The concept of Blissfulness (Ānanda-svarūpatā)
Pratyabhijñā and Advaita Vedānta equally accept and uphold the blissful
nature of the Supreme Self. There are hundreds of Upaniṣadic passages
proclaiming the blissfulness of Brahman.
[The following] are some of them:
1. ānanda ātmā,
2. ānando brahmeti vyajānāt,
3. vijñānamānandaṃ brahma,
4. saccidānandaṃ brahma, etc.
1 Taittirīyopaniṣad, 2.5 & 3.6.
2 Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad, 3.9.28.
It is from the intrinsic delight all beings originate, in this delight all
originated beings live and to this bliss all come in back; this delight is
nothing but the Brahman:
ānandāddhyeva khalhimāni bhūtāni jāyante | ānandena jātāni jīvanti |
ānandaṃ pratyabhisaṃviśanti tadvijijñāsasva tadbrahma ||[3
Taittirīyopaniṣad, 3.6.
There are two Adhikaraṇas in Brahma-sūtra, viz. Ānandamayādyadhikaraṇa and
Ānandādyadhikaraṇa, fully devoted to described the blissful character of
Brahman.
Like in Vedānta in Pratyabhijñā also the ultimate reality, Śiva, is
described as the supreme bliss. Utpala call him as concentrated bliss
(Ānandaghana) Abhinavagupta says that this bliss is nothing but the freedom
or Vimarśaśakti or the self-consciousness. It is called as Ānanda because
it is perfectly independent and entirely resting on itself.[5] This brings
out the main difference of the Śaiva conception of Ānanda from that of the
Vedānta. Paramaśiva is itself described as Ānanda and there is also the
experience of Ānanda in it. In the Vedānta, on the other hand the absolute
does not have any consciousness of Ānanda; it is Ānanda itself. Ānanda
cannot be regarded as the object of experience, as there is no
subject-object relationship within Brahman. (KR: THIS IS ADISHANKARA
ADVAITHAM OF ONLY ONE HAPPINESS AANANDHAM PERMANENT; DUALITY HAPPINESS IS
MORTAL HAPPINESS.)
According to the Bhagavad Gita, true happiness can be found in a
peaceful state of mind, and in self-realization. The Gita also describes
three types of happiness:
Ignorance: Happiness that comes from sleep, negligence, and indolence
Goodness: Happiness that comes from the pure intellect and self-knowledge
Passion: Happiness that comes from the senses interacting with their
objects
The Gita also says that happiness can be found within oneself by detaching
from external contacts. The Gita also says that happiness cannot be found
by blindly pursuing the external world, and that doing so will only lead to
suffering and sorrow.
B G 18 36, 37 and 38:
sukham tv idanim tri-vidham shrinu me bharatarshabha
abhyasad ramate yatra duhkhantam cha nigachchhati
BG 18.36: Now hear from Me, O Arjun, of the three kinds of happiness in
which the embodied soul rejoices, and can even reach the end of all
suffering. The ultimate motive behind people’s actions is the search for
happiness. Everyone desires to be happy, and through their actions they
seek fulfillment, peace, and satisfaction. But since everyone’s actions
differ in their constituent factors, the kind of happiness they derive out
of their work is also different.
yat tad agre visham iva pariname ‘mritopamam
tat sukham sattvikam proktam atma-buddhi-prasada-jam
BG 18.37: That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in
the end, is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness. It is generated
by the pure intellect that is situated in self-knowledge.
The Indian gooseberry (āmlā) is one of those super-foods that are very
beneficial for health. It has the Vitamin C of more than 10 oranges. But
children dislike it, since it has a bitter taste. Parents in North India
encourage children to eat it, saying: āmle kā khāyā aur baḍoṅ kā kahā, bād
meṅ patā chalatā hai [v20.1] “The benefits of both these—eating of āmlā and
the advice of the elders—are experienced in the future.” Interestingly,
after eating the āmlā, in just a couple of minutes, the bitter taste
disappears and sweetness is experienced. And the long-term benefits of
consuming the natural Vitamin C are undoubtedly numerous. In the above
verse, Shree Krishna says that happiness in the mode of goodness is of the
same nature; it seems bitter in the short-run, but it tastes like nectar in
the end. The Vedas refer to happiness in the mode of goodness as śhreya,
which is unpleasant in the present but ultimately beneficial. In contrast
to this is preya, which is pleasant in the beginning but ultimately
harmful. Regarding śhreya and preya, the Kaṭhopaniṣhad states:
anyachchhreyo ’nyadutaiva preyaste ubhe nānārthe puruṣhaṁ sinītaḥ
tayoḥ śhreya ādadānasya sādhu bhavati hīyate ’rthādya u preyo vṛiṇīte
śhreyaśhcha preyaśhcha manuṣhyametastau samparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ
śhreyo hi dhīro ’bhi preyaso vṛiṇīte preyo mando yogakṣhemād vṛinīte
(1.2.1-2)[v21]
”There are two paths—one is the ‘beneficial’ and the other is the
‘pleasant’. These two lead humans to very different ends. The pleasant is
enjoyable in the beginning, but it ends in pain. The ignorant are snared to
the pleasant and perish. But the wise are not deceived by its
attractions, choose
the beneficial, and finally attain happiness.”
vishayendriya-sanyogad yat tad agre ’mritopamam
pariname visham iva tat sukham rajasam smritam
BG 18.38: Happiness is said to be in the mode of passion when it is derived
from the contact of the senses with their objects. Such happiness is like
nectar at first but poison at the end.
Rājasic happiness is experienced as a thrill that arises from the contact
between the senses and their objects, but the joy is as short-lived as the
contact itself, and leaves in its wake greed, anxiety, guilt, and a
thickening of the material illusion. Even in the material realm, for
meaningful accomplishment, it is necessary to reject rājasic happiness. As
a reminder to steer him away from immediate but misleading joys, India’s
first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, used to keep these lines from the
poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, on his desk:
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
The path to lasting and divine bliss lies not in indulgence, but in
renunciation, austerities, and discipline.
yad agre chanubandhe cha sukham mohanam atmanah
nidralasya-pramadottham tat tamasam udahritam
BG 18.39: That happiness which covers the nature of the self from beginning
to end, and which is derived from sleep, indolence, and negligence, is said
to be in the mode of ignorance.
Tāmasic happiness is of the lowest kind and is foolishness from beginning
to end. It throws the soul into the darkness of ignorance. And yet, since
there is a tiny experience of pleasure in it, people get addicted to it.
That is why cigarette smokers find it difficult to break their habit, even
while knowing fully well it is harming them. They are unable to reject the
happiness they get from the addiction. Shree Krishna states that such
pleasures—derived from sleep, laziness, and negligence—are in the mode of
ignorance.
THUS, HAPPINESS IS CONNECTED TO TRI GUNAS; SATVA, RAJAS AND Thamo
Happiness. K Rajaram IRS 20 10 24
On Sun, 20 Oct 2024 at 04:28, Jambunathan Iyer <[email protected]>
wrote:
> "Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions."
>
> You have the power to create your own happiness through your choices and
> actions.
> N Jambunathan Rengarajapuram-Kodambakkam-Chennai-Mob:9176159004
>
> *" What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you
> become by achieving your goals. If you want to live a happy life, tie it to
> a goal, not to people or things "*
>
>
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