiest ways to be peaceful is to forget all the sorrows of life and focus on all the good things and plus points which fortune has bestowed upon us and to thank God for His infinite kindness and grace. If you will but reflect with a calm mind, it will be clear to you that no matter how unfortunate and unhappy a person may be, there is something he possesses (through unique providence), which others do not. In general, in every person’s life and in every family’s circumstances, there is some peculiarity or a characteristic difference – one must attempt to think of this uniqueness as a blessing and be happy, always cultivating a cheerful disposition. With this you can transform your mired life into a veritable heaven. This is the way to give a positive (and optimistic) spin to your negative thoughts and transform your troubles and sorrows into bliss and joy. This is contentment in the truest sense of the term.

 Home   Ψ   Issue Index