Everyone wishes to live a happy life and makes efforts towards that aim. Each person has their own idea of what constitutes happiness, and the pursuit of that determines, to some extent, the course of their life. Happiness is multifaceted and comes in many forms, with dozens of words to describe them.
Amusement, hilarity, and mirth are light, playful forms of happiness, often experienced through humour or entertaining experiences. Joy carries more weight – this mostly spontaneous feeling is associated with positive events or experiences, such as achieving a goal, spending time with loved ones, or enjoying a beautiful day. Delight is described as a lighter, often more immediate feeling of pleasure or satisfaction which results from something pleasant or charming. Delightful moments can be very enjoyable, but are shorter-lived and less profound compared to joy.
Euphoria is an intense and overwhelming feeling of happiness or excitement, which usually does not last long. It can be triggered by a major achievement, an extraordinary experience, or even certain substances. Then there is exhilaration, which is a short-lived energetic feeling of excitement or thrill, often accompanied by a rush of adrenaline. Those who engage in extreme sports are familiar with this feeling.
Going a step further in intensity is ecstasy, a state of happiness often characterized by an overwhelming sense of elation. One can go up a notch and be delirious with joy, which is an even more intense state of happiness, bordering on disorientation or losing touch with reality due to the extreme nature of the experience. The term ‘delirious’ implies that the joy is so intense, almost frenzied, that it can affect our mental clarity and coherence. In some cases, such joy can end in tragedy. Some years ago, a person died of a heart attack shortly after winning a large lottery jackpot. The sudden excitement and stress associated with the win were believed to have contributed to his heart failure.
Towards the sober end of the spectrum, we have gratitude, which arises from recognizing and appreciating the positive aspects of life, often in relation to the actions or kindness of others. Satisfaction is linked to the fulfilment of desires or needs and can come from completing tasks, achieving goals, or having our needs met.
Contentment is a more stable, long-term state of satisfaction and peace. It may not be intense like joy but brings with it a general sense of well-being and acceptance of one’s situation. Perhaps the most profound state of happiness is one that transcends happiness. It is called bliss, which brings deep contentment and joy. It is a heightened feeling that can be more enduring, and is not dependent on external conditions. Bliss is also associated with spiritual experiences, where one feels a deep sense of inner peace and fulfilment.
God is described as the blissful One, and the Ocean of bliss. Bliss is an innate quality of the human soul. It can be experienced when we are constantly aware of our spiritual identity – that we are souls, not bodies – and we think and act on the basis of this awareness. When we are conscious of being a soul, and remember that all others around me are also souls, my brothers, then the soul’s natural qualities of purity, peace, love, and truth are activated. They inform my attitude and decisions. The result is that harmful feelings such as fear, anger, and stress do not arise, or melt away. The soul is fully aware, calm, stable, and unaffected by external circumstances, as it knows that every scene in the drama of life will pass – it is temporary – but peace and happiness are my possessions, to be cherished and experienced by choice, not by chance. When we are in this state of equanimity, bliss follows.
B.K. Sheilu is a Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.