Friday, June 6, 2008

Sarve Jana Sukhinobhavantu

Scene: A Gurukul in which Guru has occupied his seat and is ready for clarifying doubts of his students on the lessons taught on earlier day.
The brightest student rose and expressed his doubt.
Student: Master! Yesterday you taught us to always wish for universal peace "Sarve Jana Sukhinobhavantu"

But Sir! If we wish for that it would mean we are wishing that Chora (Thief), Durjana (Bad folks) and kaamis (one with bad desires) also to be happy। If they are happy it would mean they will make others unhappy. How can we wish for everyone's happiness? Please clarify us.

Guru is proud and happy that he raised this question। He clarified it as below।
"We should always wish for "Sarve Janah Sukhinobhavantu". But the catch here is what is "Sukha"? Is the theif who has stolen money really experiencing Sukah or happiness.
Day in day out he will be chased by police. Even during his sleep he will get nightmares of getting punishments for his bad deeds. He cannot eat his food properly, cannot sleep well and cannot live happily with his family out of fear of getting caught. Is this really Sukha? It is not not. He well really attain Sukah prastana only when he quits his bad deeds. When we are wishing we are in reality wishing for change in his profession and wishing that he gets real sukha by quitting burglery.
There is a Kaami who always is pained with desires. His desires are listless. He cannot be at ease with himself until he gets his desire gets fulfilled and once it is fulfrilled he is again troubled by another desire. He also is not very happy. He get some happiness when his desire is getting fulfilled but rest of the time he is suffering either from temptation or disappointment. So we are wishing that he gets relieved of his excessive desires and thus become happy.
Dear Students there are root causes of unhappiness defined in vedas and shastras. They are called Arishadvargas. They are Kama, Krotha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsaras. A man who is really happy is the one with sattva guna and who distances himself from these arishadvargas. When we wish for Sarve Janah Sukhinobhavantu we are essentially wishing that every one in the world gets rid of these six bad traits and attain true happiness. "
Students are satisfied with the xplanation and made ti a point to shred these six enemies that stop men from getting true happiness.

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