Ananda - Anantam

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of The List:

 

I have a question related to terminology and its use in the Scriptures.

The very essence of Brahman is Sat-Chit-Ananda as we all know. During

the course of my studies I encounter also the alternative to Ananda

that is Anantam. As I understood, Ananda is translated as Bliss

(sometimes loosely as Happiness) and Anantam as Infinitness or

Limitless (please correct me if wrong).

I can see the interrelated psychological aspect of both Ananda and

Anantam, although from another point of view they are different words,

pointing to different semantic concepts.

My question is: is there a pattern in the Shastras that makes the use

of one of the words prevalent to the other?,

Is it at random, sometimes Ananda, sometimes Anantam (I doubt this

option)?

Or there is a certain methodology in employing either term?

 

All commentaries most welcome.

 

Yours in All,

Mouna

[Guest guest]

Namaste Shri Mouna,

 

In message #40753 of June 3, you ask about the terms 'Ananda'

and 'ananta', which as you point out are etymologically different but

more deeply related in their meaning.

 

The word 'Ananda' is a compound of the prefix 'A-' and the

word 'nanda'. The prefix 'A-' (pronounced as the long 'a' in 'cart')

implies a returning down or back to an inner basis or origin. The

word 'nanda' means pleasure or delight, with an implication of

changeable activities that take pleasure or delight in various

different objects. Thus 'Ananda' refers to 'happiness' as an inner

source from which all actions are motivated to arise, in our living

personalities and in the world that thereby gets perceived. This is

described in the Chandogya Upanishad 7.22:

 

yadA vai sukhaM labhate 'tha karoti, nA 'sukhaM labdhvA karoti,

sukham eva labdhvA karoti, sukhaM tv eva vijij~nAsitavyam iti; sukhaM

bhagavo vij~nAsa iti

 

" It's only where happiness (sukham) may be obtained that anyone may

act. Except for obtaining happiness, one does not act. One acts for

obtaining happiness itself. Just that same happiness is what you need

to know. " " Sir, happiness is what I want to know. "

 

The word 'ananta' is a compound of the prefix 'an-' meaning 'not' and

the word 'anta' meaning 'end' or 'limit'. Thus 'ananta'

means 'unending' or 'infinite. In next passage of the Chandogya

Upanishad (7.23), it is described how happiness may be related to the

infinite:

 

yo vai bhUmA tat sukhaM, nA 'lpe sukham asti, bhUmai 'va sukhaM,

bhUmA tve 'va vijij~nAsitavya iti; bhUmAnaM bhagavo vij~nAsa iti

 

That happiness itself is infinite (bhUmA). In what is small or

limited, there is no happiness. The infinite itself is happiness.

That infinite is what you need to know. " " The infinite, Sir, is what

I want to know. "

 

A further correlation of 'Ananda' and 'ananta' may be found in the

Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1, which identifies the ultimate truth as

'satyaM j~nAnam anantam'. Here 'satyam' means 'true

reality', 'j~nAnam' means 'knowledge' and 'anantam' means

the 'infinite'. This corresponds quite clearly to the concept of 'sat-

cit-Ananda': with 'satyam' corresponding to 'sat', 'jn~Anam'

corresponding to 'cit', and 'anantam' corresponding to 'Ananda'.

 

In the Taittiriya Upanishad 2.8-9, there is a passage which describes

the concept of 'Ananda' as follows:

 

sa yash cA 'yaM puruShe, yash cA 'sAv Aditye sa ekaH

 

It's what *this* is, in a person;

and what *that* is, in the sun.

It is one.

 

sa ya evam-vit asmAl lokAt pretya

etam anna-mayam AtmAnam upasaMkrAmati

etam prANa-mayam AtmAnam upasaMkrAmati

etam mano-mayam AtmAnam upasaMkrAmati

etam vij~nAna-mayam AtmAnam upasaMkrAmati

etam Ananda-mayam AtmAnam upasaMkrAmati

 

One who knows thus leaves this [seeming] world behind,

withdraws into this self

that's made from food,

withdraws into this self

that's made from living energy,

withdraws into this self

that's just consists of mind,

withdraws into this self

that only is discerning consciousness,

withdraws into this self

that's nothing else but happiness.

 

tad api eSha sloko bhavati:

yato vAco nivartante aprApya manasA saha

AnandaM brahmaNo vidvAn na bhibeti kutashcana

 

On that there is this verse:

" It's that from which all words turn back

together with the mind, unable to attain it.

It is the happiness of all reality

[when its completeness has been found].

 

These are some passages of scripture that your question brings to

mind.

 

Ananda

[Guest guest]

advaitin , " Mouna " <carlos wrote:

 

 

> My question is: is there a pattern in the Shastras that makes the

use

> of one of the words prevalent to the other?,

> Is it at random, sometimes Ananda, sometimes Anantam (I doubt this

> option)?

> Or there is a certain methodology in employing either term?

>

> All commentaries most welcome.

