The Right Approach To Happiness

A concise summary of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 3 Chapter 5

Uddhava suggested Vidura to meet Sage Maitreya to inquire further about the Super Soul. Vidura met the sage at Haridwar. Sage Maitreya, Sage Sandipani and Sage Vyasadev are the disciples of Parasara Muni. All of them are self-realized beings.

Once Duryodhana expressed his pride in front of Sage Maitreya by slapping his thigh. The sage cursed Duryodhana that his thigh will be smashed by Bhima if he decides to go for a war with Pandavas. The sage’s curse was fulfilled by Lord Krishna. The Lord reminds Bhima at the right moment about smashing the thigh. The Lord always fulfills the wishes of his devotees provided the wish is beneficial to humanity.

Vidura questions the sage why people don’t find happiness and relief from misery despite performing prescribed duties and following proper code of conduct.

He says that devotees of Lord Krishna wander the World to bring auspiciousness to those beings who are suffering from the cycle of miseries due to their misfortune. Therefore, please advise how one can get happiness with the help of the Lord who is situated in our heart. Please tell us how someone can rise above the duties to experience bliss. Please explain how descriptions of the name, form and activities of the Lord Krishna removes attachment from the lower pleasures of worldly life. Please clarify how meditation on the feet of Lord Hari destroys all the miseries quickly. It is unfortunate that human beings are averse towards hearing the glories of Lord Hari due to their ignorance.

The sage glorifies the birth and qualities of Vidura as follows before responding to this question:

Vidura, you are god Yama who due to the curse born in this World. However, you are fortunate to take birth to the great sage Vyasa and have developed a fixed devotion to Lord Krishna. You are loved by the Lord and his followers. The Lord asked me to impart this wisdom to you just before he disappeared from this World.

Sage Maitreya begins describing the eternal nature of the Supreme Lord. The Lord is unique and no one else is equal to him. He was one before the creation of the matter. He alone is the source of matter and time. He is the Sun and the souls are like the Sun’s rays. When a soul accepts the material body, the Lord also accompanies the soul as the Super Soul.

All gods who control various forms of time, space and material energy are parts of Lord Vishnu and execute the work assigned to them. They resort to the shelter of Lord Vishnu and pray to the Lord to free the souls from the miseries of material life. They understand that the souls are afflicted by the miseries that arise from natural calamities, miseries from other living entities and miseries caused by body and mind as long as they are in the material body.

The gods recommend the following approach for becoming free from miseries to find ultimate happiness:

• Meditate on the Lord in the heart with devotion

• Perform activities without attachment to the results

• Contemplate on various incarnations of Lord Hari

• Regularly relish the stories of Lord’s activities

• Offer the food to the Lord before eating

One who successfully executes the above actions gradually conquers the influence of the material nature and realizes his spiritual nature, which is full of bliss. He then becomes qualified to get eternal association of the Supreme Lord.