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Happiness

A discourse on the ten (and ultimately eleven) forms of wealth and happiness for a householder, drawing from Vedic wisdom.

"The first wealth, the first happiness, is good health."

"The tenth is called peace—śānti. To live a peaceful life is not comparable to anything."

Swami Maheshwarananda (Swamiji) explains a traditional list of worldly and spiritual assets that constitute a prosperous life, beginning with health, a good partner, material means, and virtuous children. He expands the list to include good friends, neighbors, a virtuous society, inner satisfaction (santoṣa), peace (śānti), and harmony, illustrating points with stories like that of Droṇācārya from the Mahābhārata. He concludes that integrating "Yoga in Daily Life" is essential to transform suffering into a heavenly existence.

Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar

It is stated in the Upanishads: "Lord, grant me a healthy body, a healthy mind, healthy senses, healthy consciousness—grant that everything be healthy." Health is the primary wealth; the foremost happiness is good health. Thus it is said that the first wealth, the first happiness, is good health. Do you know what the second is? The second wealth, the second happiness, is to have a very truthful and competent partner. If you have a good partner who shares everything with you, what greater happiness can there be? In Āyurveda, it is said the first happiness is nirogikāya (health), and it is said the wife should be obedient. But I would say not only the wife, but the husband too—a partner who possesses tolerance, understanding, and is faithful to you. Then there is a third wealth or happiness: to have material means in your family—dharma and artha, as we always speak of—so that you have enough and can also give to anyone who comes to you. Fourth are healthy and good children, obedient children who continue to fulfill the wishes of their parents. Children are the light in your house, for we are the afternoon sun and they are the rising sun. But when that rising sun falls into kusaṅga (bad company), it is called Sūrya Graha—an eclipse of the sun. When the sun becomes dark, what use is it? So, this is the fourth happiness or wealth. There must be a fifth as well. The fifth is said to be having one cow for milk in your house. We now live in big metropolitan cities, but in those times there were no big cities. People had their own house, their own garden, and their fields. Milk is very important—milk for your children, for yourself, and for guests who come. That is Lakṣmī. Milk is Lakṣmī. In a house where there is no milk, there is nothing. There are different kinds of milk. There are four kinds of milk, and you must answer this question: one milk is cow's milk, the second is mother's milk, the third is vegetable milk. Now, what is the fourth? Mother's milk means from all mothers, cow's milk means from all animals, vegetable milk means from any kind of plant. There is a fourth milk as well. Think it over; you have one week. One week's time: mother's milk, father's milk ... So, there are four kinds of milk. To have milk in the home is wisdom; it is happiness. If you recall the story from the Mahābhārata, the great teacher Droṇācārya went to his friend, who had become a king, to get one cow for his children, for milk. The king told him, "Droṇācārya, forget it. That was in the days when we were friends as children. Now there is a day-and-night difference. You are a poor brāhmaṇa, and I am the mighty king. How dare you come to me and speak to me directly?" So, Droṇācārya came to train his disciples to defeat that king and bring him as a prisoner. Then Droṇācārya said to him, "My friend, that time was a different time; you were king. Now you are standing before me as a prisoner. Yet, I still see you as my friend from youth. I will not say that I am different and you are different. And you know, you have thousands of cows. If I wanted, I could take all the cows now, but I will not. Only one cow. At that time I came to beg one cow from you, and now I will also take only one cow." To have milk in the family for the children was something great. So, when we speak about prosperity, sukha—sukha means happiness. What is happiness? These are the happinesses for householders: good health, material means, a good partner, healthy children who will get a good profession and support the family, follow you, not engage in criminal acts, go to school on time, return home on time, and have cows or a garden with flowers, fruits, and vegetables. The sixth happiness is to have good friends. Friends—perhaps we do not have friends. A friend is one who is ready to give his life. It is not easy to get a good friend, good friends. The seventh happiness, the seventh wealth, is having the best neighbors. It is not easy to have good neighbors. Otherwise, you light an Agarbattī and they shout; you have a dog and others shout. A neighbor is your family. There is no difference between your own family and your neighbors. A neighbor treats your children as you treat your children, and neighbors are responsible for educating your children and taking care of them. To have a good neighbor is something beautiful. The eighth wisdom, the eighth happiness, is to have a good society, a good saṅgha, free from kusaṅga (bad company), which inspires you to always go and do good things—a society of people who inspire you to do good, so that you liberate yourself and help others. Then, the ninth happiness: Santoṣa nitya sukha. Santoṣa means satisfaction. Whatever you have, be satisfied. And that is not easy, because we know from human weakness—I think people say this throughout the whole world—you see more in your neighbor's plate. We always think others have better. That is a sign of dissatisfaction. You can have thousands of elephants, golden birds, and diamond mines, but when you attain inner satisfaction, all this is like dust to you. That Santoṣī, who is inwardly satisfied, has no desire even for all the three worlds. If God comes and tells you, "My son, my daughter, I am so pleased with you, I make you the king of all three worlds," you say, "No, sir, thank you. I also do not want the pleasantness and comfort of the body." That is called tyāga. That is called the ascetic life. That is why Holy Gurujī says very often, "Enter the kingdom of God through the gate of sacrifice." To enter the kingdom of God, what you call swarga (heaven), sacrifice is needed. So, that is the happiness and wealth called santoṣa. The tenth is called peace—śānti. To live a peaceful life is not comparable to anything. You can have billions of dollars, but if you are not peaceful, then these billions are a source of unhappiness. You quickly call companies to install alarm systems in the house, in the windows, in the toilets, in the bathrooms. You buy the best guard dogs, not just one, and then hire lifeguards. After all this, you are still not sure, so you keep two pistols—one under this side of the pillow and one on the other side. Yet, you still cannot sleep peacefully; one dog barks and your sleep flies away like a bird. Śānti—where is the śānti? There are many ladies named Śānti, but that śānti is lost in this world. That is why we are always chanting śānti, śānti. The eleventh happiness is harmony—harmony in the body, in the mind, in the consciousness, in the family, in society, in nature. A harmonious, balanced life is most beautiful. Where is harmony? We have many harmoniums, but there is no harmony. We are looking for harmony. Then, when you have this sādhanā (spiritual practice), and finally, Satgurū and Satgurū kṛpā (the Guru's grace), then your life is already successful—a heavenly life. If you do not have this, then it is not a heavenly life; it is called a hellish life. That life is a painful life of suffering. That is not a life; that is suffering. So, do you want suffering, or do you want a life? We want a life. Then we have to add two words before that life. There is no other way; we must add them. Those two words are "Yoga in Daily Life." That is it: Yoga in Daily Life. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt, what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

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