If you want to maintain the continuity of the joy of good things, you must first cleanse the dirt of your conscience. If your conscience is pure, there is no need for a pile of flowers; even a small flower will continue to give off a constant fragrance.
A Listener’s Question: Why Doesn’t Joy Last Forever?
A storyteller was telling a very beautiful story in an emotional style. The audience was engrossed in the story. When the story was over, a listener came to meet the storyteller. He narrated his suffering to the storyteller and said,
“You tell a very beautiful story. When I listen to your stories, I feel great joy and my mind feels peace. But what is the reason that this joy and peace do not last very long?”
This is the eternal question: Why doesn’t joy last forever?
The Invitation to Discover the Truth
The narrator said, “What you say is absolutely true and this is not just about you alone but about everyone. You have made a frank confession and others do not. The rest of the experience is the same for everyone, that when you hear good things, you enjoy them for a while and then you go back to the way you were. Come to my place tomorrow morning. I will answer your question.”
The Beautiful Room of Roses and Mogra
The brother arrived at the narrator’s house the next day. The narrator took him to a beautifully decorated room. As soon as the brother entered the room, his mind was filled with joy. There were a lot of roses and mogra flowers in the room. The whole room was filled with their fragrance.
The narrator made the brother sit on a chair in the room and asked him to enjoy the fragrance to his heart’s content.
When Joy Turns into Discomfort
After a while, along with the fragrance, a slight stench also started coming. As time passed, the stench started increasing. Now it came to a point that despite the pile of roses and mogra flowers, the stench was still there.
The brother, who was disgusted by the stench, asked the narrator the reason for this.
The Hidden Corners of the Mind
The narrator said, “Brother, stand up and see what is behind the beautiful curtains you see in the four corners of this room.”
The brother stood up and lifted the muslin curtain with gold and silver strings, and there was a stench that would make your head hurt. All four corners were filled with all kinds of dirt.
The Answer: Why Doesn’t Joy Last Forever?
The narrator explained:
“Brother, have you now found the answer to your question? Just like the four corners of a room, our four inner parts—mind, intellect, memory, and ego—are also filled with various kinds of dirt. They have been covered with curtains so that they are not visible.
When we listen to good things, the mind feels peaceful as if it were delighted by the fragrance of roses and mogra flowers. But then within a short time, that inner dirt asserts its dominance. That is Why doesn’t joy last forever until we cleanse our inner self.”
5 Lessons We Can Learn
- Joy is temporary when inner negativity is hidden.
- True happiness comes from cleansing the mind and ego.
- Stories and wisdom can inspire us, but discipline makes joy last.
- Lasting joy requires awareness of what lies beneath the surface.
- Spiritual and mental growth is the path to permanent peace.
Final Thoughts
This heart-touching story beautifully answers the question: Why doesn’t joy last forever? The fragrance of happiness can be enjoyed for a moment, but without cleansing the corners of our mind and heart, true peace will never remain.
(Also read: The Bench of Small Wonders: A Heartwarming Story About Finding Happiness in Simple Moments.)