Only requirement for attaining inner happiness is passionate eagerness

Human Will is capable of achieving anything in the material world, as well as in the spiritual world, the inner world. It is not that we lack resources or we lack intellect to gain the knowledge of the Self. It is only that we lack the ardent eagerness required to gain the highest goal of human life – the true inner happiness. The true seeker of Self is rare. You can easily find the seeker of wealth, the seekers of eminence, the seekers of peace, the seekers of comforts or even the seekers of God, but it is very rare to find an ardent seeker of inner happiness, the inner wisdom of Self.

Let me tell you an ancient story of such a ardent seeker of true wisdom, Nachiketa.

“Nackiketa was son of a rich Brahmin, Vajashravasa. Vajashravasa, desiring worldly blessings from the Gods, made offerings of many cows. But Nachiketa observed that his father is only donating the cows that were old, yield no milk and worthless. When Nachiketa pointed that out, his father got angry at him and said "Then may be I should make offering of you." To this Nachiketa asked "To which God will you offer me?" His father replied 'To the God of Death, Yama".

Nachiketa thought ‘I shall be neither the first nor the last to go to the God of Death.’ So he decided to go on his own. When Nachiketa arrived at his place, he had to wait for three days as God of Death was on a tour. When Death returned and found that Nachiketa waited for three days without any food, he offered him to ask for three boons in return.

Nachiketa was pleased at that. He asked first boon " Grant to my father peace and he should welcome me when I return." Yama answered: "Be it so."

For the second boon Nachiketa asked about the religious rituals to ensure a spot in the heavens after death. God Yama granted him that by describing in detail the specific ritual.

For the third boon Nachiketa asked for the Supreme happiness of the Self. To this God Yama said "Such happiness is even rare for Demigods to achieve. Please ask for something else. I shall make you a King of a big Kingdom for your lifetime of 100 years.” Nachiketa said "What use it will be as I have to leave it after 100 years when I die?"

To this God Yama said "Alright, I will grant you long life of a thousand years as King."

Nachiketa said "What good will that be, if I am old and sick"

God Yama said "I will grant you a thousand years of healthy and youthful life as King."

Nachiketa said "What good will that be, if I don't have children."

God Yama granted that also. Like that God Yama offered Nachiketa with a lot of enticements for worldly pleasures instead of rare treasure of inner bliss. But Nachiketa refused all of that and insisted on the third boon for the inner bliss. To this, God Yama became happy as he ensured that Nachiketa is a true seeker who is willing to give up highest form of outer pleasures for the sake of inner bliss. Then God Yama granted him the boon of true inner happiness by showering upon him the wisdom of Self Knowledge.

It is only when the seeker realizes the importance of the wisdom of Self, that he or she can become an ardent seeker of inner happiness. All other enticements of the world, be it the kingdom or the eminence, everything else becomes immaterial for such a true seeker except the goal of his seeking – the wisdom of Self. Happy Baba can only tell you that such passion can only arise in you when you continue to engage yourself in the virtuous activities of selfless service, reading spiritual scriptures, listening to the truly happy saints and when you sit in quiet doing self analysis or meditation.