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Ānanda (Sanskrit:आनन्द) literally means bliss or happiness. In the Hindu Vedas, Upanishads and Bagavad gita, happiness is supposed to be one of the four moral ends towards which human beings direct all their efforts, consciously or unconsciously. Throughout history, various authors and philosophers have tried to define the actual meaning.
Swami Vivekananda has claimed that the reason different meanings of ananda and different ways of achieving it are present in Hindu philosophy is because humans differ from each other, and each choose the most appropriate path to ananda for him or herself.
Different meanings of happiness in Hindu philosophy
Sri Aurobindo
According to Sri Aurobindo, happiness is the natural state of humanity. 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 pleaseant things and defeat, failure, misfortune as unpleaeant things.
Advaita vedanta
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). 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
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 total surrender of ones 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?"
Ways of achieving Ananda (Happiness)
Within the varoius 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.
References
- Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God 2006 , Pg 5- 10 Swami Vivekananda
- Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God 2006 , Swami Vivekananda
- The Life divine 2005, p. 98-108
- Vedanta-sara of Sadananda. Translated and commented by Swami Nikhalananda. Published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata. Verse VI.217 p.117 http://www.estudantedavedanta.net/Vedantasara-Nikhilananda.pdf
- Dvaita Vedānta 1975, T. P. Ramachandran
- vishishtadvaita 2012, Jesse Russell & Ronald Cohn
- Talks With Ramana Maharshi: On Realizing Abiding Peace and Happiness 2000, Ramana Maharshi
- Pathways to Joy: The Master Vivekananda on the Four Yoga Paths to God 2006 , Swami Vivekananda
Category:Hinduism Category:Hindu philosophy Category:Vedanta