SEVEN STEPS TO HAPPINESS

“We seek happiness, but without knowing where, like drunken men who search for their homes, knowing only that they have one.”-Voltaire

Hindu legend tells the story of the only happy man in an ancient kingdom. In this place, there lived some very wealthy people, but they couldn’t enjoy their wealth. They always wanted more. That’s why they invested most of their time into doing business and increasing their fortune. Others, on the other hand, were very poor. They weren’t happy either, because they dedicated a good part of their lives to dreaming and dwelling on the things they didn’t have.

When the rumor got out that there was a man that was completely happy, everyone was very interested in meeting him. They said that this man had a chest and inside it resided all of the secrets needed to obtain happiness. The wealthy sought him out and wanted to buy the chest from him, but the man refused to sell it. The poor begged him, but the wise man didn’t budge. They even tried to rob him but weren’t successful.

After a while, a child arrived to where the man was with his prized chest. He told the man that he also wanted to be happy. Upon seeing the child’s innocence, the happy man was moved. He told him that happiness was like a ladder and that each step towards it required a new lesson learned. That’s how he showed him the 7 steps to being happy.

Step 1. Cultivate self-love 

The man with the chest told the child that the first condition to being happy is loving oneself. Self-love means feeling worthy of happiness. In order to achieve this, you have to give your life value. Take care of your health and physical well-being.

It’s also necessary to understand that we are unique beings in this world. That means that each one of our virtues and defects are the result of a unique history in the universe. We aren’t any more or less than anyone else, simply the effect of millions of unrepeatable causes. 

Step 2.Need for action

One of the things that can make people the most unhappy is thinking about being the best, or of having a better life, but simply leaving it as a thought. This only leads to frustration and guilt. If you think you can or should do something, simply do it. You don’t have to hesitate or ponder so much over it.

It is also important that your actions be consistent with your words. And, of course, with your thoughts. If you think a certain way, but act another, you will only create confusion. Instead, when there is harmony in your inner world, everything flows much more easily.

Step 3. Uproot envy

People who spend their lives thinking about other people’s accomplishments, before considering their own are creating a path towards bitterness. You never know what another person has gone through to achieve or acquire what they have. Thus, you’re not fit to judge whether they deserve it or not.

Instead of thinking about whether others will make it or not, take care of your own success. If you allow envy to bloom within your heart, you’ll suffer. And your suffering will be useless and destructive. If you manage to feel happy for the success and accomplishments of others, your happiness will be double. You’ll have more strength within your heart to reach your goals.

Step 4. Fight against resentment

Sometimes we receive insults, and they are so strong that the pain remains forever stuck within our heart. With the passage of time, the pain turns into frustration. And this later on turns into rage. You end up playing host to a very negative feeling, and this ends up paralyzing you.

Resentment is another of those useless passions, which greatly harms the person who harbors it. Life has its own logic. That’s why, when confronted with an insult you should remember that the person who caused it will get justice on their own. Sooner or later everybody reaps what they sow. That’s why, everyone should strive to forgive, forget and let go.  

Step 5. Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you

According to Hinduism, everything that you take illicitly from others brings about serious consequences. Over time, he who committed the crime will be stripped of something of much greater value. Not respecting other people’s possessions also makes it so that whatever you acquire will eventually simply vanish.

This doesn’t apply only to material goods. It also has to do with the appropriation of ideas, affection or benefits that don’t correspond to you. For Hindus, this type of act of disrespect leads to moral and material ruin for the individual.

Step 6. Eradicate abuse in life

No living being should ever be abused. This includes people and, of course, also plants and animals. He who manages to interact lovingly with life will manage to be happy. All living beings are a source of joy and well-being, that’s why they should be valued.

This, obviously, implies a radical refusal to being mistreated. It’s good for you to be firm, to reject any situation or person that mistreats or abuses you. No form of abuse is “for your own good” or for the good of anyone else. To evolve, or correct mistakes, it’s not necessary to withstand destructive treatments.

