Mohandas Pai – It’s very fascinating to be here, to see so many people who have come to meet you and talk to you. I want to start off this dialogue by asking you a very simple question – how do all of us find peace and happiness in our lives? What is the magic that we need to do, to be happy and to be peaceful within?

Swamiji – Happiness is actually a alchemy process in us, independent of any external happening. We are trying constantly, to achieve happiness in the wrong direction, thinking that only certain permutation, combinations of the external happening can cause happiness in us. It is like a completely misunderstanding the chemistry. If A + B is going to be C, and we go on try to add C + D and reach the A, it is never going to happen. Same way, the alchemy of the happiness, has to be understood as a independent process than the external happenings and permutation, combinations of the external happiness. This itself solves almost 80% of the problem. Then, building happiness is a separate profession we need to do; like making business.

Mohandas Pai – Oh…

Swamiji – It is unfortunate, we believe just by making business or building our career or building a relationship, happiness is achieved. NO.!  It’s a separate alchemy process. Of course, thousands of times simpler than building a career and profession. It may be simple, but it is separate process. We need to look in, to the basic understandings which makes that spiritual alchemy process of happiness happen in us. May be looking into that and following that science, happiness can be developed. And developing happiness can be the first fundamental foundational requirement, even to develop our business and career and all the other things; because if we develop happiness, peace will be side-effect. Peace itself is not main effect. Peace will be side effect. That will equip us, to handle all the things we need to do, to build our career, profession, relationship and all that.

Without building the happiness inside, if we directly start building external things –

1^st – Tremendous stress.

2^nd – Even after achieving the goal, we suddenly feel whatever we lost in the path is too much, to reach this result. So that leads to frustration. I call it – Depression of Success.

Mohandas Pai – Oh…

Swamiji – Successful, but whatever we gave up, looks too much of…too much we gave up, to achieve this. After achieving that only we understand, “I think this may not be that worthy”. So building happiness is an independent science, alchemy, which every individual need to do, before even beginning the life. If we missed, at least now.