How to be Happy in Life? | Learn This One Secret to Find Real Happiness by Swami Mukundanand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM 1 The biggest belief that we will establish within ourselves is in regard to happiness where are we convinced we can get true happiness. That one decision will determine the trajectory of our life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=0 2 If somebody firmly believes that happiness is in money, his entire energy his entire effort is spent in the pursuit of earning money, if somebody believes that happiness is in achieving prestige and things then that is where his entire energy goes, if somebody believes happiness is in God then he strives to know and love God so this puzzle regarding happiness needs to be solved to put our life in the proper course https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=18 3 there was once a crew that became unhappy about his state, he thought I have this dark and ugly color, if I were a swan I would be white coloured and so happy the crew went to the swan and said mr. swan you must be the happiest bird in contrast to me, you have this milk white color the swan said mr. crow I thought I should be happy until I saw the parrot and then I realized I am a single colored bird he is a double colored bird, he is the one who must be happy the crow then went on to meet the parrot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=66 4 and he said mr. parrot you have this green color given to you by God and you also have a tinge of red in certain places, these two colors of yours in contrast to my single dye color, you must be a very happy bird, the parrot said I thought I was happy until I saw the peacock and the luscious platter of colors of the peacock’s tail that made me really miserable, the crow in his search for the secret of happiness then continued and found a peacock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=122 5 he said mr. peacock, God has created you with great affection he has filled your tail blumes with such rich violets and Indigos and greens and blues you must be really happy bird, the peacock said mr. crow, I thought I should be happy but because of all those colors I was put into the zoo, if I did not have such attractive colors, then I would have been a free bird, the crow then realized nobody seems to be happy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=163 6 What then is the secret of happiness ? According to our Vedas, there is one kind of happiness that degrades you, if you run after it, it pulls you down and there is another kind of happiness that uplifts you. The first kind of happiness is called "preya" and the second kind of happiness is called "shreya". The Kathopnishad states"verse" if you run after "shreya" your life will become auspicious and blessed but if you run after "preya" it will be a pathway to hell, what is "preya" and what is "shreya". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=210 7 "preya"is that happiness which seems to be extremely sweet right now but later on it turns bitter like poison - like for example if you choose to have a third helping of the ice-cream to satiate (satisfy) the tastebuds of the palate (tongue), it is sweet no doubt but later on after a few years when your cholesterol has started increasing and the arteries start getting clogged, you realize, oh my god, this is the cause of untold suffering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=281 8 and on the other hand shreya is that happiness which is bitter right now but later on it becomes very sweet - like for example if you have to get up in the morning and spend 40 minutes doing your yoga asanas, it's not so pleasing to the mind, however it bestows you good health and a comfortable long life, so shreya seems to be bitter in the present and that is why the mind seeks to run away from it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=325 9 This is the enigma (puzzle) of life, things which are beneficial are often difficult and things that are enjoyable in the present are often harmful. I remember when I was a child, I would often think at the age of seven or eight, why is it that all the tasty things are bad for health and things that are good for health are not tasty there is a saying in Hindi “आमले का खाया और बड़ों का कहा बाद में पता चलता है” Amla is the Indian gooseberry, it has the vitamin C of ten oranges plus it is rich in antioxidants, so naturally if you eat the Amla it will build up your body immunity, your chances of catching a cold or virus will reduce by 95%, if you have an Amla every day but the catch is that the fresh Amla is bitter to taste and when the mother offers the Amla to her child the child resists, at that time the mother says, my child the benefits of this you will realize later on, interestingly if you keep the Amla in your mouth for just a few minutes that bitterness turns into sweetness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=375 10 in regard to shreya happiness, there is a Sanskrit verse "the student who runs after immediate happiness will have to reject knowledge and one who is a Vidyarthi, the seeker of knowledge, will have to reject immediate happiness. Similarly in life, the good things always lie upstream, in other words to reach them, we need to embrace discipline, austerity, hardship and the mind rebels against it. If you listen to the mind, there's a good chance you will make a wrong decision. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=470 11 I was once travelling in an Indian bus and there was a clam (someone who is secretive, silent, or uncommunicative) who came and sat on the next seat I did not realize it at that time, when we both got off on the same bus stand, he started walking, I found that he had a high-heeled sandal on one foot and the other foot was bare, so he was limping along, I thought poor guy he's suffering so much, I asked the clam, have you lost a sandal ? he said no baba ji, I have found a sandal, he unnecessarily brought misery onto himself, he found the sandal he didn't have to wear it but by wearing it he has become miserable, so similarly when we choose happiness in the wrong place that becomes the cause of our miseries hence with our intellect we need to analyze and understand where is the real happiness that will satisfy me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=535 12 one disciple went to his guru he was in the pursuit of happiness, so he sold off all his possessions made a bundle of his little treasures and along with that money came to the guru and said guru dev I am a seeker of happiness, can you explain to me how I will become happy ? the guru snatched the bundle from his hand and started running, the disciple thought I had come to find happiness and I have lost my lifetime treasures, at least let me get these back, so he chased his guru in hot pursuit, now the guru would keep ducking into the side lanes and the disciple was quickly after him, finally after two kilometres the disciple caught up with the guru and snatched the bundle back, the Guru said are you happy now ? the disciple said yes, the guru said, look, happiness is not in these objects, you had the object earlier also, you were not happy and now that you have it, you are happy, the happiness that you experienced was merely the satiation (satisfaction) of the desires, the pain that the desire had created was eliminated and you are thinking I am happy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=612 13 The real happiness is in God "verse" Taitriyopanishad says that God is the ocean of happiness and upon reaching Him, we will become truly happy, so how will we reach God ? very simple, when we cleanse our hearts, when we purify our mind, in other words real happiness will only be experienced by growing from within, by becoming a better person from inside, if we can understand this one important point, then rather than running around for external enhancements, we will give priority in our life for internal growth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=707 14 think about it, many of you may be in your forties or fifties, you have been running for external progress for so many lifetimes, what priority have you accorded in your life for inner growth and because that inner growth has not taken place the external progress is not leading to fulfillment. Now reverse the priority, give more importance to the inner victories, make it your primary value in life to become a better person and the better we become from inside, the closer we will find we are to genuine happiness that satisfies you soon. So let us establish this full conviction within ourselves that to be happy, it's not that we need tremendous amount of money or fame or titles or houses etc. - all we need is to become better people - when that is our conviction, when that is our faith and our belief, then the trajectory of our life will be auspicious will be beneficial, will be uplifting & will be sublime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN0ae0xhlVM&t=782 Standby link (in case youtube link does not work) How to be Happy in Life Learn This One Secret to Find Real Happiness Swami Mukundananda JKYog.mp4