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even though you have many reasons to be happy, here is a story: A man who had all the luxuries in his life was not happy. Someone told him God was distributing happiness, and he is doing so purely on first-cum-first-serve basis. Without batting an eyelid, he rushed to God. He wasn’t the first one to reach him. “God, I have everything that I have yearned for, but I am still not happy,” he pleaded. “But you could be happy with what you have – why aren’t you?” God asked. “I don’t know,” he said, “and the lack of happiness is making me so dejected that if you grant me the same even for one day, I would be grateful.” “Ok,” said God, and the man’s face beamed with pleasure. “But, what do I need to do to attain this one day’s happiness,” he asked God inquisitively. “My son, there is one man on this Mother Earth I know about, whom you have to find.” “Then?” “I am told he has a unique shirt,” God said, and the man listened keenly. “You have to borrow the shirt from him for one day and wear it,” God continued, and added, “and after you have worn it, you will feel happy.” Man left God to find the other man and his shirt. “Given the piles of money I have,” the man thought of himself, “I think it won’t be able to find him.” The question was where to begin with – so he began from his own colony; didn’t find the other man, then looked for him in the whole town, didn’t find again, then searched for him in the nearby towns, and was disapponited again. The news of this man looking for a man with a unique shirt spread like wild fire, and a number of tip-offs starting pouring in since the rich man had announced a heavy cash prize for the person who helped him trace the other man. Once an old woman of wisdom came up to him on the periphery of a town and tiold him that it was futile for him to look for the other man in the towns. “Why?” quipped the man. “Because happy men, I have heard, no more live in towns.” This made sense to the man, he left his expensive car outside the woman’s small house, and set out on foot to find the other man. Months had passed and by now he was tired, dishivelled, disoriented and desperate, yet there was no trace of the happy man. Soon the season of rains started and it started raining torrentially. The man braved it all, with a fall in the mud every now and then, since his longing for happiness was so strong. After weeks of rains, which had washed almost everything that came in their way, there was sunshine. The man didn’t know when he felt warm and when he slept under a banayan tree. Whe he woke up the next day – weak, infirm, and wanton – he found himself surrounded by a group of villagers; men, women, children, even cattle and the alike. “How are you here, where are you from and what brought you under this banayan tree?” asked a voice came from behind the gathering. “I want to be happy, and I am looking for this man who wears a unique shirt. God told me if I wear that shirt for one day, I will be happy.” “That man,” said another voice, “who is the happiest of all?” “Yes, yes, that man only, where is he?” asked the man and pleaded, “Please tell me, I want to see him now.” “There is one man across the river who, I have heard, is very happy,” said the voice. “Thanks. How can I reach him?” asked the man. “You have to swim across or enter the river and touch the other shore by foot. The river doesn’t have a bridge,” the voice informed. The rains had swelled the river up and the man didn’t know how to swim. Someone told him that in order to cross over he had to wait until the level of water receeded. The man’s patience was giving in. But his longing for attaining happiness was keeping him going. It took a few weeks for the water level to receed, and one fine and sunny morning the man felt the level wasn’t deep enough to prevent him from crossing over. “Thank God, now I am only 10 minutes away from happiness, it seems.” On the other side where the other man lived, it was Nature at its best – squirrels trailing the trees, frogs croaking, and birds chirrping – and amid this all the man could spot a lone, small, thatched dwelling. “This is where I will find the happy man,” he thought. With steps – measured, calculated and cautious – the man went ahead and before he would think of knocking on the door, he realized the thatched dwelling had no door at all. “Hellooooo … is anybody in,” he inquired. No response! He inquired again – once, twice, thrice … and on fourth a feeble voice from within emerged. “Yes,” he asked, while offering the seeker a place to sit. “Are You The Happy Man?” “Yes, God’s grace… But why are you asking” The man narrated his whole story, and with folded hands, requested, “I want to be happy too, and if you lend me your shirt just for a day, I can fulfill my wish.” “Shirt? What shirt? I am sorry, I don’t wear one, since I don’t have one…..” Thanks for visiting this page. With that long story, I hope I do not need to tell the moral too. But that brings us to an important discussion – Renunciation. People think that renunciation means giving up everything in this world, which is not true. Just as we know of Art of Living, there is one Art of Dying too – and in between the two is Art of Giving Up. Catch up with me next week, and you will know how! – Love, Sanjay Wellness Wisdom Archive Author Interactive : Write to Sanjay Get Connected Promotional Support All Wellness Wisdom articles are copyrighted and reprint or distribution, electronic or otherwise, may please be done only after seeking the author's permission through the Reprint Request form below. |
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The world of ayurveda:
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| the origin of ayurveda |
| The ayurvedic concept of life |
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