cannot serve. You become a yogi just by serving. Everything else comes automatically. Lose not even a single opportunity to serve others.”
The Bhagavad Gita says that happiness arising from contact with the sense objects is the cause of grief, because it is ephemeral, having a beginning and an end. It further states that one who makes the happiness and the suffering of others his own, is the greatest yogi.
Last, but not the least, happiness is also related to equality. Happiness cannot be promoted in a society pregnant with all kinds of inequality. A small country like Finland ranks first in the Happiness Index. In this country, the difference between the salary of a CEO and that of a taxi driver is small. The government spends its huge revenue surpluses on welfare schemes to keep the cost of living at a low level.
Also, our lifestyle should be as natural as possible, meaning that we should try to live close to nature. If progress is not eco-friendly, we continue to confront calamities like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is not for nothing that Gandhiji laid stress on simple living. Nature is kind enough to meet every man’s

need, but not every man’s greed. In the book, Conquest of Happiness, Bertrand Russell aptly observed: “...to be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.” Economists are aware of the limits to growth.
India’s rank in the Happiness Index is disappointing. According to the World Happiness Report - 2022, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, India’s rank was 135 (out of 146 countries), down from 111 in 2012. India is the world’s 11th most unhappy country. The index is based on the Gallup World Poll, released annually, and measures happiness based on six factors — GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, and perceptions of corruption and generosity. As the first two parameters are based on wealth among the citizens and social benefits provided by governments, Finland, Denmark and Iceland top the list as the happiest countries in the world.
A fresh look at our development strategies is required. Otherwise, whatever progress we achieve, ultimately it becomes pyrrhic. We are marching fast to remain at the same spot.

Bhavan's Journal,May 15, 2022∎ 40