Happiness is intangible and immeasurable. It is easier to cover the blue sky in folds of cloth than to define happiness. Waiting for happiness is like 'Waiting for Godot', a seminal play where two men keep waiting for the titular hero, Godot who never turns up. The dialogue between the two waiting men as given under reveals the emptiness of happiness: 

VLADIMIR: Say, I am happy. 

ESTRAGON: I am happy. 

VLADIMIR: So am I. 

ESTRAGON: So am I. 

VLADIMIR: We are happy. 

ESTRAGON: We are happy.

VLADIMIR: (Silence) What do we do now, now that we are happy.

We are all the time in pursuit of happiness without knowing what that happiness is! Today's trend all over the world is to search for happiness and that too insta happiness. So what is happiness - the hedonism (pursuit of insta pleasure and self-indulgence) of the modern times or the eudaimonism (philosophy of well-being and virtue ethics) of the earlier times?

Lasting happiness rests with peace of mind, with a stress-free life. Modern scientists in particular, quantum computing scientists have found, that those with a spiritual practice or who follow religious beliefs tend to be happier, less depressed and less anxious than those who don’t.

The Bhagavad Gita, speaks of 'ananda' as happiness, engendered by good thoughts and good deeds. One can experience true bliss through evenness of temper and mind. 'Ananda', is not a fleeting emotion or a temporary state of mind as it is the inherent nature of the 'Atman' or the self. It is not dependent on external circumstances. It is the unchanging, eternal bliss that arises from realizing one's true nature as the self that belongs to the eternal Self.

How to cultivate Ananda? It is through introspection and self-inquiry, through meditation, living in harmony with Dharma (ethical conduct) and grateful surrender to the Lord with humility for granting us our life’s blessings. The Gita also says that happiness rests in accepting God’s dispensation- the good and the bad, because He alone is the Do-er. A Tamil saying is no leaf can move without His bidding. Such an acceptance is possible if one gives up the arrogance of do-ership and surrenders to God the Do-er.

Christianity makes a distinction between Joy and happiness. Joy is permanent as it is divinely bestowed on us. God talks about earthly pleasures and tells us that every good and perfect thing is from above. But the Biblical definition of joy is very different from the cultural view of happiness. Joy comes from His presence, His strength, His deliverance of men and women from grief and suffering.

The concept of happiness in Islam is known as 'falah'. 'Falah' is pleasure and peace that can be enjoyed by all individuals in life and after life.

The best way to summarize happiness as gleaned from all religions is to see ‘that everyone is a house with four rooms- the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room every day even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.’  These can be best attained through Karma Yoga (selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (devotion), Jnana Yoga or Buddhi Yoga(enquiry of what is real and what is unreal) and Raja Yoga (mastery of the mind).