Tag Archives: Kosananda

Ananda Mimansa

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Anuvaka 5 of Brahman Valli of Taittiriya Upanishad discusses two types of happiness: Anandamaya kosa and Atmananda. Interior to and subtler than the intellect sheath is Anandamaya kosa (bliss sheath) which is considered as Atma. Intellect sheath is relegated to the status of non-Atma. Bliss-sheath is subtle and assumes the shape of food-sheath (gross body). Its head is priya (joy), lefthand side is moda (hilarity), righthand side is pramoda (enjoyment), bliss is the trunk, and Brahman is the tail, the foundation. The state of deep sleep is bliss sheath. There is an experience of happiness a waking person recollects from memory.

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Vairagya-ananda

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Vairagya-ananda is an oxymoron. Not quite. It is not uncommon that men with few possessions are happier than those with more possessions.
One of the impurities of the mind is that it is a wandering mind. A wandering mind may not enjoy even if the content is enjoyable. Controlling it is an important spiritual discipline. Arjuna says (BG 6.34) that it is very difficult to control the mind, as difficult as to control the wind. He expects a reply from Sri Krishna who while concurring with Arjuna (like a good teacher) gives a remedy (6.35) that the mind can be controlled by practice and dispassion (vairagya). Dispassion is one of the four qualifications for Jnana yoga. Continue reading →