Happiness and Sorrow

Sri Shirdi Saibaba

Happiness and sorrow are delusions. They are the fog which covers up and hides the reality. What we feel are the pleasures of this world are not truly its pleasures. Examine this aspect closely. Many people commit mistakes in understanding these aspects. It is by the prarabdha karma that one gets delicious food to eat while another gets dry bread to eat. The one who gets dry bread may be plunged in sorrow. Another may get merely the dry crust of the stale bread. The man who got the delicious food to eat will think that he has everything and lacks nothing. One may eat delicious food or one may eat rice with pickle. It is merely to assuage hunger and to fill the stomach. Some may wear costly shawls with jeweled embroidery. Some may cover their skin with rags. The purpose is to cover the skin. Beyond this basic use there no further use for these things.

It is ignorance to give importance to happiness or sorrow. If the mind is an ocean, the waves of sorrow and happiness are always rising and falling in that ocean. What you feel as sorrow and happiness are not real. They are mere delusions caused by your infatuation with the body. You may have a doubt here. Waves are present only if water is present. Light is present only if a lamp is present. So there must be a causal factor for the birth of these notions such as happiness and sorrow. What is it? It is the six enemies such as lust, anger, covetousness, delusion, pride and envy which is the basis for the experience of happiness and sorrow in this world. The form of the waves is delusion. It makes the truth seem a lie; and a lie seems as the truth. When a poor man sees gold in the hand of a rich man, he feels envious. Then the wave of envy starts in his mind. He gets the feeling, "That gold should be in my hand." The moment he gets this feeling, another wave of greed starts in his mind. First, we have to conquer our six enemies. Once they are conquered, they cannot do anything to start these waves. We should place our knowledge as the superior officer over these enemies. Over knowledge, we should place discrimination as the supervising officer. If we successfully achieve this, there will be no further pain of happiness and sorrow for us.

Mukti is true happiness. To take birth and die is true sorrow. Any other happiness or sorrow is a mere delusion.

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It is natural for each organ to feel attraction or aversion in respect of objects pertaining to each sense. Do not come under their sway, for they are enemies of all spiritual aspirants. - Srimad Bhagavad Gita