RC VRN 1976-09-04 Happy Within Yourself
ANNOUNCER: The following is a conversation,
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
recorded on September 4th, 1976, in Vṛndāvana, India.
PRABHUPĀDA: First of all, what is the problem and what is the solution?
What is the problem that you require solution?
INDIAN MAN: Sir, any problem which comes. - No, what is that? That I want to know.
Problem is of being happy in the world.
These are vague terms.
You must distinctly say that this is happiness and this is problem.
What is your, what is the idea of happiness and what is the problem?
That I want to know.
That I’m not very much clear at this stage of life.
Happiness, suppose if you can get a nice palatable dish for eating, you’ll be happy.
But the dog also, if he can get some good eating, he’ll be happy.
So where is the difference between dog’s happiness and your happiness?
Happiness should be combined with mental peace.
What is that mental peace?
To rest in yourself only.
Don’t run after worldly things.
Yes.
But that is not possible for the animal.
Therefore to remain happy within yourself, that is a prerogative of the human being.
But we are not trying for that purpose.
We are trying to be happy by eating, by sleeping, by sex or by defense.
This is our platform of happiness.
A dog cannot go to the restaurant,
but a human being,
if he goes to a restaurant and he can eat palatable dishes:
He thinks he’s happy.
But what is that eating?
In your standard you feel happiness,
whereas on the street you’ll find a pig, he’s happy by eating stool.
One man’s food another man’s poison.
So, eating happiness is there but the standard different.
Therefore this eating is common affair,
and happiness derived from eating
is as good by the dog as by the pig and human being.
Your idea is clear.
So we should know… Happiness is described in the Bhagavad-gītā:
sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam [Bg. 6.21]
What is happiness, that is beyond the senses.
The sense happiness is there by the pig and the man.
But his standard of sense happiness is different from the man’s.
The standard may be different,
but the happiness derived from the subject matter is the same.
There is no difference.
So happiness lies above the senses.
Above our indriyas.
Ha.
Happiness means spiritual happiness.
That they do not know.
Therefore I began my words that so long one is after material happiness
he remains as an animal.
Because the animal cannot derive spiritual happiness.
They do not know.
The man can know.
Just like this boy,
he’s coming from very high family in America but he’s now happy in this way,
by taking sannyāsa, giving up everything.
Living very plainly.
He has got money; he has got beautiful wife; he has got beautiful home:
Everything; but he has given up. [splice]
NEXT DAY: So these people,
these Americans and Europeans: they are intelligent.
They are seeing that,
“Here are some ideas which is not to be found throughout the whole world.”
Subtitles by Pratyatoṣa Dāsa, Causelessmercy.com