Thus Spake the Divine - Within and Outside

Thus Spake the Divine

"Within and Outside"

Why do people run in search of happiness external to him? In this and next Chapter Poojyasri Maha Periyava strikingly explains the need for a man to go in search of natural happiness which exists internally within himself.

Each one, who is born as a human being, keeps running helter-skelter irresistibly. But, why does he do so? It is only to fulfil his desires. He is attached to substances that are external to him. Even after accomplishing one desire, he is not satisfied as the pleasure derived out of it vanishes soon. Then he desires for something else. He runs in search of that substance. There is no peace for him at any point of time.

When one runs behind external substances with the motive that only on possessing them will there be pleasure and happiness, how will he ever get the peace of mind? What is external to us is not within our control; it might come or it might slip away. It might slip away from our hands right at the moment we think we have conquered it. It is impossible to obtain enduring happiness from something that exists outside of us. It is only a vain effort that spoils our own peace.

The reason for a human being to go in search of external happiness is that he himself is internally the embodiment of happiness. Since embodiment is internal, he cannot see that. That’s why he seeks happiness externally. It is the shadow of Maya that makes him forget that he himself is the embodiment of happiness. Since his nature itself is one of remaining happy, he is driven by the thought of seeking happiness. Is there anyone in the mankind, who goes in search of sorrows, instead of happiness? Not being able to realise that happiness is residing inside and not being able to experience and enjoy the same with a serene state of mind, the individual keeps searching for external happiness and thus spoils his own peace perennially. With the grace of Goddess, if one can engage in self-inquiry and meditation, he will become aware that he himself is the absolute happy substance.

If we compare a human being’s natural internal happiness to an ocean, the happiness that he obtains by running behind external substances is just a drop of water. If one becomes aware of this, then he would never seek happiness from external substances. He will enjoy his own existence and be an ocean of happiness. Even though the ocean remains in its own place without moving away from its banks, still the rivers go and plunge into the ocean, isn’t it? Similarly the desires would also plunge into Paramatma and fade away, just as the rivers that merge with the ocean vanish. As Gita says “The realised being will stand motionless with absolute serenity by becoming the ocean filled with absolute happiness and will spread all across tightly packed without having the space even to move.”

Even the happiness derived from the post of Indira (God of Heavens) is just a drop in the ocean of inner happiness, says Sri Acharya. When we exert our constant efforts to run behind the happiness derived from external substances, such as position, money, men and women, self-esteem, publicity etc., it is like we do not know that we are the ocean ourselves and yet yearn for one drop of water. It is absolutely wrong to feel sad that we are aggrieved owing to not getting the substance external to us. We should not have any grief at all! We have the absolute substance within our own selves. There is nothing called external at all, which is different from us. Whatever happiness is outside, the entire happiness is engrossed within us. Let anything external come to us, without us running behind it. We would absorb it as the ocean absorbs the rivers and accumulate it within what we already possess inside. Has nothing come? No problems! What do we lack if nothing comes to us? Whatever is there external is only a minute portion of the Paramatma, who exists within ourselves. We should try to live with this clarity.

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.

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