Meaning of 'ananda'
Dharmadeva
The word 'ananda' seems to have found its way into the English vocabulary.
It origins are from Sanskrit (but other sanskrit words have also been
incorporated into English, eg dharma, guru, etc).
What is the meaning of ananda? This meaning I found in some writings by
PR Sarkar (died 1991) a great Indian/Bengali philospher (sometimes
nominated for the Nobel Prize).
-----
What is ananda? What is its visible expression ? Ananda + al suffix =
ananda. The root-verb, 'Anand' means to taste joy, happiness or pleasure
deep in the mind. When the entire mind is filled with ever-flowing bliss
it is termed 'ananda' in psychological parlance. In the language of grammar
and philosophy it is also a'nanda. In the language of grammar, too, when
the mind becomes full to the brim with joy and happiness, it is termed
'a'nanda' ['a" means 'entire'].
Suppose you have enjoyed a sumptuous
feast. All the dishes were tasty except one: the curd was very, very
sour. You could not derive total pleasure (a'nanda) from the feast as one
part of the feasting pleasure was absent. That is, one of the dishes was
not at all palatable. So it was a very good feast except for the curd,
which tasted very, very sour, as if it had just been taken from a
tamarind tree.
In Sam'skrta, 'nanda' means 'a woman who has come highly
pleased', and 'nananda' means 'a woman who is not completely pleased',
but is half-pleased or half-unhappy. In modern Bengali, 'nananda' is
changed to 'nanada' which means 'husband's sister'. She is not at all
pleased when she has to welcome a sister-in-law in her house. In a corner
of her mind she nurses a grievance against the girl who has so suddenly
intruded upon her life, encroaching upon her position and authority.
Thus, as she is not fully pleased, she cannot become completely nanda.
That is why a husband's sister is called 'nananda" in sam'skrta and
'nanada' in Bengali. But you should not give importance to such matters.
I have simply used this example to help you understand, that is all.
'Bhaktira'nanda rupaca'= Pleasure is felt in the end. In its expressional
form, that pleasure is called 'ananda'. Now, let me explain the
philosophical aspect of a'nanda. In A'nanda Sutram it has been said,
'Sukham anantam a'nandam'. Joy and sorrow are the two expressions of the
mind. Whenever the mind receives an object, there is an effect on the
nervous system. When the nerves are put under a heavy pressure the effect
is painful and it is called 'sorrow'. If one hears a loud, screeching
sound, the auditory nerves become over-burdened and one wishes the sound
would stop. The poetester, Bhola' Moyra, wrote:
'Ka'ker kan'tha dhaker va'dya thamilei la'ge bha'lo'
Bhola' Moyra was explaining what is good,
and when it is good ; what to eat and when ; and what to see and when. He
was asked, 'When does the cawing of crows and the beating of drums sound
good to the ear?' 'When they stop,' he replied. When the mind experiences
a painful reaction, we call it 'sorrow' and when it experiences a
pleasing, relaxing reaction, we call it 'joy' or 'happiness'. Knowingly
or unknowingly every human being is running after happiness, It is human
nature. Not only is it human nature, it is the nature of all creatures.
All birds and animals are in search of comfort and pleasure. Cats are
constantly on the look-out for a warm, comfortable corner where they can
curl up and sleep peacefully.
Ralph M Jones
Dharmadeva wrote:
>
> The word 'ananda' seems to have found its way into the English > vocabulary.
That's the first time I've encountered the word. Where is it being used?
I've encountered "guru" often enough but "dharma" is also new to me.
rmj
Dharmadeva
On Tue, 18 Mar 1997, Ralph M Jones wrote:
> That's the first time I've encountered the word. Where is it being used?
>
> I've encountered "guru" often enough but "dharma" is also new to me.
"Ananda" is commonly used to mean bliss.
"Dharma" is found in the Concise Oxford Dictionary (even in the 1976
ed.). But is given a very limited meanng of:
Social custom; right behaviour, virtue, justice; the Bhuddhist truth; the
Hindu moral code.
