OUT OF THIS WORLD

According to this BBC article , some social scientists now claim to be able to measure happiness simply by asking people how happy they are.

They have identified three vital ingredients for a happy life:

1. family and friends
2. religion or spirituality or philosophy of life
3. having goals embedded in your long term values that you’re working for, but also that you find enjoyable

Looking at my own life, I can see some truth in this. As a child I had a family but hardly any friends and I definitely had none of the other two ingredients. I was quite miserable. Then I took up Krishna consciousness and suddenly I had all of the happiness ingredients in full. Since then I have been happier.

However, as the article points out, in this world there are also ingredients or events that can lead to unhappiness. One moment a person may be happy and the next they are miserable and then they may become happy again until the next misfortune.

In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna advises Arjuna how to deal with this situation:

O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. Bg 2.14

O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation. Bg 2.15

The BBC article concludes that most people have a limited set range of happiness and “you can’t take a grouch and make him giggle all the time.” In other words, you are born with a certain allotment of happiness and you can’t do much about changing it. Therefore Krishna’s advice is appropriate. What is the use of becoming disturbed or elated about something you have so little control over?

There is, however, a different kind of happiness, beyond the limited set range that comes with our material bodies, that we can experience
in full, regardless of our material circumstances, and it is never-ending. I am talking about the spiritual happiness that comes through devotional service. As Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Bhagavad-gita 9.2:

“The process of devotional service is a very happy one (susukham). Why? Devotional service consists of sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23], so one can simply hear the chanting of the glories of the Lord or can attend philosophical lectures on transcendental knowledge given by authorized acaryas. Simply by sitting, one can learn; then one can eat the remnants of the food offered to God, nice palatable dishes. In every state devotional service is joyful. ”

Try it now by chanting

Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna
Hare Hare
Hare Rama
Hare Rama
Rama Rama
Hare Hare