It is time to start planning for that family vacation, as summer will be soon here. Getting away for a week or even just for a few days is what we yearn for. We think that sunbathing on the beach of an exotic island, touring a city of skyscrapers, splashing through creeks and racing downhill on a mountain bike, or lazily cruising in a ship along the coastal wilderness brings happiness.
Here is the caveat – many research studies show that after the vacation, happiness quickly drops back to baseline levels for most people, and for some, the holiday itself turns into the most stressful time. We cannot extract happiness from tourist destinations, or for that matter from any external factors of this world. It is because, as Shree Krishna reveals:
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दु:खयोनय एव ते |
आद्यन्तवन्त: कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुध: ||
ye hi sansparśha-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te |
ādyantavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣhu ramate budhaḥ ||
(Bhagavad Gita 5-22)
“The pleasures that arise from contact with the sense objects, though appearing as enjoyable to worldly-minded people, are verily a source of misery. O son of Kunti, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise do not delight in them.”
The material pleasures are temporary, finite, and insentient. Therefore, they cannot suffice our soul. The happiness we seek in this material realm is of three kinds – tamāsic ras (pleasure of ignorance,) rājasic ras (pleasure of passion,) and sātvic ras (pleasure of goodness.) “The sātvic ras, which is the highest of the three, is elevating to the soul, but not liberating,” cautions Swami Mukundananda. On the other hand, the bliss of God is eternal, infinite, and sentient.
Once, the four Kumars – Sanak, Sanātan, Sanat, Sanandan – who always traveled together, arrived at Vaikunta. When they offered their obeisance to the Supreme Lord in the form of Nārayana, just the aroma of the Tulasi leaves at the lotus feet of the Lord sent them into rapture. Although they roamed the material and spiritual realms since their birth, they never experienced the bliss they derived at the feet of the Lord.
Hence, true happiness lies in taking our mind to the personal form of God, as He is an ocean of bliss. If you wish to go on a blissful vacation this summer, make the Radha Krishna Temple inaugural ceremony your destination. Participating in the Prān Pratiṣṭha of Shree Radha Rani and Shree Krishna and all the celebrations will fill your heart with joy and peace forever.
Embrace this rare opportunity to create lasting memories. For the details of the ecstatic, 8-day program and for FREE registration, see the Radha Krishna Temple Inaugural Ceremony.
For volunteering and sponsorship opportunities, contact 469-524-8887 | [email protected]