Story 9: What Makes Us Happy or Sad?

 Story 9: What Makes Us Happy or Sad?

Yesterday, Rahul hurt his leg while playing football, so he didn’t go to school. His leg was still hurting, and he didn’t feel like doing anything, so Rahul thought, "Let me go to Grandpa now."

Limping and saying “ouch ouch” because of the pain, Rahul came to Grandpa.

Rahul (in pain): Grandpa… can you please tell me another Gita story now?

Grandpa (smiling):
Yes, my child. Come, sit down. Turn on the video.

(Rahul, still in pain, saying “oh ouch” and sets up the camera.)

Grandpa (laughing): Oh! Our brave boy is saying “ohh aah ouch” so much. Just from a small injury! Is it hurting a lot?

Rahul: It’s an injury, Grandpa, of course it hurts! But it’s okay... happiness and sadness keep coming in life.

Grandpa (surprised): Wow! Today, our Rahul is talking like a philosopher!

Rahul: Grandpa, now please tell me some Gita. Maybe it will make my pain go away.

Grandpa: Since our little philosopher said happiness and sadness, let me tell you one special shloka about it.
This one is very useful to understand what happiness and sadness really are.

Let’s read the 14th verse of Chapter 2 from the Gita:

Together they read:
Mātrāsparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ।
Āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata।।14।।

Rahul:
Grandpa, can you say it like a poem?

Grandpa:
Yes, of course! Listen:

Like cold and heat come and go,
Happy and sad times also flow.
Sometimes joy and sometimes pain,
Just like sunshine and then rain!

Rahul (smiling): That means happiness and sadness are like seasons of life! Sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy… but we must keep going—that's real life!

Grandpa: Wow! Now you really sound like a wise thinker! Is this because of my company or because of the injury?

Rahul (laughing): Maybe both!

Grandpa: Now let me tell you what the shloka means.
Lord Krishna tells Arjuna:

"O Arjuna, happiness and sadness come and go like summer and winter. They are felt through the senses. You must learn to stay calm and strong through them."

Rahul: Grandpa, I understood the first line. But I didn’t get the second line.

Grandpa: Okay, Rahul, I’ll explain. Lord Krishna is telling us:
Can you tell me—what do you think happiness and sadness are?

Rahul: When life goes smooth and there’s no trouble—that’s happiness.
And when there are many problems, that’s sadness.

Grandpa: Very good, Rahul! That’s what Lord Krishna is saying, too.
But happiness and sadness can be different for different people.

For example:
The weather you like feels happy, the one you don’t like feels sad.
For someone else, it might be the opposite!

Lord Krishna says: When we get something we like, we feel happy. When we don’t get what we want, we feel sad.

(Grandpa laughs and says)
Like, some kids feel happy going to school. Others feel happy staying home!

Rahul (annoyed): Grandpa, I didn’t stay home for fun! I got hurt!

Grandpa: Okay, okay. Let’s take another example—
For you, eating pizza and pasta is happiness. For me, it’s sadness.

Rahul (laughing): Yes! For you, eating bottle gourd and bitter gourd is happiness. For me, it’s sadness!

Rahul (a bit serious): But Grandpa, getting hurt feels sad for everyone, right?

Grandpa: Yes, Rahul, getting hurt is sad for everyone.
That’s why in the last line of the shloka, Lord Krishna says—We must learn to tolerate it.

Everyone gets hurt sometimes. We put medicine, and we take care of it. But when it still hurts, what can we do?
We must be patient. Slowly, it will get better—and then we’ll feel happy again.

If you stay calm and focus on something else, you’ll feel less pain.

Rahul: So the trick is to tolerate sadness. And keep busy with something else—then it won’t feel so bad!

Grandpa: Yes, my child! If we change the direction of our thoughts and actions, we feel less pain. We should bring positivity into our thinking. If we have a positive attitude, we won’t even realize when the tough time passes.

Rahul: So, Grandpa, does happiness and sadness really depend on how we think?

Grandpa: Yes, Rahul. Some people get upset with even a small change in life. They think, “Why is this happening to me?” They don’t even try to be strong. If something doesn’t go their way during the day, they get angry or upset. Even if they have everything, they feel sad. Because they don’t have  patience,  But some people smile even in difficult times.

Rahul: Like Sita Mata was happy even while living in the forest?

Grandpa: Yes, my child! In the forest, she had no comforts, and she did all the work herself. Still, she was happy. That’s why our happiness or sadness depends on how we think.

Rahul: Grandpa, should we also learn how to handle too much happiness?

Grandpa: That’s a very good question, my child. When we have too much happiness, we become lazy. It’s bad for our health. It also brings ego into us. We start thinking we are the best and others are not as good. Then we may do things that hurt others. So even when we are happy, we must do our duties. Don’t let happiness control your mind. We should also learn to handle happiness. Because after happiness, sadness always comes. Just like the weather keeps changing.

Rahul: So like seasons change, happiness and sadness also come and go. That’s why we must have self-control and do our duties even when happy.

Grandpa: Yes, Rahul. And too much happiness increases our desires. When our wishes are not fulfilled, we feel sad even though we have many good things. So, we must control our wishes and enjoy what we already have.

Rahul: Grandpa, we also understand the value of happiness only when we face sadness. If we never feel sad, how will we know what happiness feels like?

Grandpa (smiling): Wow! That’s a wonderful thought, my child. We can also say it like this:

Only in darkness, we understand the importance of light.
"If there is no night, how will the morning sun shine?
Darkness must pass to let the day align."

Rahul: And Grandpa, after rain, we can see the rainbow,

Grandpa: So we should accept every colour of life. That’s when life becomes beautiful like a rainbow.

Rahul: Thank you, Grandpa. Your Gita has given me a new strength to bear pain. Now I will study without thinking about my injury.

(And Rahul closes the video and happily goes to his room to study—without saying “Ouch!” in pain.)