Step 7. Be thankful for each day

It’s very simple, and it has a very powerful effect on your emotions. Every day you have reasons to be grateful, have no doubt about it. If your acquire the habit of making the words “thank you” the first you use every day, you’ll see how your life simply fills with color.

A calamity such as a Covid, storm, landslide, earthquake, flood, War can arise at any moment. What to do in such a situation ? As there is no knowledge about this, the common man gets confused and loses his mental balance. Consequently he may end up doing wrong actions or taking wrong decisions. To be able to combat such situations bravely it is necessary to make efforts such as chanting as part of spiritual practice, so as to create spiritual strength within the self, to face the situation bravely.

Given further are points on how to make efforts in spiritual practice even in adverse times.

1. Prayer

Pray to Bhagwan Shrikrushna, the village Deity, Deity of the place and Deity of premises wholeheartedly every 15 minutes to half hourly as ‘O God (Name of Deity) I am surrendering unto You. You alone can ferry us across this calamity. May I be able to chant Your Name continuously. May an armour of Your Name be created around me, my family and my home.’

2. Increasing chanting

Throughout the day chant the Name of Bhagwan Shrikrushna or your Deity of worship (Ishtadevata) as much as possible. As in the Kaliyug the Name of God alone is the support, keep chanting in your mind. If you can play a chant on your mobile phone or speaker then do so as it will remind you to chant.

3. Spiritual emotion necessary

During this adverse period all should help each other and try to increase their faith in God by giving mental support. Though maintaining social brotherhood is each one’s religious duty when helping another the feeling should be ‘I am not helping, God Himself is getting it done from me’. This will prevent thoughts of door ship and will also not create give-and-take account with that individual.

4. Making efforts to reduce ego

In such situations there are chances of manifestation of personality defects such as disturbance in the mind, feeling anxious, fear followed by restlessness etc. Taking appropriate autosuggestion helps in getting out of these situations.

5. Overcome anxiety by autosuggestion

Incident : Excessive rain has caused flooding in the city

Autosuggestion : When observing the situation in the city a thought about ‘what will happen to me and my family’ crosses my mind I will realize that I shall be able to face the situation if I live in the present and God too will like that. I shall keep things at home safe from water and become aware that helping my family will be my duty/spiritual practice at that time. I will recollect points learnt to face difficult situations and will perform appropriate actions amidst chanting.

6. Strive to develop intense devotion 

Faith in God helps in ferrying across any calamity. The example of devotee Prahlad is well known. Despite having to face great calamities faith of Prahlad in God did not waver at all. Every time he would call out to God as ‘Narayan’. Hearing his distressing call God manifested Himself in the form of Nrusinha (Man-lion).

This example explains how deep and intense the faith in God should be. There is no alternative to attaining this high spiritual state without spiritual practice. The first step towards developing this kind of intense faith in God is regular spiritual practice. By making efforts to developing faith like Prahlad all should experience the expansive grace of God.

The Power of prayer is immense. Every event at a Hindu home begins with a prayer. Even public events start with a short prayer seeking the blessings of god for the smooth running of events. Psychologists describe prayer as a “subconscious” and” emotional effusion”, an outburst of the mind that desires to enter into communication with the invisible. In the Vedic parlance, a prayer was more or less synonymous with mantra, used to communicate with God and seek blessings and wealth from him. Hindus in the Vedic period performed elaborate rituals, chanting mantras or prayers to seek God’s blessings in the fulfillment of individual desires or for seeking something important for the community as a whole. For eg: One of the most powerful and frequently chanted mantra in the Vedic period was the Shanti Mantra seeking God’s help in peace, health and well-being of everyone.

ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः ।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चित् दुःखभाक् भवेत् ॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः !!

May all attain peace, may all be healthy – may all enjoy good fortune, may none suffer misery and sorrow.

OM ! ! Peace Peace Peace ! ! !