But a fuller explanation is needed as follows (PR Sarkar). This is a
full explanation and the only to philosophically define the word in the
right context:
'The word Dharma signifies property. the English word for it is nature,
characteristic or property. The nature of fire is to burn or produce
heat. It is the characteristic or property of fire, and it is also termed
the nature of fire. Similarly, the Dharma or nature of a human being is
to seek the Cosmic Entity.
The infinite can only be one, and that is the Cosmic Entity that can
provide everlasting happiness - the quest for which is the characteristic
of every human being, ie their dharma. In reality, behind this human urge
is hidden the desire, the longing for attainment for the Cosmic Entity.
It is the very nature of every living being. This alone is the Dharma of
every person.'
As for the word 'guru', this has also become somewhat misconstrued.
Literally the word Guru means "dispeller of darkness," because s/he helps
and guides others to overcome all the negative tendencies of the mind and
experience the divinity within themselves. A great guru is not only the
dispeller of darkness within the mind, but also within the society.
'In Vedic language, the word 'guru' is derived from the root 'gur' plus
'un' suffix. The root 'gur' means to train others how to speak, how to
behave in a dignified manner. The 'guru, teaches us to follow a
methodical way of life.'
Similarly:
'The Sanskrit word Guru has got two parts. It is a compound word. The
first portion Gu means darkness. Ru means dispelling entity. S/He who
dispels is called Ru. Guru means the entity who dispels darkness from the
mind. In spiritual parlance, one says that the Supreme Consciousness
teaches the spiritual methods/meditations/secrets through a physical
medium. So the physical medium through which God as some would call it
dispels all darkness of the mind of the spiritual aspirant is Guru. So a
spiritual aspirant must have proper regard for the Guru.
This is the origin of the word guru.
Related to this is the word Brahma (also found commonly in
dictionaries). In loose parlance meaning God or Infinite Consciousnes.
So it has been said:
Brahmaeva gururekah naparah
Purport: Brahma alone is the Guru. Brahma alone direct the units to
he path of emancipation through the media of different receptacles or
bodies. None except Brahma conforms to the real significance of the word,
Guru.
This is a little paradoxical of course.
Dharmadeva
----------
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Dharmadeva
I am investigating the advent of Sanskrit words into the English language
and it is quite fascinating to get to the root of them.
As for the word Brahma. It is difficult to circumscribe this within
English language.
According to Indian/Bengali philologist PR Sarkar:
'The word Brahma means Great. It is not sufficient to term Him as Great,
but Brahma is He who has the power of rendering others also into Great.
Through His grace alone, the living being by absorbing themselves with
thoughts of Him, attains Him, ie attains Greatness.'
Him can also mean Her as a substitute when referring to the Infinite
Cosmic Consciousness (God).
'The Supreme Truth that the Rs'is/saints realized through their
contemplation could not be particularized with a specific name. S/He is
Great - enormously Great. His/Her vastness is immeasurable. It has no
linear expansion either, like length, breadth, etc. so s/He is just
Great. It is not possible to define Him/Her with any other word except
this, and that is why the Rs'is have used the word, Brahma (Cosmos), for
Him/Her/God. No other word can be ascribed to Him/Her except Brahma.'
A more detailed explanation is as follows:
The word Brahma is derived from the word Brhat. Brhat means very vast -
so vast that the entity cannot be measured. The entity is so vast that no
one can measure the size of its vastness. Brahma may also be derived from
another word Brm'han'. Brm'han' has two meanings - first is to make
others great; and second is to make others hear or see or understand
something very, very big or great. So in this sense, Brahma means the
Entity who has the capacity to make others as great as He is. The One who
is Brhat is Brahma, the One who makes others great. You must be very
careful in flowing this analysis. I am mentioning a very delicate point.
[ie to avoid religious overtones]
To indicate enormous vastness there are two Sam'skrta words -
Visha'la and Vira'ta. when something is very vast but comes within the
scope of measurement, we call it Visha'la, and when the thing is beyond
measurement it is called Vira'ta. The term Vira'ta is used for Brahma.
