“Happiness is always a byproduct, it is never a product.”
I recently heard this quote from a great modern day saint, Chaitanya Charan Das (also known as the Spiritual Scientist), and felt inspired to share some reflections.
This declaration struck me so deeply because of how diametrically opposed it is to the general idea that pervades the world: namely, that happiness comes from doing something in order to become happy. Essentially, modern society perpetrates this idea that if we search out activities and things in the psycho-physical dimension that we deem as pleasurable- things that make us feel good physically, mentally, or emotionally- then we will become happy. We can sum up this idea with the very famous saying, “the pursuit of happiness.”
However, there is a fatal flaw in this paradigm… No matter what we have, what we do, where we go, etc., ultimately what we encounter is ourselves (in the sense that we are always confronted with our predominant mental state). For example, if we are riddled with anxiety, we will experience anxiety even in the safest, most controlled envrionment.
Essentially, the pursuit of happiness without active, intelligent, and informed practice at adjusting our predominating mental state will ultimately not get us very far. We might continually try new things (relationships, jobs, hobbies, environments, etc.), but we will still encounter the same problems, because they are stemming from a more subtle state which we are not addressing.
Now, this leads us to another paradigm of happiness- the one alluded to in Chaitanya Charan’s profound quote. This alternative paradigm is given to us in the ancient yogic wisdom literatures like the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. This paradigm suggests that happiness is not something that can be pursued, rather it is something that ensues from a predominating mental state.
This is summed up in a profound verse of the Bhagavad Gita, the central yogic wisdom text, in which the speaker (Krishna) says:
“One who is not connected with the Supreme can have neither transcendental intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace.” (verse 2.66)
So according to the Bhagavad Gita, the predominating mental state from which happiness ensues is peacefulness. Thankfully, this most profound wisdom text is also incredibly practical. Krishna does not simply inform us that happiness ensues from a peaceful mental state, he also gives us the prerequisites for developing this state- namely, transcendental intelligence and a steady mind. Even further, he tells us how we can develop these traits. And that is by “connecting with the Supreme”. This is the fundamental focus of the Bhagavad Gita.
See, the Bhagavad Gita teaches that we are spiritual beings currently encased in bio-mechanical machines (aka temporary human bodies). As spirit souls, we are part and parcel of the Supreme Soul- our original Divine Source, who is love personified. And as parts and parcels, we share the same inherent qualities as the Whole, which are eternality, knowledge, and bliss.
The Bhagavad Gita also teaches that we lose touch with these inherent qualities when we engage in the flawed “pursuit of happiness” paradigm. This is because our memory becomes bewildered when we become entangled in the process of searching for pleasure in temporary, material things, and thus our attention is taken away from our spiritual nature (ref. verse 2.61–62).
In short, the process by which we can get out of the faulty paradigm we are caught in is that of selfless service and dedication (aka bhakti yoga)- living our lives as an offering of gratitude to the Divine by constantly endeavoring to be an ambassador of goodwill and an instrument of service and compassion towards all other living beings. Through this process, we connect with the Supreme by tangibly feeling a loving reciprocation when we do our best to serve. As this reciprocation grows we experience deeper and deeper realizations, and our intelligence and mind become fixed on the spiritual paradigm. Then, we naturally develop an unshakable state of peace which transcends all external happenings. Thus, fulfilling all of the necessary prerequisites, we are (re)aligned with our inherent spiritual state, and happiness naturally ensues.
Thank you so much for reading and please share any questions, thoughts, reflections, feedback, etc. Let’s connect!
Yours in service,
DK dasa (Dan Taylor)
dkdasa108@gmail.com
