Ānanda (Hindu philosophy)
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''Ānanda'' (
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: आनन्द) literally means
bliss BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C b ...
or happiness. In the
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...
,
Upanishads The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
and Bhagavad gita, ānanda signifies eternal bliss which accompanies the ending of the rebirth cycle. Those who renounce the fruits of their actions and submit themselves completely to the divine will, arrive at the final termination of the cyclical life process ('' saṃsāra'') to enjoy eternal bliss (''ānanda'') in perfect union with the godhead. The tradition of seeking union with God through loving commitment is referred to as '' bhakti'', or devotion.


Etymology

''Ānanda'' is a Sanskrit word regarded as a verbal noun ''nanda'' prefixed with ''ā''. ''ā'' indicates the place where the verbal action occurs; for example, ''āsrama'', where one toils, ''ārama'', where one enjoys oneself, ''ākara'', where things are scattered, etc. The word ''ānanda'' thus implies a locus, that in which one finds bliss, be it a son, the fulfillment of a wish, the knowledge of ''
brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...
'', or the '' atman'',. ''Ānanda'' is not just a free-floating unfocused bliss, it has an implied object.


Different descriptions of Ānanda in Hindu philosophy


Taittiriya Upanishad

Perhaps the most comprehensive treatise on 'ānanda' is to be found in the Ananda Valli of Taittiriya Upanishad, where a gradient of pleasures, happiness, and joys is delineated and distinguished from the "ultimate bliss" (ब्रह्मानंद)- absorption in Self-knowledge, a state of non-duality between object and subject. This essential description of 'ānanda' as an aspect of the non-dual Brahman is further affirmed by Adi Shankaracharya commentary on the
Brahma Sutras The ''Brahma Sūtras'' ( sa, ब्रह्मसूत्राणि) is a Sanskrit text, attributed to the sage bādarāyaṇa or sage Vyāsa, estimated to have been completed in its surviving form in approx. 400–450 CE,, Quote: "...we c ...
, Chapter 1, Section 1, Shloka 12, आनन्दमयोऽभ्यासात्.


Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda has claimed that the reason different meanings of ''ānanda'' and different ways of achieving it are present in Hindu philosophy is that humans differ from each other, and each chooses the most appropriate path to ''ānanda'' for him or herself.Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God 2006 , Swami Vivekananda


Sri Aurobindo

According to Sri Aurobindo, happiness is the natural state of humanity, as he mentions in his book The Life Divine he informs about it as delight of existence. However, mankind develops dualities of pain and pleasure. Aurobindo goes on to say that the concepts of pain and suffering are due to habits developed over time by the mind, which treats success, honour and victory as pleasant things and defeat, failure, misfortune as unpleasant things.


Advaita vedanta

According to the Vedanta school of
Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India which include six systems ('' shad-darśana'') – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.Andrew Nicholson ( ...
, ''ananda'' is that state of sublime delight when the jiva becomes free from all sins, all doubts, all desires, all actions, all pains, all sufferings and also from all physical and mental ordinary pleasures. Having become established in
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...
it becomes
jivanmukta A ''jīvanmukta'', literally meaning ''liberated while living'', is a person who, in the Vedānta philosophy, has gained complete self-knowledge and self-realisation and attained '' kaivalya'' or ''moksha'' ( enlightenment and liberation), thus ...
(a being free from the cycle of rebirth). The Upanishads repeatedly use the word ''Ānanda'' to denote
Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' ( sa, ब्रह्मन्) connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part X ...
, the innermost Self, the Blissful One, which, unlike the individual self, has no real attachments.


Dvaita vedanta

Based on a reading of the Bhagavad Gita, Dvaita vedanta interprets ''ananda'' as happiness derived via good thoughts and good deeds that depend on the state and on the control of the mind. Through evenness of temper and mind, the state of supreme bliss is reached in all aspects of one’s life.


Vishishtadvaita vedanta

According to the Vishishtadvaita vedanta school which was proposed by Ramanujacharya, true happiness can be only through divine grace, which can be only achieved by surrender of one's ego to the Divine.


Sri Ramana Maharshi

According to Ramana Maharshi, happiness is within and can be known only through discovering one's true self. He proposes that ''ananda'' can be attained by inner enquiry, using the thought "Who am I?"Talks With Ramana Maharshi: On Realizing Abiding Peace and Happiness 2000, Ramana Maharshi


Ways of achieving ānanda

Within the various schools of Hindu thought, there are different paths and ways of achieving Happiness. The main four paths are Bhakti yoga, Jnana yoga, Karma yoga and Raja yoga.


See also

*
Satcitananda ( sa, सच्चिदानन्द, IAST: ; also Sat-cit-ananda or ) is an epithet and description for the subjective experience of the ultimate unchanging reality, called Brahman,Devadutta Kali (2005), Devimahatmyam: In Praise of the Godde ...
* Sukha


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ananda (Hindu philosophy) Vedanta Happiness Sanskrit words and phrases