OF late the world seems to have awakened to the reality and
utility of Happiness as a great soul-soother. The UN, not wanting to lag behind in the task of recognising the reality and
the utility, is said to have passed a resolution to the effect of designating a day to
be observed as The International Day of Happiness on June 20, 2012.
Consequently, March 20, that is today, was observed as the first
International Happiness Day in 2013, basically to make people the world over aware of
the necessity of being happy.
Now, a novice like me , should not even think of wasting
your precious time either by trying to define ‘Happiness’ or by outlining its
importance in our mundane life. But, let me, at the same time, take this
opportunity of sharing one of my most favourite stories as regards this very
catchy to the extent of being contagious term, Happiness, that has captured the minds of both monks and
morons alike, like nothing else in the last 5 years or so, on this particular “Be good, do good and feel good”
day.
Every time I hear the precious word mentioned, I am reminded
of a story I must have read as a school student, entitled “Rajar Asukh”(The
King’s Disease). I do not remember right now if the story was authored by
Tagore. What I remember definitely is
the gist of the story as it had touched a cord somewhere deep down.
The King was lying in his death bed. The physicians, the
quacks and all had nearly given up on him. The worrying ministers, having put
their heads together, proclaimed to reward handsomely anyone, who could bring
the king back to life from the brink of death. As the king started withering
away, there came one day a worldly-wise veteran of some sort. Once ushered into
the King’s bedroom, he took a long look at the fading falcon, shaking his heavy
head all along. The veteran then stated that if the shirt of a truly happy man
could be brought and the king made to wear it, the monarch would recover like a
magic.
The ministers did not waste any time in sending messengers
to every nook and corner in the hope of the king’s recovery. But the quest of
finding a truly happy man proved to be a daunting task indeed. At one place a
fella was found, in possession of all materialistic pleasures but happiness had
always eluded him. At another, another biggie broke down while bragging about
his booty of unhappiness. The poor messengers were at a loss not knowing if
they would ever find a truly contented soul.
It was at around the same time that a messenger, a more daring
and desperate one, having ventured into the edge of a remote rural
retreat, came across a bare-bodied, skinny beggar. At first sight, the beggar
did not look like the answer to the prayer of a million. It was just out of
curiosity that the messenger thought of probing a little. Great was his
surprise therefore, when the man told him that the spot under the tree where he
was sitting right then, was his only earthly shelter. Other than that, he did not own a thing in
the world. Nor did he have a care for anything else as well. He ate when he
chanced upon some food. He remained bhukha if he did not. He slept if he felt like.
He did not if his limbs were not tired. On the whole, he did live a contented
life!
The greatly shook up messenger hurried back to the palace as
fast as his legs could carry him and was promptly led to the ailing king’s room.
The withering heavyweight lay sprawled in bed like a skeleton and did not look
like surviving the night. The messenger dutifully went on with the narration of
his encounter with the eccentric. By the time he was nearing the end of his
tale, the sick king had sat up on his bed, to the surprise of all and sundry.
With his eyes wide open, he egged the messenger on to the finish and sat like a
statue for a long time after the man was gone. He could not believe what he had
been told, the fact that the poorest of the poor men led such a contented life,
while he, the monarch of the whole world, nay, the whole region, was dying of an unknown disease. The
simple life of the beggar was an eye opener of some sort for the king and he
recovered miraculously from his illness from then on.
The message is very simple – Happiness has a lot to do with
the mental state of a person. If one wants to be happy, all one has to do is to
look deep inside as all the happiness of the world is stored therein. And once someone
is truly happy, he like the enlightened one, stays happy, despite all the
happenings in his immediate surroundings.
So, I would like to wish all my friends, relatives, students
and acquaintances A VERY ENJOYABLE DAY OF HAPPINESS. May god bless you all. Let’s
commit ourselves to finding ways of discovering the happiness hidden within
each one of us. Only then we shall be able to make others happy and contribute
to the collective happiness of the world. Is there any better way of making a paradise of earth?
