January Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami--Bliss

[Srivatsa Ramaswami]

January 2022 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami--Bliss

Wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Hopefully the world gets the better of the pandemic

In December 2021 I taught a two-day, four-hour program on OM as interpreted in Mandukya Upanishad. It was hosted by Anantayoga studios in Wicklow, Ireland. In January 2022 I am scheduled tom teach a 2-day five-hour workshop on Asymmetric seated Yoga asanas following the breath oriented Vinyasakrama approach. It is being hosted by Atmayogashala in Chennai Here is the link

https://atmayogashala.com/aysmmetricasana-workshop/?fbclid=IwAR00-bkR7Gx1hXcr2Z4IzvkY9tMIs7AJG7_6vK-hLJhsKRqWOv5SWh_bidE

Bliss

When I was in school the medium of instruction was my mother tongue Tamizh but college education was in English. In my school English was introduced as a subject only in my VII form or standard.  Of all the subjects, I used to score the lowest marks in English. But I used like a few English poems tucked into my skinny English textbook. One of them was the famous poem Daffodils. I particularly like the last part about the bliss of solitude. Later on, when I studied the yoga sutra the sage talks about the most agreeable state of mind in Kaivalya which would literally mean solitude. Though Wordsworth may not have talked about solitude in the way Patanjali talks about Kaivalya, it still impresses as it brings out the virtues of occasional solitude in the midst of our feverish action-packed lives. 

The upanishads especially Taittiriya upanishad explains in some detail the bliss of solitude in the state of moksha. The atman/brahman is free all the time even as the Atman or Self appears constrained by the prakritic limitations. The upanishad discussed the grades of happiness one can experience in this life and in the lives beyond and concludes the bliss of solitude in the state of moksha is supreme, permanent and immeasurable. In two different episodes it discusses the phenomenon called happiness. 

Here is the discussion/evaluation of the bliss of that Brahman  (saisha anandasya mimamsa bhavati). It starts the passage discussing about the bliss of the standalone brahman, which the upanishads meticulously show is none other than oneself the atman. Suppose there is a young fellow in the prime of life, good natured, highly learned, cultured, physically strong and very energetic. He, being the owner of large amount of landed property and very wealthy too--virtually like a young king. Let us consider his happiness as one unit of human happiness meaning that that could be the limit of human happiness. The Upanishad continues the discussion on happiness or ananda by saying that the happiness derived by a human transformed to gandharva is a hundred times more than that of a perfect human being described earlier.. This is also the happiness of a vedic scholar who has eschewed all desires. The man gandharvas happiness if multiplied by a hundred times would be the happiness of a deva gandharva or a divine gandharva which will still be matched by the happiness of a vedic scholar unaffected by desires, worldly or other worldly. The happiness of divine gandharva if multiplied a hundred-fold would be the happiness of those in pitruloka or manes. This will be the happiness of the vedic scholar unaffected by desires of all kinds. The joy of the born divine beings called devas would be a hundred times that of the manes or those in pitruloka. The vedic scholar who has realized the brahman and who is unafflicted by desires is the same as that of the devas. Then there are those that have scrupulously performed the vedic rites and become gods by action called karma devas. They are said to have joy which is a hundred times that of the born devas. And that joy is matched by the joy of the learned person and who has developed complete desirelessness. One hundred times more joyful are the devas and their happiness is equaled by the vedic scholar totally disinterested in all desires of all kinds. The joy of Indra the boss of the divine gods is a hundred times more than the gods themselves and is matched by the happiness of the person in this world who has studied and understood the teaching of the vedas (upanishads) and is absolutely desire free. Brihaspati the teacher of the devas is said to be 100 times more joyful than Indra himself and again our human upanishadic scholar absolutely desire free is as joyful. Hundred times more joyful is prajapati the creator of the creatures. OfCourse the desireless scholar whose mind is unburdened by earthly and heavenly cravings is equally joyous, Then one hundred times more joyous is Brahma the creator aspect of the trinity associated with the universe. The happiness of the desireless scholar and knower of Brahman equals even that of Brahma, The enlightened soul who is able to see Brahman permeating everywhere and transcending the entire universe is able to see that the purusha or atman in oneself and the one in the splendid sun yonder as one and the same brahman experiences unlimited and undiminished joy.  Such a yogi transcends all the five kosas and attains brahman

This is the consideration of happiness at the cosmic level following the cosmic creation. The yogi on the other hand is able to identify the purusha as Brahman by reaching beyond the five kosas of anna, prana, manas, vignana and ananda  and atains the same unsurpassed bliss by realizing the atman. The anandamaya kosa is considered in five parts for easy assimilation of the concept of ananda or joy. The first part or the head is priya or liking. When one thinks of an object or entity one likes there is a cerain amount of happiness. Then when the object is perceived through the senses like seeing hearing or tasting or physical contacting the pleasure increases and is called moda. Then when the object is consummated, the happiness is several times more and is pramoda. But then after all this the sound satvic sleep that one experiences is said to be even more joyful than what the worldly objects can afford. Then finally when the yogi is able to transcend all the kosas and realized the brahman which is none other than the real self, the joy becomes bliss. That atman is pure awareness, unblemished, eternally free. 

The standalone atman is blemishless and eternally free

The standalone atman, the self in each and every individual, is absolutely blissful

In blissful solitude for ever.