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Throughway to Happiness

Every one of us is searching after happiness, but
we do not know what real happiness is. We see so
much advertised about happiness, but practically
speaking we see so few happy people.This is because
so few people know that the platform of real happi-
ness is beyond temporary things. It is this real happi-
ness that is described in Bhagavad-gita by Lord Krsna
to Arjuna.

Happiness is generally perceived through our senses.
A stone, for instance, has no senses and cannot
perceive happiness and distress. Developed conscious-
ness can perceive happiness and distress more intense-
ly than undeveloped consciousness. Trees have con-
sciousness, but it is not developed. Trees may stand
for a long time in all kinds of weather, but they have
no way of perceiving miseries. If a human being were
asked to stand like a tree for only three days or even
less, he would not be able to tolerate it. The con-
clusion is that every living being feels happiness or
distress according to the degree of development of
his consciousness.

The happiness that we are experiencing in the
material world is not real happiness. If one asks a
tree, “Are you feeling happy?” the tree, if it could,
might say, “Yes, I am happy, standing here all year.
I’m enjoying the wind and snowfall very much, etc.”
This may be enjoyed by the tree, but for the human
being it is a very low standard of enjoyment. There
