Happiness is Priceless | by Dr Kausthub Desikachar
HAPPINESS IS PRICELESS! Pun Intended!
On a recent visit to Jaipur, Rajasthan, I learnt a powerful lesson. My friend and I had taken a week off from our busy work schedule to experience a new phenomenon called a Vacation! Yeah, that's right. I, for one, never really took a vacation in my life. Even when I was supposedly on vacation, I usually had some work or the other that I was doing. But not this time.
I often wear the watch that my father gifted me when I completed my PhD in 2011. It has been my companion ever since and it became even more relevant since he passed away. Wearing it reminds me that he is always with me, guiding me, supporting me and of course continuously blessing me to fulfil my dharmic path. However, as I embarked on my flight to Jaipur, the watch stopped working as the battery had died. So the whole vacation turned out to be a gift from my father, as I lost sense of time. This made me focus on life and not just keep looking at the clock to see what is next on the agenda.
While lost in such a timeless world, I could not only see more of Rajasthan but also could enjoy it more. On the very first day, I saw this woman (pictured above) with her two kids on the street. Those who know me well, know that I enjoy photographing common people, especially those who are usually unseen by most people. I asked the driver to stop the car and took her picture along with her two sons. The bag you see in the photo is all of their belongings. Yet, their smile was so pure and from their heart, and of course free of cost.
Not knowing that my camera was a digital one, she asked me if she would get a print of the photo. I explained to her that the camera was unable to do that instantly and apologised for it and left.
Yet as days passed, her request kept staying with me in the heart. So I asked the hotel to take a print of the photo in a nearby shop and embarked on a journey to find her to give her the photo. I wasn't hopeful to find her, as being homeless, she seemed like someone who would wander from one place to another in search of food or shelter.
I prayed to my ancestors (and a sacred wolf) as I asked my driver to drive to the same area where I had originally found her. Not surprisingly she wasn't to be found there and I was dejected. Reconciling in my heart that I had tried my best, I told the driver to return back to our hotel. As the driver made a U-turn to return back, my prayers were answered. She was in a different spot further away and on the other side of the road, but there!
When I stopped the car and stepped out and offered her the photo, her eyes lit up and all three of them had the greatest joy on their faces. Each had a smile so big, that I have not seen such a thing on anyone with money, wealth, education, car, home or any other material things.
This experience touched me deeply and taught me an invaluable lesson. While she was homeless, she wasn't really hopeless, and HAPPINESS IS INDEED PRICE-LESS!
And in this way, she became my teacher! I thanked her for this lesson and offered her some compensation as Guru-dakṣiṇa so that she and her sons would have something to eat for the next few weeks and took leave of her.
Reflect on this my friends... It is really important to understand what makes one truly happy.
Namaste!
To know more about who is Dr Kausthub Desikachar, kindly visit here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/who-is-kausthub-desikachar
Dr Kausthub Desikachar is a champion of women’s empowerment and guides many of his female students to embody their strength. To view his interviews with Viniyoga Women, visit this page here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/viniyoga-women
He also offers a Mantra blog, where students can listen to different Mantras from the Vedic Tradition. To benefit from this, visit here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/mantra
Dr. Kausthub Desikachar also assists many clients in their healing journey that includes mental health issues. He regularly writes articles on Mental Health issues and these can be found here - https://www.viniyoga.com.sg/mental-health
Being an amazing Yoga Therapist and Spiritual guide, Dr Kausthub Desikachar also offers insightful mentoring through private consultations, which can be taken either face-to-face or online. To book a session with him, kindly visit his private consultations page by clicking here>
Apart from Yoga Teaching, Kausthub is also an avid photographer, inspirational writer and poet. To view, some of his inspirations, visit the website www.kausthubdesikachar.com
To view his other Yoga teaching page, visit here https://www.kausthub.yoga/