Does it not imply then, directly or indirectly, that all other entities
are smaller than Brahma? Suppose there is the eldest brother in a certain
family. That necessarily implies that there are other brothers - maybe
two, three, four or more brothers. If there is only one brother, we
simply say brother, not eldest brother. Similarly, when we say Brahma -
that is, the Greatest Entity, the Vastest Entity, the Entity defying
measurement - then that necessarily implies the existence of many other
things. If we say that there are other entities beside Brahma, then the
term Brahma becomes meaningless, and it is a fundamental mistake.
[Please feel free to substitute Him etc for Her and Brahma for God or
similar connotation]
Joe Wortham
Dharmadeva <u96...@student.canberra.edu.au> wrote:
>
> I am investigating the advent of Sanskrit words into the English language
> and it is quite fascinating to get to the root of them.
>
> As for the word Brahma. It is difficult to circumscribe this within
> English language.
>***
insert -
Wonder how the word Brahman cattle originated? From the same base?
Of course in Texas we always called them "brimmers".
joe w
end of insert -
***
Earle Jones
In article
<Pine.SOL.3.91.970322...@student.canberra.edu.au>,
Dharmadeva <u96...@student.canberra.edu.au> wrote:
>On Tue, 18 Mar 1997, Ralph M Jones wrote:
>
>> That's the first time I've encountered the word. Where is it being used?
>>
>> I've encountered "guru" often enough but "dharma" is also new to me.
>
>"Ananda" is commonly used to mean bliss.
>
>"Dharma" is found in the Concise Oxford Dictionary (even in the 1976
>ed.). But is given a very limited meanng of:
>
>Social custom; right behaviour, virtue, justice; the Bhuddhist truth; the
>Hindu moral code.
>
A couple of questions:
1. Doesn't kharma have some relationship to dharma? And if so, what?
2. In Japan, the little doll-man for good luck is called a "daruma".
Does this derive from the Japanese pronunciation of *dharma*?
earle
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\/_/\_\ earle
\/_/ jones
Ross Howard
ejo...@hooked.net (Earle Jones) wrote:
Didn't one of those beat persons write a book called *The Dharma
Bums*? (John F. Kerouac? Someone like that.) Although how Hindu moral
codes are supposed to tie in with riding aimlessly around America on
big black motorcycles is anybody's guess.
Ross Howard
Earle Jones
Surely you read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".
Bill Fisher
In article <5h0ril$4...@sunbird.usd.edu>, Joe Wortham <jwor...@sunflowr.usd.edu> writes:
|> Dharmadeva <u96...@student.canberra.edu.au> wrote:
|> >
|> > I am investigating the advent of Sanskrit words into the English language
|> > and it is quite fascinating to get to the root of them.
|> >
|> > As for the word Brahma. It is difficult to circumscribe this within
|> > English language.
|>
|> >***
|> insert -
|>
|> Wonder how the word Brahman cattle originated? From the same base?
|>
|> Of course in Texas we always called them "brimmers".
|>
|> joe w
|>
I heard in Florida in the 50's that the Brahma cattle (with the
humpback) were derived from an Indian breed, hence the name. Probably
"Brahma" got chosen because it was about the only Hindi name that
a lot of Americans knew.
- Bill F.
mig
On 28 Mar 1997 19:41:09 GMT, bi...@ncsl.nist.gov (Bill Fisher) wrote:
>
> I heard in Florida in the 50's that the Brahma cattle (with the
>humpback) were derived from an Indian breed, hence the name. Probably
>"Brahma" got chosen because it was about the only Hindi name that
>a lot of Americans knew.
>
Brahma is also the name of one of the most popular Brazilian beers.
It's exported to most of South America as well. No one I've asked (in
Brazil and Argentina) even knew it was a Hindi name or had any clue to
its origin. I guess it just sounded cool and marketable.
saludos, mig
--- "You can be a little ungrammatical if you come
from the right part of the country." - Robert Frost
-----
m...@satlink.com