>

> Yours in All,

> Mouna

 

Namaste Mouna-ji,

Only objects which have either a quality, or an action or a

relationship with some other object can be described by words.

nirguNa brahman does not have any of these and so it cannot be

described by any words. All the words used by the upanishads to

describe brahman are therefore only indicatory. brahman is indicated

both positively and negatively in the upanishads. The taitt. up.

describes brahman as satyam jnAnam anantam, meaning real,

consciousness and infinite. But Shri Shankara points out that these

are not positive descriptions. satyam means only that brahman is

different from everything in this world, which are all unreal.

Consciousness means that brahman is different from all insentient

things. anantam means brahman is different from everything that is

limited.

bRihadAraNyaka up. describes brahman as vijnAnam Anandam. It is pure

Consciousness and it is bliss itself. The word brahman itself

means `big', being derived from the root bRih which means `to grow'.

When it is merely described as `big' without any comparison with

anything else, it follows that it is infinite. brahman is also

described in the muNDaka up. negatively as `that which cannot be

perceived, which cannot be grasped, without eyes, ears, hands and

feet, etc'. When it is described as infinite it follows that there

can be nothing else different from it. Its very nature is bliss.

Thus it may be seen that brahman which is indescribable is indicated

by a number of different words. There is no question of any one

word, such as Ananda, being more prevalent or important than any

other word.

The description most frequently used by Shri Shankara is – nitya-

shuddha-buddha-mukta-svabhAva---- brahman is by nature eternal, pure

(untainted by mAyA), consciousness, ever liberated.

Best wishes,

S.N.Sastri

[Guest guest]

advaitin , " Mouna " <carlos wrote:

>

> Dear Members of The List:

>

> I have a question

> My question is: is there a pattern in the Shastras that makes the

use

> of one of the words prevalent to the other?,

> Is it at random, sometimes Ananda, sometimes Anantam (I doubt this

> option)?

> Or there is a certain methodology in employing either term?

>

> All commentaries most welcome.

>

> Yours in All,

> Mouna

>

Namaste all.

 

`satyaM jnAnaM anantaM brahma' is a hallmark statement in the

Taittiriya-Upanishad , which is taken as the most indicative

declaration of all the Upanishads almost defining brahman. The

word `anantaM' meaning `infinite' occurring in this triad of

indicative expressions is relevant to our discussion here. `Truth-

Knowledge-Infinite' is the triad of expressions here.

 

Another standard expression indicative of Brahman or the Absolute

Reality is the triad of words `sat-chid-AnandaM' meaning `Absolute

Reality-Consciousness-Bliss' . Here again, the relevant word for our

current discussion is `AanandaM'.

 

`Truth' and `Absolute Reality' match identically both in terms of

word-meaning and in terms of concept.

 

`Knowledge' and `Consciousness' also match identically though the

matching may not be that obvious.

 

But the matching of `anantaM' and `AnandaM' has to be more carefully

constructed from the concepts inbuilt into the words. The Infinite

has to be a fullness, not lacking anything; for, otherwise, the

infinite will lose its infiniteness. Infinitude is that which is not

limited by anything else. So `anantaM' denies all limitation – of

space, time and causation - to Brahman.

 

The statement `AanandaM brahma' occurs in BrihadAraNyaka-Upanishad

(III -9 – 28). In the commentary to this passage Shankara clearly

establishes that Bliss is the nature of Brahman and the passage does

not mean that the bliss of the Self is cognised. He says `All

passages containing the word `bliss' should be interpreted in the

sense of

`yo vai bhUmA, tat-sukhaM' (Chandogya Upanishad VII-23-1) – meaning,

That which indeed is infinite is Joy.

 

Just as in the world a naturally transparent crystal assumes

different colours through juxtaposition with different limiting

adjuncts so also all the pleasures and joys that we experience in the

world are because of the fragment of the bliss which is brahman.

 

The plurality of definitions like Bliss, Fullness, Infinite, should

all be gathered together. The plurality is nothing but a popular

illusion concerning the nature of brahman. It is an illusion which

has to be removed. Brahman is not of many kinds. It is always the

Unconditioned brahman that all the definitions ultimately refer to.

Brahma Sutras III-iii-11 to 13 say Bliss and other characteristics of

Brahman are to be combined and are to be understood everywhere on

account of identity of purport.

 

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk

[Guest guest]

Revered Members/Teachers of the List:

 

I am most grateful for all the insightfull commentaries and

explanations given (so far) to my question regarding Ananda and Anantam.

 

Yours in the Blessed All,

Mouna

[Guest guest]

pranAms Mouna-ji

I had penned some thoughts on this topic some time

back - perhaps you may find it to be useful.

 

http://poornamadam.blogspot.com/2007/09/sat-chit-ananda-calculus-of-bliss.html

 

Hari OM

Shri Gurubhyoh namah

Shyam

 

 

--- Mouna <carlos wrote:

 

> Revered Members/Teachers of the List:

>

> I am most grateful for all the insightfull

> commentaries and

> explanations given (so far) to my question regarding

> Ananda and Anantam.

>

> Yours in the Blessed All,

> Mouna

>

>