Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu (May there be happiness in the entire world!)
Sarveshaam Svastir Bhavatu (May there be good health in the world!)
Sarveshaam Shantir Bhavatu (May there be all pervading peace in the world!)
Sarveshaam Mangalam Bhavatu (May there be harmony in the world!)
Sarveshaam Poornam Bhavatu (May there be completeness and totalness in the world!)

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

When do you feel most at peace and happy?

Is it when you have achieved what was a set goal? Is it when you eat your favorite dish? Is it when you have done your favourite physically-exerting activity (any sport/hobby)? Is it when you are listening to an orchestra perform the subtlest of mood altering music? Or, as Col. Frank Slade, Retd, so succintly put it across in Scent of a Woman, is it driving a Ferrari, making love to a terrific woman, and drawing on a finely rolled Cuban cigar?

Whatever it is that is your cup of tea, one thing sure does stand out..all of the above are material or physical pleasures, with the exception of the terrific woman, who of course, I think, could be a life altering event! :) And yes, I have strayed wide off the point am trying to make.

What if, we all went about our lives wishing happiness and prosperity and health, not for us, but for everyone around us? Would that make you any less happy than you are, right now? Would it make it any more happy than you are, right now? Would it be a life-altering experience to you?

The Sanskrit poem/edict/prayer I quoted above, was taught to me pretty early in my life. I was taught to never pray for my own self, but to generally pray for the prosperity and it was reinforced by the ideals that were taught as part of the morals instruction class at my high school.

To this day, that is something I strive to do, and hold dear to me. And it is something that, while costing me nothing, has been the beacon that took me through some of the roughest times of my life, sort of like the light house beckoning to the safety of the shores through the bleak and fog of a rough sea.

What do you have to lose in wishing well upon others? What do you have to lose by wishing prosperity to others? Why do we have to envy others happiness and success? Why can we not be happy for their success? Will it not make for a better world if each one of us, starts to wish others well?

After all, remember, you are not a lonesome dove, alone in the branch of a solitary pine tree that is lost in the shifting dunes of the desert. You are part of this immense "tree" of civilization, where your prosperity is a reflection on your neighbors prosperity and theirs, on yours. It is, to paraphrase a cliche, the case of the whole being better than the sum of the invidual parts.

It is easier said than done, but all it takes, is for one person at a time, to start wishing for the worldly wealth and peace. Let us never forget, this is the celebrated Hindu way of life that is supposed to make it a great religion. So whatever your religious belief may be, or even if you are atheist/agnostic, just remember to celebrate the life on earth and enrich your life, and the life of people around you.

Instead of living a me-first closeted life, it would not hurt to be courteous to the person next to you in the bus or the subway car, it would never hurt to hold the door open for someone who is following you and letting them pass. Wishing others well can begin with activities as mundane and routine as I just mentioned above.

You are not required to, but do strive to put a smile on someones face everyday.

Om Shantih Shantih Shantih