Happiness & Desires

dhyāyato viṣayān puḿsaḥ sańgas teṣūpajāyate sańgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ‘bhijāyate	While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.
(SriMadbhagavad Gita 2.62)

It’s true that we all want to be happy. We are also ready to pay the price for the same. We are always eager to spend whatever we have to buy our happiness in whatever manner that it may be available to us. Whether in the form of a beautiful dress, a super gadget, a beautiful house or even fine evening with our friend or partner. But the point is, is it going to make us happy. You’ll say, YES it will and I AGREE, surely it will. But the question is what the price of happiness is for me? Because it can come for as cheap as 2 ice creams on the sea side or it can cost me a fortune for the bungalow in the hill.

I heard a story when I was very small. There was a boy, whose family was very wealthy. One day his father took him on a trip to the country, where he aimed to show his son, how poor people live. So they arrived to a farm of a very poor family, as he considered. They spent there several days. On their return, the father asked his son, did he like the trip.

“Oh, it was great, dad” – the boy replied. “Did you notice how poor people live?” “Yeah, I did“- said the boy. The father asked his son to tell in more details about his impressions from their trip.

“Well, we have only one dog, and they have four of them. In our garden there is a pool, while they have a river that has no end. We‘ve got expensive lanterns, but they have stars above their heads at night. We have the patio, and they have the whole horizon. We have only a small piece of land, while they have the endless fields. We buy food, but they grow it. We have high fence for protection of our property, and they don‘t need it, as their friends protect them.”

The father was stunned. He could not say a word.

Then the boy added: “Thank you, dad, for letting me see how poor we are.”

So we see that Happiness is a state of fulfilment of desires and the same will vary from person to person and from time to time. Therefore it is the desires which are important, it is what matters the most because the fulfilment of desires will result in happiness and being happy is what we ultimately crave for. It is very relative in its disposition and by virtue of this it has very less price and it is very priceless at the same time. The same thing which can make me very happy because I have a very strong desire for it may not be able to make you happy because you do not desire it. 

One thing which we are always made to understand ever since we are born is that we should not desire what we cannot afford. This thought in itself opposes the basic premise of life which is to grow. By the time we grow up we become so conditioned to this thought that we consider it a sin to desire what we can’t possibly have. What if it is not so sinful after all? Can we in some way train our desires to lead us to happiness? 

I wonder!