Intro, fundaes, religion and materialistic pursuits.

This is the time of the year (odd semester) when first yearites aka 'freshies' are given a warm welcome by the ever helpful and knowledgeable seniors. This process, which we normally refer to as something else shall be referred to here as intro session. The process starts spontaneously, as the curious 'freshie' infringes into the wings( long corridors with adjoining rooms.) of the seniors and hence is causht for a session. These intro sessions are meant to sting the freshie a little, but are more to do with clearing many doubts he might have in mind and also to put some additional 'fundaes' about life in general and in iit. Though thoroughly entertaining to us, the freshie learns to be more expressive and creative and also expand his network of friends. He also gets guidance regarding academic life here and some strategies to better his performance. More than anything else, he is made to feel at home by familiarising the local lingo and other idiosyncrasies relevant to hostel life....At the end of it all, he gets an apt nickname based on his creative statements or answers to the questions posed, which shall stay with him for the 4 yrs of his life here.
So having had an intro session with one freshie and wishing him good luck, my friend and me indulged in another one of our numerous 'late night fart sessions'. The topic which was mundane initially, steered back to the subject of religion, materialistic life and spirituality. We were sighting numerous stories and instances, and remincising and reflecting on our past experiences in the spiritual realm. My friend was telling me, that of late, he was being drawn to spiritual stuff and that it scared him. On deeper questioning, he revealed to me that as a lot of people were skeptical of religious practices, he also felt like questioning them rather than just believe them...
One of the issues commonly raised is that of the existence of multiple gods in Hindu religion(It would be wrong to call Hindu a religion...it is a 'way of life' for many people) as against in other religions. Multiple gods are only to depict the multiple facets and qualities of the all-powerful single soul or 'atman'., i.e. they are different manifestations of a single life-force (analogy is that of the different forms of energy - light, sound, etc.).

************

Where does happiness lie?...in materialistic pursuits or somewhere else....The answer to that would make life really simpler.Vedas talk of "within and without"....
"Those who take refuge within, are within(full of) happiness and those who are after the 'without'(material pursuits) are 'without'(without happiness)". There is a story in this context which is oft repeated...There was a farmer in a village doing things a farmer would do normally. A businessman who was passing through the village, saw the farmer toiling in the fields in the hot sun. Taking pity on him, the businessman approached the farmer and struck up a conversation....
Businessman(B): You toil in the fields all day in the hot sun and all you get is pittance at the end of the day. Is this the life you seek?
Farmer(F): Yes, I am happy doing farming.
B: But you are young, you could go to the city and set up a business and lead a better life.
F: Ok, tell me, what would I do after setting up a business?
B: What a silly question is that..Ofcourse, you would have access to many things like a good house, vehicle, etc.. which can be bought by the profits you make.
F: Ok, what after buying them?
B: You use them to your benefit and keep expanding your business .
F: What after expanding my business?
B: You sell more goods and profit more and hence can afford great luxuries.
F: Ok, what after all that?
B: What do you mean? You save up enough money for use after retirement.
F: What after that?
B: You are beginning to irritate me..You will obviously lead a life of peace with the money saved to take care of your daily expenses and maybe pursue a hobby or two like farming or gardening in your backyard and be happy.
F: Isn't that what I am happily doing right now?

The essence of this dialogue is that, advancement in technology and the accompanying 'development' could improve the standards of living of a nation, but the question to be asked is would people be more happy than before due to this 'development'?
No one has ever claimed that he has been forever happy due to the riches he has accumulated and the luxuries he can afford, but time and again, saints have stated that eternal bliss is "within" and not "without".