Often people ask me how do you always remain so happy? How is it that there is always a smile on your face? Don't you ever get upset or angry? What is the secret behind this ever-positive vibration emanating from you? Well, the secret is to be self-satisfied.
The conditioning of human nature is such that we become filled with anxieties when we have expectations – because, in this world, we always don’t get what we expect. If we expect good weather and it is bad weather, it is very disturbing. If we expect respect from our husband, our wife, our friends, or the world, we are not always going to get it. The more we expect, the more we suffer when we don’t receive what we expect. And the more we get, the more we expect, and when we don’t receive, the more we suffer. This is human psychology.
A living being in his normal constitutional position is fully satisfied in spiritual bliss.This state of existence is called brahma-bhuta or at- ma-nandi, or the state of self-satisfaction. This self-satisfaction is not like the satisfaction of the inactive person.
The inactive person is in the state of foolish ignorance, whereas the self-satisfied atmanandi is transcendental to the material state of existence. This stage of perfection is attained as soon as one is fixed in irrevocable devotional service. Devotional service is not inactivity, but the unalloyed activity of the soul.
The soul's activity becomes adulterated in contact with matter, and as such the diseased activities are expressed in the form of lust, desire, hankering, inactivity,foolishness and sleep. The effect of devotional service becomes manifest by complete elimination of these effects of passion and ignorance. The devotee is fixed at once in the mode of goodness, and he makes further progress to rise to the position of or the state of unmixed sattva, or suddha-sattva. Only in this suddha-sattva state can one always see the Lord eye to eye by dint of pure affection for the Lord.
Renunciation or detachment means to be self-satisfied – that is, we don’t need anything. When we are not self-satisfied, the soul tries to find satisfaction somewhere else. If we are not finding satisfaction in our love for God and our compassion for all living beings, we are going to expect it from somewhere else
Remaining fixed in devotional service gives one the utmost in self-satisfaction. Actually self-satisfaction can be achieved only by pure devotees, who have no desire other than to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead has nothing to desire, He is fully satisfied with Himself. Similarly, a devotee who has no desire other than to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead is as self-satisfied as the Supreme Lord. Everyone is hankering for peace of mind and self- satisfaction, but these can only be achieved by becoming a pure devotee of the Lord.
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