Ānanda (
Sanskrit: आनन्द) literally means
bliss or happiness. In the
Hindu Vedas,
Upanishads 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 passionate commitment is referred to as
bhakti, or devotion.
[1]
Different meanings of happiness in Hindu philosophy[edit]
Swami Vivekananda[edit]
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.
[2]
Sri Aurobindo[edit]
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.
[3]
Advaita vedanta[edit]
According to the
Vedanta school of
Hindu philosophy,
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 all physical and mental ordinary pleasures. Having become established in
Brahman it becomes
jivanmukta (a being free from the cycle of rebirth).
[4] The Upanishads repeatedly use the word
Ānanda to denote
Brahman, the innermost Self, the Blissful One, who unlike the individual Self has no real attachments.
Dvaita vedanta[edit]
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.
[5]
Vishishtadvaita vedanta[edit]
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 total surrender of one's ego to the
Divine.
[citation needed]
Sri Ramana Maharshi[edit]
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?"
[6]
Ways of achieving ānanda[edit]
Bhakti yoga is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on the cultivation of love and devotion toward God. It has been defined as a practice of devotion toward God, solely motivated by the sincere, loving desire to please God, rather than the hope of divine reward or the fear of divine punishment.[1] Bhakti (Devanāgarī: भक्ति) is a Sanskrit term that signifies an attitude of devotion to a personal God which is similar to a number of interpersonal relationships between humans, such as between lovers or friends. The difference is that in bhakti, the relationship is between a soul (that of the devotee) and a "supersoul" (God).[4]
The
Bhagavad Gita is a cornerstone of Hindu
bhakti theism, especially among Vaishnavists. The
Bhagavad Gita stresses that love and innocent pure intentions are the most powerful motive forces in a devotee's spiritual life.
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
(B-Gita 9.34)[8]
One can understand Me as I am, as the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.
(B-Gita 18.55) [9]
Jnana is a cognitive event which is recognized when experienced. It is knowledge inseparable from the total experience of reality, especially a total or divine reality.[4] In Indian religions, it is knowledge which gives release from bondage.Jñāna yoga states that knowing suffices for liberation.[note 1] 'jnana yoga aims at the realization of the oneness of the individual self and the ultimate Self.
Karma yoga, or the "discipline of action"
[1] is a form of
yoga based on the teachings of the
Bhagavad Gita, a sacred
Sanskritscripture of
Hinduism.
[2] Of the
three paths to realization, karma yoga is the process of achieving perfection in action. Karma yoga is said
[by whom?] to be the most effective way to progress in spiritual life. Found in the
Bhagavad Gita, karma yoga is a part of nature. Karma yoga is taught by teachers of zen who promote tranquility
[citation needed]. Karma yoga is an intrinsic part of many derivative types of yoga, such as
Natya Yoga. Karma yoga is often understood as a yoga of selfless (altruistic) service.
Dharma in Sanscrit means "nature", not duty. Following Dharma means letting things unfold naturally, be as they are. Opposed to Karma, which in Sanscrit means "work, effort". There is a theory that "Karma yoga" was invented and added to Bragavat Gita later by Brahmins to manipulate other casts to serve Brahmins. The concept of "action (work) not attached to the results" conveniently played in hands of the unconditionally rulling cast of Brahmins
.
The Bhagavad Gita gives a summary of the karma yoga process.[3] The Gita itself is a chapter from the epic known as Mahabharata, wherein a dialogue takes place between the prince Arjuna, and his friend and chariot driver, Lord Krishna, on the brink of a great dynastic war. Their conversation is prompted by Arjuna as he is engulfed by sorrow and misgivings regarding the oncoming battle in which he has friends and relatives on both sides. In reply, Krishna then elucidates upon a number of philosophical yoga systems and practices (including karma yoga) by/through which Arjuna should indeed continue with the fight on righteous principles.
Karma yoga is described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which one orients oneself towards realization by acting in accordance with one's duty (dharma) without consideration of personal self-centered desires, likes or dislikes. One acts without being attached to the results of one's deeds.
[4]
Simply put, one does not get emotionally involved in the action being performed, becoming overly excited, upset or angry when the result of a deed is not as expected. The result may be negative or positive. Geeta also talks about "Meta"-Karma Yoga. I.e. not getting irritated, annoyed or unhappy when one gets attached to the result even after trying to practice Karma Yoga.
Krishna explains that work done without selfish expectations purifies one's mind and gradually makes an individual fit to see the value of
reason. He states that it is not necessary to remain in external solitude, or remain actionless, in order to practice a
spirituallife, since the state of action or inaction is primarily determined in the mind.
[5]In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says:
"tasmad asaktah satatam karyam karma samacara asakto hy acaran karma param apnoti purushah"
Therefore, without being attached to the results of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme.
[6]
Krishna then goes on to describe how Arjuna should surrender the results of his actions (good or bad) to him, Krishna, (as the Supreme Person or
avatar) :
Therefore, O Arjuna, surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight.
[7]
Any conscious action is motivated by some expectation about the outcome, yet one is to be careful to not let this expectation be selfish in a certain sense. This is accomplished by surrendering ownership of action to Krishna. This surrender is called sattvika tyaga (to contrast it with tamasika tyaga or abandoning action itself as Arjuna was about to).Whatever I perform with my body, speech, mind, limbs, intellect or my inner self, either intentionally or unintentionally, I dedicate it to that Supreme Lord Narayana
Raja yoga, samadhi, unmani, manonmani, amaratva, laya, tatva, sunya, asunya, parama pada,
amanaska, advaita, niralamba, niranjana, jivanmukti, sahaja and turiya denote the same state of being.Just as with salt dissolved in water becomes one with it, so the union of Atman and Manas (mind) is denominated samadhi,When the breath becomes exhausted, and mind becomes Praliyate (still, reabsorbed), they fuse into union called samadhi.This equality, this oneness of the two, the living self and the absolute self, when all Sankalpa (desire, cravings) end is called samadhi.Raja yoga with Samadhi, in Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Svatmaraman, is like the ancient Yajnavalkya's Yoga, where there is the union or identity of the individual and the universal Soul.
