Anandamaya kosha

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Anadamaya as a kosha corresponds to the Causal body- the pure ignorence - as

in deep sleep where the consciousness identifies with the kaaraNa shareera -

All I can say is I donot know - Since I know that I donot know it is still

knowledge of my state at that time. Ignorence is bliss in the sense that

there is no duality in the deep sleep state. Duality arises with the mind

operating.

Hari Om!

Sadananda

 

 

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namaste.

 

Thanks very much for the various list-members (Shri Ram Chandran,

frank maiello, Sadananda, Jyoti Vijayakumar) for the clarifications

on Anandamayakosha. They are and will be most helpful in my proper

understanding of this upanishad.

 

Shri Vijayakumar wrote

> This is in response to the posting on aanandamaya kosha by Mr. Murthy.

> Taittriya follows a process of logic to arrive at the final "covering"

> of human life which is Aananda. It was only appropriate to stop there

> because the next level of reality is not attained by logic ( na eshaa

> tarkena matiraapaneeyaa). In fact it happens to be the greatness of this

> text and certainly not its deficiency.

 

My apologies to the list-members and to the great sages of the upanishads

if my earlier posting in any way gave the impression that I have slighted

the upanishad as deficient. I am never to question the great pearls of

wisdom of the upanishads. These postings are really a small attempt on my

part to understand what the sages mean by the statements. Certainly the

bhAshhyAs of the great acAryAs are of great help and discussions in groups

such as this provide pointers in the right direction.

 

Two interpretations of Anandamayakosha have come up in the discussion.

Shri Sadananda says

> Anadamaya as a kosha corresponds to the Causal body- the pure ignorence - as

> in deep sleep where the consciousness identifies with the kaaraNa shareera -

> All I can say is I donot know - Since I know that I donot know it is still

> knowledge of my state at that time. Ignorence is bliss in the sense that

> there is no duality in the deep sleep state. Duality arises with the mind

> operating.

 

Shri Jyotikumar says

> I feel aananda in this context is that glimpse of Brahman available to

> human consciousness in ordinary life. Though Brahman as such is beyond

> 'all of this" it certainly is framed by the subtlemost joy of human existence.

> It is the "qualia" of human experience. It is called "rasa" in Indian system

> of thought.( refer to statements such as Raso vai sah and several verses in

> B.G. 7th chapter starting from Rasoham apsu Kaunteya).

> It is the glimpse of the divine one gets when one reads a beautiful poem

> or sees a marvellous painting. It is in joy one gets when one beholds the

> beauty of nature or laughs along with a baby's cooing. It is in the oneness

> with rhythm and tune of a soulful melody. And it is in the hopeful embrace

> of love. It is in the optimism of friendship and in the courage of conviction.

> And yes it is in the fear of death and the dispassion it brings in us. It is

> in compassion that can bring tears to one's eyes. It is in brilliance of

> learning and in the majesty of great teachers.

 

(I have said earlier that Anandamayakosha may correspond to when jeeva feels

the sensations of pleasure and pain as part of antahkaraNavr^tti, but see

Shri Jyotikumar's point that this sensation of pleasure and pain may indeed

be part of manomaya and vijnAnamayakoshAs.)

 

Shri Chinmayananda's explanation (SELF UNFOLDMENT, p52) says "(The bliss

sheath) is made up of ignorance in which we exist during the deep sleep

state of consciousness.". This is similar to Shri Sadananda's.

 

However, (1) the very fact that Anandamaya is the innermost (subtlest)

kosha and is closest to Atman, (2) Atman realization is to take place

in the wake-up state with the mind operating, it seems Anandamayakosha

being a glimpse of Brahman in the wake-up state makes it a more plausible

explanation. Further, the deep sleep state may well be in a tamasic

mode.

 

This particular explanation by Shri Jyotikumar is also consistent

with S. Radhakrishnan's version (T.U. II.5.1). The five koshAs are

the identification of the consciousness with each of the five koshAs.

Radhakrishnan says "In every order of things the lower is strengthened

by its union with the higher. When our knowledge is submissive to

things, we get the hierarchial levels of being, matter, life, animal

mind, human intelligence and divine bliss. They represent different

degrees of abstraction and the sciences which deal with them, employ

different principles and methods. In Ananda, the attempt to connaturalize

man with the supreme object succeeds. Intelligence is successful in

controlling the tangible world. As a rational instrument in the sphere

of positive sciences, its validity is justified. This attempt of the

intellect to unify is not due to intellect alone. It is derived from

its higher, from the breath of the divine. In Ananda, earth touches

heaven and is sanctified.".

 

This explanation by Radhakrishnan ("earth touches heaven") is consistent

with the nice illustrations of such events given by Shri Jyotikumar.

That is still not permanently settling in sat-cit-Ananda, but a glimpse

of sat-cit-Ananda.

 

Further, it seems to me that the statement "Ignorance is bliss" may be

a catchy English language usage, but does it really have application in

vedAnta ?

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

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