The pursuit of devotion, charity and self-discipline as the path to happiness

In Bhagavad Gita’s last chapter, it is said that three activities are most essential in life and they should never be renounced. The first is “Yagna “, which means a devotional service towards a higher power for spiritual growth. The second is ”Dana”, which means charity, and thirdly “Tapas” , which means disciplined effort so one can progress in life materially and spiritually. It is mentioned that all these should be practiced with ease, poise, and without any longing for a specific desired result. In today’s busy life, nobody has enough money or time to arrange for Yagna, but other two things can be practiced. Dana is a very noble act, by which one can uplift the spirit of a deprived person, by helping him to grow materially and spiritually, so do we ourselves. The act of charity brings benefits to the giver and the receiver. The giver’s life gets richer by the unseen blissful gratitude which flows from the receiver’s heart towards him. As a seed grows up in to a big tree, and bears fruits, our every action also bears many fruits, and what we sow comes back many times over in life. The intention behind our every action is like the seed that bears fruit – the nature of the seed is the nature of the fruit. Once I heard a story from my Chinese friend which may be relevant here to mention. Long back, a one armed man came and knocked the door of a rich lady, and asked for some donations. The lady was truly helpful and wise. After hearing his tale of misery, when she asked him to arrange some bricks in her garden, he felt helpless and expressed his inability to do anything with his one arm. The smart lady folded her one hand back and showed him how she could do the job only with one arm. The man got the point, did the job, and got a good remuneration for his job. Before leaving, when he asked the lady if she could kindly give him a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, she gladly gave him one. Many years passed, and the ageing lady was still there. One day a big swanky car stopped near her gate, and a gentleman came down and bowed his head to her. When she was unable to recognize him, he showed her that handkerchief which she gave him a long time back. He said she taught him how to live with dignity and also to be helpful to others. He now owns a company, and provides employment to youngsters to learn to live with self-dignity. Difficulties come to teach us to find out inner strength, to be humble and helpful. It is a great lesson, which we all can learn to make life worth living. If we only concentrate on hurt, we suffer. When we support those who might be trapped in a difficult situation and help them march ahead, we ourselves can blossom like a rose and spread fragrance all around. It is not the direct pursuit of happiness that leads to it but rather the pursuit of devotion, charity and self-discipline that leads to a life well lived, that is free and full of joy.