This raises an important question: “What is the difference if any between Bliss and so-called worldly joy?" Consider worldly joy/pleasure/happiness first. All these belong to the external world. They are therefore, by their very nature, transient. Joy one day, boredom the next and some pain the day after that. OK, if it is all that clear, then why does man chase something that is a mirage? That is an interesting question.

Swami says that man’s intrinsic nature is Divine. Now Bliss is the form of God. Therefore, since man is God at the core, he seeks Bliss. When a baby is born, it knows nothing about the external world. It does not even know anything about its mother and father; maybe it knows its mother instinctively a few days after birth. At this stage, the baby is close to God from whom it has come. That is why the baby is often seen to be happy, smiling and all that. The baby now starts rapidly growing. During this process, it comes into increasing contact with the external world. It now looks for Bliss in the wrong place, in the new world it has discovered. It does not know that Bliss does not belong to this outer world.