What Is The Secret Of Peace And Happiness?

by Jayaram V

Notes: I have translated the Bhagavadgita twice. The first one was a loose translation. The second one was a word to word translation with a detailed commentary. The commentary is however different from what you will find here. In this section I will share with you my thoughts about the knowledge, philosophy and wisdom of the Bhagavadgita as I understand it from my perspective. Jayaram V

The universe is filled with beauty, harmony and melody. There is a certain rhythm to its movements. Truly, it is a melody of numbers, laws, mathematical formulas and equations, which make the whole existence somewhat predictable. The Bhagavadgita declares that God is the source of all beauty and symmetry. It further implies that He is also the source of all harmony. We find the same idea expressed in other scriptures of Hinduism also, which suggest that Isvara (Shiva) is the source of all fine arts (lalita kalas), sounds (sabda), meters (chandas), melodies (ragas), chants (Samans) and hymns (Riks).

The universe has order and rhythm (rta) because; of God who is one harmonious whole, who fits in everything into Himself, including a cup full of poison, and fits into everything. He agrees with everyone and everything, including demons, and accommodates everyone and everything. His harmony comes from acceptance, completeness, and absence of want and preference. From this you can learn an important lesson.

You can experience peace and happiness when you are in harmony with yourself and others, appreciating what you have rather than what you do not have, doing what you can, and getting along rather than fighting, quibbling and quarreling with circumstances. You can experience peace by focusing upon the positive aspects of your life, embracing life's innumerable blessings, and fitting in whatever space and circumstances you go through, while doing your duty to find better options and solutions.

It is what God does to set an example, and what we can learn from Him. He resides in all bodies and objects, whether they are good or bad, ugly or beautiful, without changing Himself. He fits in rather than forcing things to accommodate Him. When you cultivate such an attitude, you will be in harmony with yourself and others, and you will find peace and happiness.

The yogis arrive at peace through renunciation in this manner only. There is certain power and dignity in gentleness, peace and serenity. When you meet a yogi of serene mind, who has advanced on the path you feel it because the yogi's mind is in perfect harmony with itself. It accommodates and accepts all without the barriers that usually ordinary people erect when they meet other people. Everything in that consciousness is integrated into a harmonious whole.

Peace comes when you experience oneness with yourself. Oneness does not necessarily mean you merge into something. It also means that you do not experience any difference or separation. In an orchestra, different musical notes and sounds come together into a harmonious whole to give you a feeling of rapture and melody. In that melody of the orchestra, different sounds do not merge into one another but find their place to fit together. They keep their distinction, but still create harmony, melody and feeling of oneness.

It means that to be in harmony with others, you do not have to submit to their will meekly, but know how to get along and live in peace. For that you must find a common ground in your relationships, or rapport, so that you can coexist in peace and harmony with diverse people, different ideas, things and circumstances. It is a difficult task for the egoistic humans, but not impossible because we find it even in Nature and the entire universe. In the present day world, this is the best solution to manage diversity and live in harmony.

Thus, from the Bhagavadgita you can learn this important secret to peace and happiness. You must flow with life, focus on your blessings, fit in and sing along, without giving up your attempts to better your life. You must be friendly, compassionate, and amiable towards yourself and the whole existence. It is what the Buddhists call kalyana mitrata, auspicious friendliness.

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