According to Bhagavan Sri Satya Sai Baba, 5 factors are responsible for either happiness or sorrow. These factors are known as Pancha – kleshas (five kinds of suffering), which stand in the way of securing enduring happiness. 5 Factors that affect happiness in life: 1. Avidya (ignorance) 2. Abhinava-Klesha (immaturity) 3. Asthitha-Klesha (unsteadiness) 4. Raga-klesha (attachment) 5. Dwesha- klesha (hatred). 1. Ignorance: one who identifies himself with the body is a fool (murkha). This foolishness makes one to forget his true nature. As long as man has a body, he experiences various kinds of sorrow. The day he realizes that he is not the body but the’ Indwelling Spirit,’’ he experiences true bliss. 2. Immaturity: The mind is the root cause of all kinds of desires and pains. When man is able to free himself from desires and disregard the mind, he experiences Ananda(Bliss). 3. Unsteadiness: This suffering arises from an insatiable appetite for all kinds of things. It is the result of man being immersed in the vagaries of sensual pleasures. 4. Attachment: All evil tendencies like, hatred, envy and brutal nature etc, arise from Raga (attachment). Too much attachment is the real cause of sorrow. 5. Hatred: arises when a man fails to obtain what he seeks from someone. This is due to selfishness and self-seeking. Keeping in view your future, you have to make the right use of the present and follow the right path. Everything that happens to you is the consequence of your own thoughts and actions. The Lord inflicts no harm to anybody. Do not grieve, nor be the … [Read more...]
What is Righteousness?
The essence of Dharma or Righteousness is complex and has many facets of it. Strictly speaking there is no equivalent word in English to Dharma, but the nearest meaningful word is righteousness. As per Mahabharata, one of the greatest epics of Hindu Santayana Dharma, Dharma is defined in many ways. Actually Hinduism is not a religion, but it is a way of life, and it is not formed by any single great person. Dharma has got the following characteristics, hidden in it: 1. Non-violence2. Truth fullness 3. Forgiveness 4. Conquest over anger (Self-control) 5. Charity (mainly towards the poor and the needy) 6. Justice providing 7. Not indulging in illegal sexual offences 8. be loyal to the superiors (Obedient), etc. By following the path of the Dharma, one can gain happiness, mental piece and purity in thoughts and deeds. The best Dharma is the ability to show mercy and compassion towards all beings. Compassion is well explained as ‘’love in action”. As we all know that ‘’God is love”. Hence by showing love towards all living –beings, we are serving God, the All Mighty and our Savior. This act alone is conducive to the good of all. Finally, we should follow the path of Dharma, to attain the Moksha (liberation from the cycles of births and deaths) and become true devotees to the God, the Omnipresent. Then the purpose of our birth on this earth will be fulfilled. So our living here in this world has some great meaning. We should always keep it in our minds. … [Read more...]
