J. P. Vaswani - Destination Happiness: 20 Secrets Revealed

Published by
Gita Publishing House
Sadhu Vaswani Mission,
10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune - 411 001, (India).

J.P. Vaswani
First Published - 2000 copies - July, 2007
2nd Reprint - 3000 copies - 2017
eBook edition November, 2018

DESTINATION HAPPINESS
ISBN 978-93-86004-24-6

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Author.

Printed by
Thomson Press (India) Limited
B-315, Okhla Industrial Area Phase 1,
New Delhi

Compiled by
Dr. Prabha Sampath
and
Krishna Kumari

GITA PUBLISHING HOUSE
PUNE, (INDIA).
www.dadavaswanisbooks.org

R am and Neela are a devoted couple who come from a close-knit family. Rams old parents and Neelas widowed mother live with them, and are well looked after. Their children Anil and Deepa are well behaved, intelligent and lively. Ram looks after the textile business built up by his father. He is hard working and smart, and the business is flourishing. Whenever I visit the city in North India where they live, it gives me great pleasure to meet the family and greet them with love and affection.

I was surprised when Ram and Neela came to see me in Pune, though I was delighted to see them again. But something seemed to bother them. Not wishing to assume that anything was amiss, I waited for them to open up - which they did, soon.

Dada, we need your special blessings for our son Anil, Ram began hesitantly.

God is sure to bless him abundantly, I assured them. When is Anil completing his Engineering degree?

Thats next year, Dada, said Neela eagerly. This year, he is appearing for his GRE. Please Dada, we want him to get into a first rate American University with a scholarship. Please bless him, Dada, that our dreams may come true.

I smiled and said to them that an intelligent and industrious boy like Anil would find many doors opening for him. But they insisted that he should get into an American University of his choice.

God heard their prayers and Anil won a scholarship to do his M.S. in Bio-engineering at a prestigious university in the U.S.

It was several months later that I visited their hometown. The family came to see me, but their smiles were conspicuously absent. They attended the satsang, met me afterwards, and departed. Only Rams old father stayed behind to talk to me.

I hope all is well with your family, brother, I said to him gently.

We are indeed well, Dada, said the old man. But alas, all is not well with our Anil!

Why, what of dear Anil? I enquired anxiously.

The old man cast anxious looks about him and lowered his voice. It hurts me to have to say this Dada, he said in a whisper. Anil has broken his mothers heart. He has let us all down!

Whatever has he done?

He he, the old mans voice broke into a sob. He has married a Chinese girl!

The old man was inconsolable. Nothing that I said could comfort him. As for Neela, she could not even see me without tears. Her American dream had turned sour!

I have known Jagdish since he was a young man of twenty. Starting off as a small entrepreneur, Jagdish has built up a formidable business empire that spans three continents. Recently, he has opened an office in China.

Jagdish talked to me about the opportunities now opening up for businessmen like him in China. His firm was poised for a quantum leap with the new move. He had himself travelled to Shanghai thrice in the last year, and he found the Chinese people professional and easy to deal with.

Only give me your blessings, Dada, he said to me earnestly. My hard work will take care of the rest.

I wished Jagdish Godspeed.

His teenage daughter Neha was with him during the visit. She looked on sullenly as Jagdish was explaining his future plans to me. The moment Jagdish moved away from us to attend to a call on his cell phone, Neha said to me imploringly, Dada, I dont want Papa to take his business to China!

Why ever not? I asked her. Papa has worked hard to achieve his breakthrough, and he deserves to do well in China!

But Dada, as it is, we hardly get to see Papa! Hes always flying off to Hong Kong, Taipei, Thailand or Singapore. If he starts going to China, we will probably see him only on Deepavali day! It may make my father very happy to expand his business into China - but its going to make me and my kid sister very, very unhappy!

Suchitra is the only child of doting parents. Her mother is a scientist and her father is a successful architect. Suchitra was a brilliant student through school and college, and topped her class in the M.B.A. programme. Multinational companies offered her lucrative posts. The parents were delighted and proud, and began to consider the best option open to her.

Suchitra turned down fat pay packets and plum posts and decided to work with a voluntary Aid organization in Gujarat- for a meagre salary.

Money is not enough to make me happy, she told her parents firmly. I have set my heart on a job that will benefit my fellow human beings. My education will be wasted if I do not use it to serve those in need.

Her parents were devastated by what they perceived as her stubbornness!

Keshav was a senior executive in a successful software company. His astronomical salary, generous perks and stock options had made him a millionaire before he was fifty years old. He was made the vice president of his company in Silicon Valley, and it was rumoured that in two years, he would be the C.E.O. of the company.

On his 51st birthday Keshav quit his job. He felt that he had been running a rat race all these years. He felt that he had heard the call of the spirit, and he wanted to devote his life to sadhana and abhyasa at the feet of a spiritual master. Above all, he wanted to return to India, to the land of his ancestors.

Keshavs wife and children would not hear of it. California was their home; they would not move anywhere else!

It was a tough choice - but they had to make it. Keshav moved to India to seek his hearts desire; his family stayed on in California, where, they felt, their happiness lay.

I thought of Ram, Neela, Jagdish, Suchitra and Keshav, as I was working at my desk one evening. They had all been in quest of happiness - all of them. Moving along different pathways of life, engaged in different spheres of human activity, they were all seeking happiness in their own way.

Seeking happiness . which meant that they were not really happy with their lot in life. At times, some of them made a choice which resulted in a great deal of unhappiness for their loved ones. What was it that went wrong for them - and thousands of others like them, all over the world? Could it be that in their quest for happiness, they were moving along wrong routes?

I left my desk and decided to take a walk. We were then on a retreat at a quiet hill resort and I had time at my disposal to devote to long walks, reflection and meditation.

What is it that can make people truly happy? Money? Pleasure? Power? Position? Authority? Popularity? Fame? But then have we not known men and women who had all this - and continued to be unhappy?