Picture: The progression of life talked about by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita–The imgage of Krishna in each: from the womb to the last stage of life.
We all have theories about how this world works. Many people carry on their “programs” for seeking happiness with little analysis of what actually does or does not work. A life unexamined is bound to repeat errors ad infinitum until there is some regard for learning from experience.
The ability to observe and learn from experience is an essential step in maturity and in refining our search for happiness. The one common denominator amongst all mankind is the desire for happiness. For those whose lives take a spiritual bent a basic premise is arrived at: this world will never be a source for lasting happiness–not ever.
The true aspirant knows that what produces real, lasting happiness is communion with God; the Self, united with the infinite Being, is eternal, and is filled with supreme Consciousness and Bliss.
Due to the physical body’s tendency to get sick, grow old and die this world can never fulfill this promise. Prosperity and situations in life are ever in flux; every high is followed by a low. So it is with all things created, the law of duality always applies, without exception. The discriminating devotee knows that whatever is born will die, that anything external to the Self will one day fall away, and that there is no pleasure or satisfaction in this worldly realm that will not lose its savor over time.
Each individual has the right to any theory he or she chooses for attaining lasting happiness. But, one thing is certain, if the essence of that theory and its practice does not have, at its very core, the eternal Being, Consciousness and Bliss of God, it will fail to supply lasting happiness.