View source for We are destined to suffer a certain extent of so-called happiness and certain extent of so-called distress. - The distress is also so-called, and the happiness is also so-called

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{{terms|"We are destined to suffer a certain extent of so-called happiness and certain extent of so-called distress"|"The distress is also so-called, and the happiness is also so-called"}}
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{{compiler|Nabakumar}}
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[[Category:We Are]]
[[Category:Destined]]
[[Category:Suffering]]
[[Category:Certain]]
[[Category:So-called Happiness]]
[[Category:So-called Distress]]
[[Category:Distress]]
[[Category:Is Also]]
[[Category:So-called]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - NABAKUMAR]]
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<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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Everyone is trying to become happy according to his own mental concoction or endeavor, but there cannot be any unalloyed happiness. That is the nature of this material world. The conclusion should be, therefore, "We are destined to suffer a certain extent of so-called happiness and certain extent of so-called distress." The distress is also so-called, and the happiness is also so-called. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, āgamāpāyinaḥ anityāḥ tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata (BG 2.14): "The happiness and distress which comes and goes, they are anityaḥ. They will not stay."
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[[Vanisource:741230 - Lecture SB 03.26.21 - Bombay|741230 - Lecture SB 03.26.21 - Bombay]]
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Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. Just like distress comes upon me without endeavor, similarly, according to my destiny . . . destiny means to some extent we suffer, and to some extent we enjoy. Actually, there is no enjoyment, but we take it for enjoyment. The struggle for existence, the struggle for mitigating suffering, we take it as happiness. Actually there is no happiness in this material world. So anyway, even there is happiness and distress, two relative terms, the one can come without any endeavor; the other also will come without any endeavor. That is a fact.

Everyone is trying to become happy according to his own mental concoction or endeavor, but there cannot be any unalloyed happiness. That is the nature of this material world. The conclusion should be, therefore, "We are destined to suffer a certain extent of so-called happiness and certain extent of so-called distress." The distress is also so-called, and the happiness is also so-called. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, āgamāpāyinaḥ anityāḥ tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata ([[Vanisource:BG 2.14 (1972)|BG 2.14]]): "The happiness and distress which comes and goes, they are anityaḥ. They will not stay."

The example is given, śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. The winter season and the summer season, they come and go. To somebody, winter season is very nice, and to somebody, summer season is very nice. In the Western countries they like summer season very much, and in this tropical country they like winter season very much. So actually, summer and winter, they are neither distress nor happiness. It is due to the touch of the skin. Mātrā-sparśās tu. Mātrā-sparśāḥ means it is due to the touching of the skin we feel like that, distress and happiness. Actually this material world, as certified by Kṛṣṇa, it is place of distress. There is no happiness. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam ([[Vanisource:BG 8.15 (1972)|BG 8.15]]). It has been described in the Bhagavad-gītā, "This place is place for miserable condition." Duḥkha ālayam. Ālayam. So long you are not annihilated, this place is duḥkhālayam. It is miserable condition. We have several times explained.

So we have to purify the consciousness. Then we shall be without any touch of this so-called distress and happiness. That is prescribed here, yat tat sattva-guṇaṁ svaccham. Here there is little happiness in the sattva-guṇa. But still, that sattva-guṇa can be contaminated by rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa—directly distress. And sattva-guṇa, there is little taste of happiness, but that is not complete happiness. The complete happiness is that sattva-guṇa without any touch of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. That is transcendental.

So here it is described that yat tat sattva-guṇam . . . sattva-guṇam does . . . not this sattva-guṇam: rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, sattva-guṇa, but svaccham. Svaccham means cleansed, completely cleansed, without any tinge of material quality. Yat tat sattva-guṇaṁ svacchaṁ śāntam. Śāntam. Everyone is seeking peace of mind. People come to spiritual societies or some other way, everyone is searching after some peace, śāntam. Śānti. The śānti can be attained when this sattva-guṇaṁ svaccham, when the sattva-guṇa, your status will be on the sattva-guṇa and completely cleansed. Then you can get śānti. Completely cleansed means . . . that is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, na śocati na kāṅkṣati: "There is no lamentation and there is no hankering." Then it is śānti. As soon as there is some hankering, you cannot have śānti. That is not possible. And as soon as there is some possession, you cannot be without lamentation. The two things, material, they are ruling over us. We are hankering after something which we do not possess, and what we possess, if it is lost, then we are lamenting. So śānti means no hankering, no lamenting. That is called śānti.
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