“After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.15)

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माम् उपेत्य पुनर् जन्म
दुःखालयम् अशाश्वतम्
नाप्नुवन्ति महात्मानः
संसिद्धिं परमां गताः

mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ

The description is there within Bhagavad-gita. Shri Krishna juxtaposes His imperishable realm, which is actually unmanifest, to the place in which we currently reside. His realm is like a reward for concentration, for focused attention. If we constantly think of that place, we go there; the process is simple and straightforward.

That specific kind of concentration, with a corresponding object of worship, who has a specific identity with associated name, form, and attributes, can be described as yoga. Because the yoga is in devotion, the reward is ascension to the realm of the object of worship.

If a person has doubts on the matter, if they wonder why such concentration would be necessary, there is the comparison to the current state of affairs. Shri Krishna uses two specific Sanskrit words: duhkhalayam and ashashvatam.

The characterization applies to the material world. It is a place full of miseries, duhkhalayam, and it is temporary, ashashvatam. You might not find much disagreement on the temporary designation. Under any rational analysis, a person realizes that things are always changing. The sober individual, dhira, can find a constant within such change.

देहिनो ऽस्मिन् यथा देहे
कौमारं यौवनं जरा
तथा देहान्तर-प्राप्तिर्
धीरस् तत्र न मुह्यति

dehino ‘smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.13)

The designation of duhkhalayam has the backing of spiritual leaders like His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This is further supported by great souls, mahajanas, like Prahlada Maharaja. Found within Vishnu Purana, while talking to others the five-year old Prahlada makes the reference to false happiness or being tricked into feeling a sense of pleasure.

Is it merely a play on words? Are these authorities on spiritual matters being too clever, in the hopes that the audience will not notice? Someone hearing this argues in return that they do indeed experience happiness. It may not be all the time, but if pressed on the issue they would respond that they are generally satisfied with life. They live in a pleasant way. They are happy. They are not morose.

The perspective from Prahlada is that this is not true. We are only kidding ourselves if we classify our experience within this lifetime as happy. There is no pleasure. The argument is not a play on words or some tricky slogan to gather more followers in the yoga way of life.

The claim can be supported through reviewing some commonly experienced situations that conclude in a feeling of happiness. We can judge at the end whether this is actual happiness or not. We can assess whether the entire affair was actually the duhkhalayam of which Krishna speaks.

1. The stopping of the car alarm

“Oh my goodness, that was the worst. It went on for literally the entire day. The whole community was upset by it. We all knew which car it was, too. There was no attempted break-in. There was no funny business. It must have been the wind or rain that triggered the alarm.

“I guess the problem was that the owner of the vehicle was away on vacation. This meant that no one was around to press the button on the remote to stop the car from beeping. We residents in the neighborhood suffered for hours and hours. Finally, that stupid alarm shut down. The car itself must have been exhausted. Needless to say, I was so relieved. I cannot put that happiness into words.”

2. The rescue from the roadside

“This is why you should always plan for an emergency. It does not matter how new the vehicle is, how smoothly it has been running, or how empty the roads are. You never know what might happen. My lack of ability in fixing things did not help matters, either. I am certainly not one of those people who would be considered handy around the house.

“We were stuck on the side of the road. The car just stopped. It would not turn back on. My cellphone was entirely out of battery. It was so cold outside, but finally someone was kind enough to pull over. They brought us to safety. It was a harrowing experience, but the happiness in the aftermath is something I will never forget.”

3. Landing the job

“My goodness, how do others survive the job market? Can you tell me? Honestly, is there anything worse than having to find a new position, when you are desperate? These businesses do not care about people. I am never buying into their, ‘We are a family,’ nonsense ever again. They will yank the rug from under you whenever it is convenient for them.

“I searched and searched. Just to land an interview was a big deal. Alas, it finally happened. I got hired. They must have liked me. The thing is, the location of the office is a little far. I will have to move. I am more than ready, since it is much better to be working than to sit at home, sad and depressed. This is just incredible; like a thrill at every moment. The happiness I feel right now is indescribable.”

4. The cure from the disease

“I am glad I stocked up. I am wise enough now to know how to work the system. I am going to level with you. The worst thing you can do is get yourself tested. There is nothing good that will come of it. As soon as you get a positive result, the medical providers have their hands tied. They can only prescribe certain medication.

“Believe me when I tell you that this protocol they follow is meant to extend the illness. They will lead you to a path of doom. I knew all of this, fortunately. I did one of those virtual office visits and explained that I had tested negative. I knew which medication I wanted. It was one of those that has been available for decades but is banned for treating this particular kind of illness. How convenient!

“Anyway, I got better pretty quickly. I was back at it in a few days, whereas the people around me have been suffering for months. They did not believe me when I told them the protocols they were following are bogus. Anyway, I am thrilled right now. To suffer with a cough for that long is unbearable.”

5. Unobstructed breathing at work

“We were forced to return to the office. They told us it is good for camaraderie and collaboration, or some other nonsense. Anyway, we did not have a choice in the matter. The problem point is that they forced anyone who did not receive that experimental injection to obstruct their breathing while sitting at their desk.

“Umm, is it me or does that not mean it is unsafe to be together in small spaces? Why are you forcing us to live that way, for up to eight hours a day? Anyway, they recently lifted that requirement. I am so happy. I can finally breathe without obstruction while doing my work. I know that many others are not as fortunate, but this is the madness we are suffering from at the moment. The world has gone crazy.”

…

I may feel happiness in these situations, but just consider the flow of cause and effect. Would it not be better to eliminate the harmful conditions that the happiness was predicated upon? My happiness is due precisely to the conditions. This is not real happiness. Shri Krishna explains that these kinds of conditions come and go, like the changing of seasons.

मात्रा-स्पर्शास् तु कौन्तेय
शीतोष्ण-सुख-दुःख-दाः
आगमापायिनो ऽनित्यास्
तांस् तितिक्षस्व भारत

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ‘nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

“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.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.14)

We find real happiness when escaping these conditions. When we are steady in our link to the Divine, when we are serving in a mood of love, when we know that nothing can get in the way of our fixed connection, there is a higher feeling that cannot accurately be put into words. It is something like fully realizing the ananda which is part of the very constitution of the living being, jiva.

In Closing:

Like when nuisance erased,
Happiness on conditions based.

Meaning not an experience real,
Only relief temporarily to feel.

True pleasure steady abound,
In link to the Divine found.

Even prior to His realm ascending,
Through dharma miseries ending.

Categories: the five

Tags: god, hare krishna, hinduism, life, poem, poems, poetry, religion