Control the Vagaries of Mind
There is a marked difference between satisfaction, which is called trupti, and true joy, which is santrupti. To understand this, consider the distinction between kirtan and sankirtan. Kirtan, which is vocal music, comes only from the lips, whereas sankirtan is an integral music that comes from the very core of the heart freely, spontaneously, and with a great deal of joy.
Similarly, trupti refers to the satisfaction that you derive from the world, that is the temporary joys you get from objects and phenomena in this apparent world; santrupti, on the other hand, like sankirtan, is the true joy that comes from the depths of the heart. It is associated with truth, it is permanent, it is detached from all transient worldly concerns, it represents the unity of the spirit. For santrupti, there is no possibility of change. There is nothing that can be added to true joy. It is full and complete in itself.
The deeper meaning of all this is that a devotee should not be carried away or attach any importance to worldly things. Use your time and effort to control the vagaries of your mind and develop mental steadiness. Santrupti is the true joy that comes from equanimity of the mind, the equal mindedness that is the same whether there is victory or defeat, whether there is profit or loss, whether there is joy or sorrow. Therefore, devotion or santrupti refers to a steady feeling of love and satisfaction, rather than to things that constantly undergo change with time.
Accept whatever happens, whatever comes your way, as gift of God, to be enjoyed with great satisfaction, regarding it as a gift of love given for your own good. The heart that treats all people and all things with equal mindedness may be described as having santrupti or true joy.
Digest 2, Pp. 282-283
If an object truly gave joy, then that joy should be uniformly the same for all people. Yet you know that this is not the case. If a particular object gives joy and pleasure to some people, the same object may be objectionable to other people, giving displeasure to them. If the joy were really inherent in the object itself, it should be the same for everyone… Whatever joy is experienced is not directly associated with the object with which it has been mistakenly identified, but this joy comes only from within. It is a reflection of one’s own inexhaustible inner source of joy.
Digest 2, Pp. 171-172
