Reasons for Misery

Reasons for Misery

The first thing one must know is that there is misery in life. One should not deny this fact or be oblivious to it. One who denies that there is misery in life is foolish. First, know and accept that there is misery in life. Then do what is needed to overcome.

Why is this so? It is because there is always some cause or reason behind sorrow or misery. Misery cannot exist without a cause. What can be the cause of misery? There are four Eshnas (attachments) a person may have that can lead him to misery.

They are:
Vitteshna (attachment to wealth and materialistic prosperity)

Putreshna (attachment to one’s children and progeny)

Jiveshna (attachment to one’s life and physical body), and

Lokeshna (attachment to one’s reputation or fame).

What does the word ‘Eshna’ mean? It means craving or greed towards something.

For example, a person is feverish and greedy for money and prestige. When he does not receive either, then he becomes miserable. Similarly, the attachment one has towards one’s children and progeny is called Putreshna. Then, having a feverish desire to be famous in society is called Lokeshna. Jiveshna is the attachment and craving to live more and more (meaning to one’s life or the physical body).

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Q: What do you say about the eastern and western cultures?

Guruji: Pick up good things like cleanliness and following the rules from the Western society. Western Civilization has such cleanliness and the sense of following rules. Learn the Human values from the East. Every country or tradition has something good to offer. We need to learn hospitality from the Japanese, precision from Germans, etiquette from the English and marketing from America and from India, human values.

We can also learn, what not to learn or what to unlearn? Too much formality! At some places, the mother has to take permission to go to her daughter, or the daughter has to take appointment from the mother. This has started to happen somewhere in urban society here also. The naturalness, sense of belongingness is disappearing from the society. That has given rise to depression and other disorders in so many countries in the west. There is such a sense of belongingness and human values even in a village in the east, and that is to be maintained.

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Don't focus on what others want! See what it is that you want. When you stop looking inside and look at others, that is when you miss the boat.

Om Namah Shivay