"Happy Within Yourself"

September 4, 1976


Indian man: To perceive things and after that we can arrive at long-term solutions.

Prabhupada: First of all, what is the problem and what is the solution? What is the problem that you require solution?

Indian man: Any problem which comes.

Prabhupada: No, what is that? That I want to know.

Indian man: Problem is of being happy in the world.

Prabhupada: These are vague terms. You must distinctly say that this is happiness and this is problem. What is your, what is the idea of happiness and what is the problem? That I want to know.

Indian man: That I'm not very much clear at this stage of life.

Prabhupada: Happiness, suppose if you can get a nice palatable dish for eating, you'll be happy. But the dog also, if he can get some good eating, he'll be happy. So where is the difference between dog's happiness and your happiness?

Indian man: Happiness should be combined with mental peace.

Prabhupada: What is that mental peace?

Indian man: To rest in yourself only. Don't run after worldly things.

Prabhupada: Yes. But that is not possible for the animal. Therefore to remain happy within yourself, that is a prerogative of the human being. But we are not trying for that purpose. We are trying to be happy by eating, by sleeping, by sex or by defense. This is our platform of happiness. A dog cannot go to the restaurant, but a human being, if he goes to a restaurant and he can eat palatable dishes, he thinks he's happy. But what is that eating? In your standard you feel happiness, whereas on the street you'll find a pig, he's happy by eating stool. One man's food another man's poison. So eating happiness is there but the standard different. Therefore this eating is common affair, and happiness derived from eating is as good by the dog as by the pig and human being.

Indian man: Your idea is clear.

Prabhupada: So we should know... Happiness is described in the Bhagavad-gita: sukham atyantikam yat tad atindriyam grahyam [Bg. 6.21]. What is happiness, that is beyond the senses. The sense happiness is there by the pig and the man. But his standard of sense happiness is different from the man's. Standard may be different, but the happiness derived from the subject matter is the same. There is no difference.

Indian man: So happiness lies above the senses. Above our indriyas.

Prabhupada: Ha. Happiness means spiritual happiness. That they do not know. Therefore I began my words that so long one is after material happiness he remains as an animal. Because the animal cannot derive spiritual happiness. They do not know. The man can know. Just like this boy, he's coming from very high family in America but he's now happy in this way, by taking sannyasa, giving up everything, living very plain. He has got money he had got beautiful wife, he had got beautiful home, everything. But he has given up. Not his example. In our country there were many many big, big kings, rajarsis. Just like Bharata Maharaja. He was emperor of the whole world. He gave up everything at the age of 24 years, young wife, young children. There are many examples. So actually, we have lost our Vedic culture, the objective, and therefore we are suffering. Simply by holding meetings and... Of course, these things will go on. Government has no other remedy by tax. Whether people are happy or they are happy, it doesn't matter. They have got the power, tax.

Indian man: Right.

Prabhupada: Prasada.

Indian man: Your ideas are superb.

Prabhupada: You remain in Mathura?

Indian man: Yes.

Prabhupada: Here is prasada. Give. Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation -- September 4, 1976, Vrndavana