Happiness Hub #1: Go with the ‘flow’
Written By: Param Pujya Muniraj Parijatvijayji Maharaj Saheb
In five minutes, you’ll learn a Jain‑inspired trick for staying calm and cheerful.
Gary groaned in pain, clutching the hospital sheets, his body twisting in sweat‑soaked agony. The sterile chill of the ICU made him ache deeper, every beep from the machines amplifying his discomfort.
“Breathe,” a nurse said gently, pressing painkillers into his hand and adjusting his IV.
“God, I can’t bear it,” Gary whispered, closing his eyes tight, knuckles whitening as he gripped the bed‑rails.
Exhausted, he turned his head slightly and noticed the man in the bed next to him, gazing calmly out of the window. The neighbour hummed a Jain melody softly—gentle and peaceful, an oasis of calm amid the chaos.
Gary stared, his groans fading. “How… how are you so calm? In the ICU? No pain?”
His voice trembled with curiosity.
The man turned, a serene smile on his face. “I’m Anand. People lovingly call me the Bliss King,” he continued. “Sadness never trespasses my life—a happiness hub.”
Gary’s eyebrows knitted together, confused but captivated. “You sound… different. Like you’ve got some secret. In this world—a sea of misery!”
Bliss King chuckled softly. “Yes, there is a secret—it’s called flow.”
Gary leaned closer, intrigued. “Flow?”
“Think of life as a river,” Bliss King explained gently. “It winds, twists and turns around unexpected rocks. If you fight the current, you’ll crash into the rocks. But if you accept and adapt to its turns, you glide smoothly.”
Gary’s eyes widened, the words settling like a calm breath.
“Life’s the same—a zig‑zag of events. Flow with it, and it’s a steady journey. Resist, and you collide with pain.”
“But how do you practically do that?” Gary asked earnestly, the ache momentarily forgotten.
“Imagine,” Bliss King began, “you’re rushing to a critical meeting. Suddenly you’re caught in a massive traffic jam—two hours stuck, no exits, no control.”
Gary exhaled deeply. “I’d curse the drivers, the city, the government… worry about the boss’s reaction.”
“Exactly,” Bliss King said, eyes twinkling. “That’s resisting the flow. The gridlock on the freeway is a rock—un‑movable. Fighting it just adds stress. But if you flow, you pivot. Turn the stuck hour into a fresh one:
Nap to recharge
Listen to your favourite podcast
Join the meeting via Zoom
Plan your next project, jotting notes on your phone
The situation stays the same, but your experience transforms completely.”
Gary nodded thoughtfully. “But isn’t acceptance just giving up? Like Edison—if he’d accepted failure, we’d still be in the dark.”
Bliss King’s smile deepened. “You make an important point. There’s a difference between events you can influence—like Edison’s experiments—and events you cannot, like traffic or sudden illness. Ask yourself: Is this clay—something I can shape—or rock—something I must flow around?”
Gary considered this quietly, picturing his own daily struggles—endless demands at work, imbalance in health, home, office life.
Bliss King continued softly, “Say your boss unfairly criticizes your project. You could let resentment consume you—or you could pause, discern what’s useful, discard what’s harmful, and keep your inner peace intact. Or perhaps you receive unsettling health news. Fighting reality multiplies your suffering. Accepting reality clearly lets you face it with calm and clarity.”
Gary felt a subtle shift inside. The pain, while still present, felt less overwhelming. His breathing eased, synchronising now with the steady rhythm around him.
“Flow doesn’t remove obstacles,” Bliss King concluded, gently closing his eyes. “It simply shows you how to navigate gracefully around them.”
Gary settled back, calmer now, feeling strangely lighter. He chose, in that quiet moment, to float rather than fight.
What rock can you gently flow around today?
