Perennial Joy or Passing Pleasure
In the Kathaupanishad there is a story of Nachiketa son of a King who at the end of his tenure was ostensibly giving up worldly possessions. His sharp son quickly realised that his father was only giving up old and relatively less useful possessions as he was still not truly free from the lure of worldly treasures. As with most fathers when an upstart son points out his mistake, Nachiketa’s father reacted angrily. The young son a genuine seeker of knowledge was not one to give up easily. So in fit of anger the powerful King uttered “I give up my dearest possession my son Nachiketa to Yama the God of death”. So Nachiketa was sent to the other world to meet Yama the God of death before the ordained time of death. The parable goes on to state that since Yama was not present Nachiketa had to wait three days and nights to meet him. When Yama finally came home he quickly grasped the situation made a plan to bail Nachiketa out. He welcomed the seeker and granted him three boons one for each day. The first and obvoius boon was to ask to return to his father and seek forgiveness and acceptance which was granted by Yama. The second boon related to seeking instructions on the ritual of sacrifice to the fire yagna. This too was granted and from that time even today the Yagna is named after Nachiketa. The last boon asked by Nachiketa was to give him the knowledge of what happens after death. This last boon was something Yama was not willing to grant. He asked Nachiketa to seek anything including power, wealth, name fame and fulfillment of all desires. Nachiketa was steadfast and not tempted. He realized that even if he succumbed to temptation he would not get this ultimate knowledge. And, besides if there was anybody qualified to give this knowledge then it was Yama himself as he dealt with death itself.
The lessons imparted in these passages are so relevant to life today that I thought of discussing this as the topic of my blog. The explanation given in this passage from Kathaupanishad is a part of passage meditation and bringing it into my consciousness in the morning creates a template for making choices in favour of Perennial joy as against Passing pleasure.
https://www.bmcm.org/inspiration/passages/perennial-joy/
I urge my readers to read this passage so that the context of what I write is clear.
At every moment of life we have to act and most of the times we have to make a choice between acts which are done based on likes and dislikes and our tendency is to indulge in likes and avoid things we dislike. At a superficial level we are quite happy but we slowly realize that we are not content and despite all the comforts of life we remain agitated and feel something is missing. The paradox of what seems pleasurable in the beginning but causes long term pain versus what seems painful at the beginning but leads to everlating joy is quite clear in our day to day existence. Junk tasty food vs Healthy tasteless food, Oversleeping in the morning vs outdoor exercise, mindless shopping for oneself vs mindful buying for others, loud music and entertainment vs infotainment, pulp fiction vs classics are all examples of the paradoxical nature of our actions and their results.
Here Yama talks of the difference between the wise and ignorant and the presence of a strong intellect in the wise who realizing this paradox turn their backs on the ways of the world which make mankind forget the goal of life. When Yama realised that Nachiketa was not likely to be tempted by going after passing pleasures which satisfy the sensual needs of man, he decided that he was worthy to be taught the lesson of Self realisation. The majority of the world are ignorant of this paradox of life, but worse still they when made aware of this paradox they just refuse to take note of the same. To top it all they encourage others to lead a life of indulgence. This is compared to a situation of blind leading the blind.
Now Yama sets on to impart the lesson of Self realisation and tells Nachiketa about the rarity of such seekers. Since very few hear about the Self and fewer still speak about the Self and the rare are the ones who make Self realisation the goal of life. Often a realised teacher is needed to reach Self realisation. Perennial joy which comes from selfless actions is an experience which is not to be reasoned by body, mind and intellect apparatus. The person who sees himself in all and all himself helps one to get Self realisation through a slow process of osmosis based on getting knowledge of the Self and reflecting on the same. Also, Yama warns that logic scholorship and intelligence relating to the external world are of not much use in this endeavour and therefore humans often in their pride scoff at those who are spiritual and are not able to prove this by logic or scholarship. The help of a Guru or association with a Self realised person can be agreat help.
Realising the great difficulty Nachiketa tells Yama that he understands that this knowledge of the Self is difficult to come by and therefore he was willing to forego earthly treasures which in any case are transient and temporary. Also, Nachiketa realised that a teacher like Yama would be hard to get. So he makes his choice to get the knowledge which is the key to getting perennial joy and forego passing pleasure.
Finally Yama gives meditation as the method to realise the eternal timeless Self
The wise, realizing through meditation
The timeless Self, beyond all perception,Hidden in the cave of the heart,
Leave pain and pleasure far behind.
Those who know that they are neither body
Nor mind but the immemorial Self,
The divine principle of existence,
Find the source of all joy and live in joy
Abiding. I see the gates of joy
Are opening for you, Nachiketa.
Nachiketa:
Teach me of That you see as beyond right
And wrong, cause and effect, past and future.
The King of Death:
I will give you the Word all the scriptures
Glorify, all spiritual disciplines
Express, to attain which aspirants lead
A life of sense-restraint and self-naughting.
It is om. This symbol of the Godhead
Is the highest. Realizing it, one finds
Complete fulfillment of all one’s longings.
It is the greatest support to all seekers.
When om reverberates unceasingly
Within one’s heart, that one is indeed blessed
And greatly loved as one who is the Self.
The all-knowing Self was never born,
Nor will it die. Beyond cause and effect,
This Self is eternal and immutable.
When the body dies, the Self does not die.
If the slayer believes that he can kill
And the slain believes that he can be killed,
Neither knows the truth. The eternal Self
Slays not, nor is ever slain.
Hidden in the heart of every creature
Exists the Self, subtler than the subtlest,
Greater than the greatest. They go beyond
All sorrow who extinguish their self-will
And behold the glory of the Self
Through the grace of the Lord of Love.
Though one sits in meditation in a
Particular place, the Self within can
Exercise its influence far away.
Though still, it moves everything everywhere.
When the wise realize the Self, formless
In the midst of forms, changeless in the midst
Of change, omnipresent and supreme,
They go beyond all sorrow.
The Self cannot be known through the study
Of the scriptures, nor through the intellect,
Nor through hearing discourses about it.
It can be attained only by those
Whom the Self chooses. Verily unto them
Does the Self reveal itself.
The Self cannot be known by anyone
Who desists not from unrighteous ways,
Controls not the senses, stills not the mind,
And practices not meditation.
None else can know the omnipresent Self,
Whose glory sweeps away the rituals of
The priest and the prowess of the warrior
And puts death itself to death.
- Passage Meditation.
- Chanting the Mantra.
- Slowing down
- Single pointed attention.
- Training the senses.
- Putting others before self.
- Spiritual fellowship
- Reading Scriptures.
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