Lemme Share A Story.....

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?