Once an old and wise sage arrived at a village covering a long journey. He took shelter in a temple on the outskirts of the village. The villagers came to know about the sage so they started visiting him in the evenings to listen to his discourse. They would also share their problems, difficulties in life, and seek his guidance.
After a few days of his stay, it was time for the sage to leave. He decided to start his journey early the next morning. The evening before, all the villagers had gathered to meet the sage one last time. They did not want to miss out on the last opportunity to listen to his wisdom.
A young villager inquisitively asked the sage –
“O holy one, What one should do to have everlasting happiness in his life? Please answer this one question before you leave.”
The sage replied –
“You don’t need to learn and remember any long scriptures. You need to remember just four things to be happy and joyful throughout your life.”
“O merciful, Please tell us what those four things are?” inquired the young villager.
The sage replied –
“First thing, wherever you are, make yourself incumbent. Work in a way that becomes important and everyone around needs you. People should feel your absence if you leave them. In other words, don’t be a burden on others but rather be eager to take on the burden of others. This eagerness will create everlasting acceptance in the hearts of people which will always make you happy.
“The Second thing.., ” continued the sage.
“Keep yourself healthy and fit. To accomplish your work and to help others, it is very important to be healthy. Only then you will not become a burden on others. And to be healthy, have control over what you eat, sleep without carrying any stress in the mind, and create a habit to exercise or do physical activity.”
“What is the third thing?” one of the curious villagers asked.
“Don’t let laziness wander around you even for a bit. An inert person will have to live at the mercy of someone. And whoever is living with dependence on others can never be happy in life. Whatever work is in front of you, complete it first. Create a habit of waking up early and laziness will never come near you.’” said the sage.
“Now the fourth and last thing, this is a little tough one but if you can do it, you will be blessed with an abundance of joy in your life.” The sage took a pause and the crowd eager to know asked in one voice – “We will sincerely try, please tell us what it is.”
“Then listen, decide to use every penny of yours to good use. Never for pleasure, luxury, addictions, fashion, and display of wealth. Remember, the money you have got is a gift from God. If you misuse this wealth, it will make you miserable from inside. But if you use it for the good, your heart, filled with contentment will become the ultimate source of happiness.
Wisdom Bite
Let’s analyze these four commandments in a little detail which will help us to introspect.
The first commandment, which talks about making yourself incumbent and helping others. We often look for something in return if we help somebody. “What’s in it for me?”. We have become more self-centered. If we only help people with the genuine intent of helping, we would make a place in people’s hearts and that will give us immense happiness. The only condition is that our help is unconditional. It should not matter how the other person reciprocates.
The second commandment is easy but will not come without discipline. The reason we have so many health problems today is a lack of disciple in exercising, eating right, and resting well. We have created a very stressful life around us. Consumption of instant and junk food has increased leading to all types of lifestyle diseases. There is also a direct correlation between what we eat and our thinking. The more simple and satwik food we eat the better it is for our body and mind.
In my view, the third commandment sort of gets addressed to a good extent by following the second commandment. Laziness or lethargy comes with the type of food we eat, the quality of our sleep, and our lifestyle. By exercising, eating right, the energy level of the body can dramatically change. That will keep us active and productive throughout the day.
The last one is a bit difficult and we need to live more consciously to follow. Once we have money in our pocket, we like to splurge and try to satisfy all our desires possible. We often spend on things which we don’t need or we could live without. We want the latest gadgets, refresh the wardrobe every season, upgrade to the next vehicle in the market. We think all this will give us happiness but we fail to realize that it is a temporary feeling. Our happiness vanishes when we see someone else having better than what we have.
I’m reminded of an incident from current times –
A millionaire was being interviewed over the phone on a program. The Radio announcer asked –
“What made you the happiest in life?” The millionaire replied,
I have gone through four stages of happiness in my life and finally understood the meaning of true happiness.
The first stage was accumulating wealth and means, it did not give happiness I wanted. The second stage was accumulating valuable items but that was also temporary and happiness did not last long. Then came the third stage, getting big projects like buying a sports team or holiday resort. This too was short-lived.
Once my friend requested me to donated some wheelchairs to disabled children. I instantly agreed. However, my friend insisted that I personally handover the wheelchairs to the children. I was a bit hesitant but nevertheless, I went with him and gave the wheelchairs. What I saw was a strange glow and happiness on their faces. They sat on the chairs and started moving around and having fun.
But I felt the real joy when one of the boys grabbed my leg. I bent down and asked, “Do you need anything?” The answer that the child gave changed my life completely. He said –
“I want to remember your face so that when I meet in you in heaven I will able to recognize you and thank you once again.”
