From Joy to Eternal Bliss

Once there was an affluent merchant. He owned many palatial houses and factories. One of his mansions suddenly caught fire. The merchant was devastated. Seeing his grief, his help consoled him, saying, ‘Why do you worry? Don’t you remember that only few days ago, your son finalised a sale deed?’

Now the merchant was filled with joy.

He even increased the help’s salary. After a while, the merchant’s son came home, looking crestfallen. His father said, ‘It is good you sold that house; otherwise, we would have faced a great loss today.’ The son replied, ‘Father, I fixed a deal for selling that house, but the payment is yet to be received. And now the buyer is refusing to make the payment.’ As soon as the merchant heard these words, his joy disappeared. He was now sad.

Joy is short-lived because it relies on external circumstances. Bliss is eternal for it comes from within. Its source is God, the eternal sat-chit-ananda. When a seeker finds God within, he is able to attain the supreme state of bliss. The one who is established in soul-consciousness is always immersed in the ecstatic bliss of the Lord’s name.

However, the prerequisite for attaining such a blissful state is Brahmn jnana — the revelation and manifestation of the effulgent form of the Lord in the innermost realms of heart. When you have a glimpse of the divine, when you merge in Him, only then can you experience transcendental bliss. Strive to attain the realisation of God through a Perfect Master and elevate yourself from short-lived joy to eternal bliss.