If bhakti is the art of becoming happy, why are we bhaktas not happy?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
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Thank you.
So, if we say bhakti is the art of becoming happy, then why is it that as devotees of Krishna we are not happy? Actually, we are on the way to become the devotees of Krishna. We are not yet devotees of Krishna. It’s like if a person has been sick.
You know, if somebody has had flu, somebody has had some sickness, then imagine there are two people in the hospital. Both of them are coughing. Both of them have temperature.
But for one of them, the disease has been diagnosed and the treatment has been prescribed. For the other person, the disease has not been diagnosed and no treatment has been prescribed. Now, in this case, externally it seems both of them are similar.
Both of them are coughing. Both of them have fever. But there is a world of difference between the two.
For the person who has been diagnosed and treatment has been prescribed, that person is on the way to becoming healthy. Their pain will decrease and their health will come back. On the other hand, for a person who has not been diagnosed, what is the disease? Nothing has been prescribed.
Their condition is going to become worse and worse. So like that, we are devotees. We are like the person, the patient whose disease has been diagnosed and the treatment has been taken, has been prescribed.
Now, it is not that as soon as you start taking the treatment, automatically all pain goes away. If the sickness is there, some distress will be there. But on the other hand, for a person who has not been diagnosed, so that are like the people who are non-devotees.
They don’t know what to do in life. Maybe I’ll do this. Maybe I’ll do that.
Maybe this will make me happy. Maybe that will make me happy. And actually, whatever they try, they get a little happiness, but afterwards they become frustrated.
I once wrote a poem. I would say people go to parties and they say cheers. You must have seen in movies, they drink and they say cheers.
So, their hearts are filled with fears. Their hearts are filled with fears. Their minds are pierced by desires.
Their hearts are filled with, oh, this goes wrong, that goes wrong, that goes wrong. Their minds are pierced by desires. I want this.
I want that. I want that. So, their hearts are filled with fears, their minds are pierced by desires and they say cheers.
So, what it means is, actually there is no real happiness. There is a facade. For devotees, we may not be happy right now, but we are in the process to becoming happy.
Whereas materialistic people, often they are doing things which they may seem to be okay right now, but they are actually increasing their sickness. As they increase their sickness, they will actually suffer more and more, unfortunately, till they take the treatment. So, we are happy because we are on the path to happiness.
Others, they don’t even know the path to happiness right now. Does it answer the question? Any other questions?