The nature of Happiness
Gurupoornima or Vysya Poornima is a day dedicated to the worship of the entire guru tradition beginning from Dakshinamurthy, Vysyacharya, and Adi Sankara. Besides worshipping these great masters we also dwell on spiritual study on this occasion. Brahmavidya or Atmavidya is the study of the spiritual truth or essence of the whole creation. It is defined as sat (pure existence)-chit (pure consciousness) –ananda (pure happiness). Today the topic of this talk is “Ananda” swarupa.
The first lesson of Vedanta is that “Ananda” is not one of the objects in creation. There is no object in this world as “Ananda”; happiness is not an object is a huge insight for any spiritual aspirant. Happiness is also not an ingredient of any object. Happiness is a feeling that we experience now and then in the mind. When it comes and goes we do not know. How long will it last, we don’t know. The next sms can snatch my peace of mind away!
Happiness is a feeling in your mind. I cannot experience it in other’s minds. Our general conclusion is that “Ananda” belongs to the mind. Since we experience it in the mind and so it makes sense to associate with it. But the Sastras inform us that happiness is a feeling that is “available” in the mind but it does not belong to the mind. Vedanta enlists five features of Ananda or happiness:
a) Happiness is not a part or a product or a property of the mind.
b) Happiness is an independent entity which pervades the mind and makes the mind happy now and then.
c) Happiness is not limited by the boundaries of the mind. It is an independent entity which is boundless, hence all-pervading.
d) This boundless happiness continues to exist even after the destruction and disintegration of the mind. It is all-pervading and eternal. Limitless spatially, and all-pervading time-wise.
e) This eternal all-pervading happiness which survives the disintegration of the mind is not available for feeling or any transaction not because it is not there but there is no medium for it to manifest.
Happiness seems like a feeling in the mind but it does not belong to it. Take the moonlight of a “purnami” (full moon) day. There is no such thing as moon light for it is only in reality a reflection of sunlight. Similarly, mental happiness is not mental happiness but Atman/Brahman appearing in the mind.
Where can I find this Atman or Brahman that every person or animal or even plants seek instinctively? I want to be happy at all times. One does not say that I want happiness only for one day a week or couple of hours a day. One wishes to be happy at all times and at all places. That leads to the second lesson:
Lesson – two: There might be a desire to acquire “Brahmananda/ Atmananda”. Where can you find it? Every person seeks “Ananda” instinctively though their way of seeking it may differ. One person finds happiness in a flat while another would insist on a bungalow. Happiness is universally sought even by animals and plants. For how many days you want to be happy? Say 3 days a week and 2 hours a day. The fact is everyone wants to be happy at all times and at all places. This leads to the second lesson that Vedanta dishes out.
You can never find “Brahmananda/Atmananda” in creation. Because it is not an object outside or is it inside the mind. Vedanta says that “Ananda” is never available as an OBJECT. Then I might wrongly conclude that “A” does not exist. The Sastras affirm to a mind-boggling premise: If “Ananda” does exist and it is not object, it is possible ONLY under one condition. It is the subject “I” which is the “observer” that experiences the objects outside and inside. OBSERVER is one that never becomes an object. Why? It is unobjectifiable. Vedanta says that Ananda is infinite happiness and it is you, yourself. It is never experienced or experientiable as an object of perception. You can never EXPERIENCE happiness because you are ANANDA yourself. It is similar to that the eyes can see everything except itself. The seerer can’t be seen. “Ananda” has to be claimed as myself through Jnanam.
“B/A” can never be got as an object. If it comes and goes then it is not “Ananda”. It is something you don’t find outside you, instead you claim it as you, yourself. Therefore “Brahmananda/Atmananda” is also called “Vidyananda” – it can be attained and claimed through vidya. Once I claim myself as “Ananda” what will happen?
Lesson – 3: The first lesson was the five features of “Ananda” and second was “I am Ananda myself” for a recap. Once I know I am “Brahmananda” all my struggle to get “B/A” from outside – objects, people, relations - will end. The struggle is called “Kamah” or “desire”. Desire is the mental struggle to get “happiness” by buying objects or pampering a certain relation. A bachelor gets married to find “A” through his wife. Then the married couple “struggle” for children…..every action of a human being is born out of a kama (desire). I tell myself everytime: Once I get that object I will be comfortable. What do I discover? I find that the object does not give me happiness for even a limited time. It seemingly gives Ananda for some time. Then I get worried about preserving it. Every relation/object is a strain and so I go to the next object (Kama is always a English comma!!!). But once I discover that I am the ONLY source of happiness then I will no longer entertain any dependence outside. The struggle to get Ananda from outside will end. The struggle to “hold on” to an object also ends. For instance getting a cook or a driver is so difficult; in fact moksha is a lot easier. When they come late you have hold your tongue. Arjuna in the battle cannot even imagine a state without Bhishma and Drona.
Earlier there was one relation we took for granted – marriage. Now even that has become difficult to retain. There was an article I read in “Readers Digest” titled “How to retain your spouse?” and that talks how to dress differently and how to exercise etc. What is samsara? Every moment is a struggle to attain or retain. It is cycle of Attainment (yoga) and Retention (skhema). The moment I claim “Brahmananda” then there is no struggle either for yoga or schema. The mind is RELAXED. The definition of moksha is the end of yoga/skhema struggle. For survival and livelihood, it is okay to struggle.
Samsara is a struggle to attain happiness. A mind free from Kama and Raga is a relaxed mind. In a relaxed mind my own “Ananda” gets reflected (relaxed because I am not worried about yoga and skhema). The reflected Ananda is called “Viragananda” in which there is no worry about acquiring or anxiety about losing.
If Jnanam and Vairagyam is not there then I will wrongly conclude that Ananda is an object outside (Moha). I will conclude even as a baby,” this toy gives me ananda and not that toy.” Today we have malls for toys and teddy bear costing over 5 k. In this consumerist society we are constantly bombarded: without this object you are not complete. Advertisements always show a happy family, swimming pool, sea-view, and very seductive images to sell. The moment I conclude that I can’t live without it, the mind becomes a demanding mind.
The struggle to purchase makes a relaxed mind into a demanding one. After 25 years of struggle, I buy a house for 75 lacs. I am so excited that I conclude that the new house gives me joy. Vedanta says that the house never gives anyone joy. Then what has happened? The desire to acquire it was so great that it build a mental pressure. Once I achieved that desire, the house serves as a needle. The pressure is relieved by the needle. The mind is calm once again; then my own Ananda is reflected (Ananda gets reflected only in a calm mind). I build up the pressure, buy the flat, then release the pressure and get my own reflected happiness. It is like Nasruddin Mullah’s argument!! He purchases shoes which are very tight. He struggles with them at the office for 8 hours. When he comes home, he removes those shoes and finds “Ananda”. We are all like that!! Every happiness stems from our illusion; we build the pressure and then we release it!!! A dog goes chasing for the bone. It bites it and sees blood. It concludes that the blood is from the bone while the reality is that it is its own blood. Reality: the bone is bone dry.
We are like that dog running after “Vishayananda” (objects and relations) out of ignorance. They contain no pleasure whatsoever. There is a lot of struggle: pain dissatisfaction-> further desires-> retention. Running after objects is SAMSARA; while Viragananda is moksha.
After attaining “Atmananda” if you go after “Vishayananda” then it becomes a non-binding desire. Claiming “Vidya” and “Vairagyam” is moksha and running after “Vishyananda” is samsara.
