How to find true peace and happiness?

Happiness is the one and only thing every living being desires, and yet there is such variation and variety found everywhere else in this world. There are 8.4 million forms that a soul can enter and they are all unique. Some reside in water, some in the air, and some on the earth. Some are born from a womb, some from eggs, some from moisture and some from the earth. Out of 7.6 billion people on Earth today, not even two have the same features or identical fingerprints. Isn’t it astonishing!

Regardless of this fact, all embodied beings desire only happiness. Why? Have we never experienced happiness? Yes indeed. We experience it from sense objects too. We saw something with our eyes and felt happy. We heard something with our ears and felt happy. We tasted something and felt happy. This is our daily experience, and it is an undeniable fact. Our scriptures and great masters, however, tell us that this happiness has two major defects.

Firstly, it is limited. There is always a greater happiness beyond our current experience, and when you become aware of it, your current level of happiness finishes. A person gets a motorcycle and while riding it he feels happy. When a car passes him and its tire hits a puddle of water, throwing mud all over him, he thinks, “What is the use of this motorcycle! If only I had a car… “ The initial joy of owning a motorcycle has now come to an end.

Our experience is that this happens in every area of happiness. When you see happiness you consider better than your own, your current happiness ends. So what we actually desire is unlimited happiness, a happiness beyond which there is no greater happiness.

Secondly, the happiness we desire should always remain. Worldly happiness steadily decreases and eventually ends altogether. A mother’s son is missing and she is in a state of great distress. Her anxiety causes her to be awake all night. Finally, her son was located and returned to her. She embraces her child with great joy. She hugged him a second time, but now her happiness was reduced somewhat. A third hug produced less happiness and by the fourth hug, she says, “Now go outside and play, I have work to do.”

Why does this happiness reduce? The very thing that was once a source of happiness becomes a source of sorrow. The answer is that what we actually desire is happiness which is unlimited and remains forever. Every living being, from an ant to the creator, Brahma all desire happiness, because each and every living being is a part of God, who is the embodiment of unlimited everlasting happiness.

How to find this true happiness? We possess only one mind. It can be engaged either in the world or in God. Your true goal of achieving peace and unlimited divine happiness lies only in God. Practise to withdraw your mind from the world that is full of sorrow and suffering and attach it to God, who is the embodiment of bliss. Initially, it may be difficult but with practice it will happen.

In the beginning, you need to withdraw your mind from the world again and again and attach it to God forcibly. Gradually it will get absorbed naturally. So replace all your worldly desires or divert them towards God. This is the only way to rid yourself of the disease of desire. Over time and with constant practice you will begin to experience spiritual happiness.

Once you start experiencing this special Divine bliss, your mind will become absorbed in contemplation of God to such an extent that one day you will even openly challenge God, like Saint Surdas, who challenged the Lord, “O Shyamsundar! You claim to be all-powerful, but I will only believe You if You have the power to leave my heart,” and the Lord had to accept defeat. God is bound by Love in such a way that He cannot leave his devotee.

In this way, practise replacing all your worldly desires with the desire for God, the embodiment of infinite bliss. Your mind will then become engrossed in God and you can then taste the ever increasing sweetness and blissfulness of God’s unlimited Divine Love for eternity.

By Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

Credits: Spirituality in Daily Living

*A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharajji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (‘Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World’) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957 by ‘Kashi Vidvat Parishad’ (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like ‘Prem Ras Madira’, ‘Prem Ras Siddhant’, and ‘Radha Govind Geet’ to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include  -  Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh,  Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharajji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education.