Contentment
All worldly pleasures are transient and temporary. Very often they result in sorrow and disappointment. God alone is the source of enduring bliss. The purpose of human birth is to realize the inherent divinity in man.
Once, a great Maharaja (ruler) held a big exhibition of paintings and art products. The finest works of art were on display. The exhibition was open to one and all. The king announced that anyone could walk in and take away whatever one liked. Large numbers of men and women went to the exhibition and took back with them whatever they fancied. Among them was a lady. She saw everything in the exhibition. She came out through the main door without taking anything with her. The Maharaja noticed that of all the people visiting the exhibition she was the only one to come out empty-handed.
He was curious to know the reason. He asked the lady, “Madam, how is it you have found nothing to interest you in the exhibition? There are so many attractive things on display. Was there nothing that pleased you?” She replied, “There are innumerable desirable things in the exhibition.” The Maharaja asked, “But was there nothing which you wanted? “No,” she said. The Maharaja said, “If that is so, tell me what you desire and I shall give it to you.” She said, “Maharaja, will you promise to give me what I want? Is your offer genuine? Will you keep your word?” “Certainly,” replied the Maharaja. “If that is so, I want only you,” said the lady. True to his word the Maharaja surrendered himself to her. When the Maharaja himself became hers, all that was in the exhibition also became hers
This cosmos is a vast exhibition. It is the creation of the Lord. All are entering this exhibition and taking whatever they choose. Some seek jobs, others wealth, and so on. They are content to take objects of their choice. But no one asks the question: “Swami! If I take away one thing or another, what is it that I gain? If You become mine all these will become mine.” When you have entered the cosmic exhibition, you must seek the Divine. Then, the whole universe becomes yours. You must seek that which is lasting and unchanging. There is no meaning in going after one thing after another. There is no end to that process. There is no satisfaction in that. What you acquire today loses its charm the next day and then you desire something new. But once the Divine is attained, all things are obtained.
In the cosmic exhibition, you are seeing, hearing, and experiencing innumerable things. You experience depression, confusion, and disappointment. You have no contentment. “Asantrupto nijo nashtah.” (Lack of contentment is the true loss.) The man who is not content is continually experiencing loss. There is no limit to desires. One feels hungry another is thirsty. If the thirsty man is offered water, he is not satisfied he wants a cool drink. When he is given a cool drink, he is not satisfied; he wants ice cream, and so on. He is not satisfied with anything. There is no end to desires for material things in the world. To get rid of these desires, man must turn his mind toward God. That is the way to achieve contentment and lasting bliss.
Divine discourse, April 16, 1988
Man must first decide, after vigorous self-examination and continuous discrimination, the path that he wishes to traverse. Moksha (liberation) means the removal of the bonds of ignorance that cloud the Truth and create a mirage of untruth. In fact, living is only another name for the process of achieving alternate misery and happiness, hunger and contentment, illness and health, desire and fulfillment. Man reaches out to a new desire the moment one is realized. He is ever struggling and ever unhappy, for he does not seek the eternal, the lasting, the source and the substance. He is content with the transient, the trivial, and the temporary.
Divine discourse, February 16, 1988
