Santosha

Mullah Nasruddin used to grumble all the time. He was a farmer and so he would grumble that there were no rains for many years. He would say, “Oh, there is no rain. No crops are coming and it is so difficult”. He kept grumbling, and it so happened, that year there was very good rainfall and he got great crops in his field.

So people thought that this year Nasruddin would not grumble because his crops have come out so good. Now there was no problem and he must happy. So people went to greet him.

“So Mullah, how are you? You seem to be doing very good. Your field is simply flourishing”.

Mullah had the same long face, and he said, “Yes, but see I have so much work to do now. All these years I had nothing to do because there were no crops. But now there are so many crops. I have so many things to do. I have to go to the market and sell the crops. It is a big headache”. Whether there were crops or no crops, grumbling continued.

In the same way, in life you are unhappy about things you don’t have and unhappy about things you have Isn’t it?

Someone who does not have a car is unhappy because he does not have a car. Someone who has a car is unhappy because he has to maintain the car, and it is such a big headache. They have to pay the tax and do so many things.

Santosha, is developing the habit of being happy. You have to do it; nothing else can give you that.

                                                                                               - H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji