Inner Joy
By Karmayogi
Success
makes for happiness; failure gives us sorrow. Sri Aurobindo says success and
happiness are sought after by lower human emotions. Pious people do their duty
regardless of success or failure. They are invariably happy, rather filled with
a sense of contentment. There are other people who are always found filled with
JOY. They spread joy around. Such people are found at all levels of life. Inner
Joy, permanently established, is one symptom of a realised Soul. We do not hear
of pensive Saints or other religious people who are depressed. Invariably they
are happy. Some of them have a characteristic sweet smile.
Man does cherish money, popularity, status, power etc. It is equally true that
man values inner joy more than all these attributes. When they are presented as
alternatives – whether you need joy or wealth – how many will want joy is a
question. This is our religious teaching or cultural tradition.
But there is one more dimension to the inner joy. To all attributes of life and
creation – Time, tapas, money, knowledge etc – we know of, Sri Aurobindo has
added a new dimension. Such a dimension is also here for the inner Joy. That
inner joy includes all the higher attributes of life, e.g. power, health,
money, status, wealth, etc. When I say we can invoke the spirit, without our
knowing it we invoke the higher dimension of human traits. We know of goodness
that is the opposite of evil. What Sri Aurobindo says is Self-Existent
GOODNESS. It has no opposite. It exists in the plane where there is no evil.
South Indian rivers are seasonal. They flow during the monsoon season only. In
North India several rivers are
perennial, which means they flow all the time. The JOY that I speak of is
spiritual JOY. I said it is inclusive of all human needs, comforts and
affluence. Invoking the spirit, one attains to INNER JOY. If he is not entirely
successful, at the next level he attains material Prosperity. Hence I called my
column ‘‘Spirituality & Prosperity''.
There is one more dimension to this. I rarely speak of it. It is called
Spiritual Prosperity, generally difficult to attain. It is attained by a
Spiritual discipline. The only such discipline here is NOT to take egoistic
initiative. No initiative of ours is free from ego.