In the quest for happiness

Oasis

Does happiness come from the fulfilment of desire or from renouncing it? Perhaps from neither. The narrative of the Durga Saptashati begins with the woes of a defeated and angry King and a disillusioned merchant. Both are unhappy and are seeking solace. The guru, even as he illustrates to them that what they seek is an illusion created by ignorance and driven by ego, offers a solution. He asks both of them to meditate on Devi, the Goddess, for it is she who creates the illusion and draws people into the vortex of unhappiness. It is she alone who can deliver the afflicted from their misery.

The King has been betrayed by his ministers and the enemies have taken over his kingdom. The merchant has been betrayed by his own wife and sons, whom he loves the most. They have banished him but he is still attached to them and grieves for them. Both are confused and bewildered by what has happened to them.

Their therapy is for a period of three years. It involves living a simple and disciplined life on the banks of the river, worshipping the Mother with no other distraction, transcending their caste and class distinctions, living together and observing all the prescribed rituals. Unknown to them the whole process is one of understanding their desire and untangling the knots in their mind.

At the end of three years when the Goddess appears, the King wants his kingdom, subjects and his strength back. The merchant has realised that real wealth is detachment and wants liberation from attachment to the material and the emotional.

Without sitting in judgement, the mother grants them their desire. The King’s passionate nature wants to rule. The merchant has transcended his identity which was defined by wealth in all forms including his wife and sons. Both find happiness.

Desires must neither be grossly indulged in nor suppressed. They have to be understood and refined. Even when the process of doing so is the same, the end result is different for different people. Recognising this gives happiness. Leading life on one’s own terms is nothing more than living in harmony with one’s own nature without harming oneself or others.