Page 130 - Journey to Infinity

Knowledge – Upasana – Happiness
So long as a man does not know the real nature of a subject, its effect and benefit, he will not be convinced of it! nor does he settle on it. And unless he settles on it he does not get peace and happiness. The mystery of all happiness lies in the steadying and settling down of the activity of the mind (Chitta- vritti). Happiness is the heir or result of peace and rest. Such is arrangement in the order of Nature. All this game is according to that arrangement only. But knowledge spirituality, on the importance of which so much stress is laid, concerns itself with the problem of bondage and veil. Otherwise, what has happened is happening, or will happen, and will continue to happen, and this goes on in its own sequence.
Now the question is: where is the greatness of knowledge if everything happens automatically? Where is the need to know, and for the desire and effort to know? The answer is that that which is called know¬ing, and the struggle to know, also exist in the same order of Nature. How can we escape from it? What is destined to happen would definitely continue to happen. Then the question would be: ‘Why should we bother, when a certain thing happens without our bothering about it? In that case our effort would be useless, and the thing remains unattainable. The answer to this is ‘better do not worry’. If there is no worry it is well and good. But what we call worry” is minds’ itch (Kured), which is the result of inner desires. And so long as the desire is not fulfilled, it will be there working for fulfilment. This desire is called Vasana in Sanskrit. Due to this alone the human world comes into being, and unless this desire is transformed into desirelessness one cannot get peace.
The transformation of desire into desirelessness means stability, upasana and settling. This is secured either by knowledge, or by contentment due to fulfilment of desire. A sort of stability comes after obtaining a desired thing. Hence the wise have sung in praise of knowledge, and it is true to the word. The deficiency in discrimination, judgment and firmness of mind is bound to be there so long as one does not gain knowledge. It is a known fact that a man who cannot take a quick decision and hesitates is always restless or is always perturbed. Another thing is that every condition does not always remain the same in Nature. It has a rise and fall. For example, the waking state withdraws into the dream state, and the dream state naturally with¬draws into the state of deep sleep. Again the state of deep sleep rises either in dream state or in the waking consciousness. This is the daily routine called by the name Kal-chakra