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Editorial

Realizing Brahman As Infinite Bliss (Part 2)

(Taittiriya Upanishad–Brahmananda Valli)

Shiksha Valli in the Taittiriya Upanishad prepares the seeker for the highest knowledge through discipline, reflection, and inner inquiry. It emphasizes the essential moral and spiritual foundation, as well as the significance of Vyahriti meditation and Pranava Upasana. The Brahmananda Valli then dwells on the profound declaration of Brahman as  sathyam, truth or reality; jnanam, knowledge or consciousness; and anantam, infinite or limitless. The journey then guides us through the Pancha Kosha Viveka–the systematic inward exploration from the gross physical body to the subtle sheath of bliss–culminating in the recognition that the true Self is the witness beyond all layers.

Thus, the Self is beyond all the five sheaths. This Upanishad now reveals how the Brahman manifests as the universe and is experienced as the supreme bliss. What follows is not just philosophy, but a profound insight into creation, consciousness, and the very nature of bliss itself.

Srishti Prakarana–Teaching on Creation

Brahmananda Valli describes the process of creation originating from Brahman. It declares that from Brahman emerged space (akasa); from space came air (vayu); from air, fire (agni); from fire, water (apah); from water, earth (prithvi); from earth, vegetation; from vegetation, food; and from food, came human beings. This is a beautiful analysis that shows that the entire manifest universe, including the human body and all its sheaths, came from Brahman, the sole cause.

This description of creation in the Brahmananda Valli shows that Brahman is both the material cause (upadana karana) and the efficient cause (nimitta karana) of the universe. For example, in the creation of a clay pot, the clay is the material cause-it is the substance from which the pot is made. The potter is the efficient cause who shapes the clay. Unlike a potter who works with clay that is separate from himself, Brahman projects the universe from itself, enters into it, and becomes both the manifest and the unmanifest, the defined and the undefined. The Upanishad declares, “having created it, He entered into it.” This is the basis for the declaration that Brahman is not somewhere else but is the very Self of the seeker, and everything we see and experience is nothing but Brahman. 

In the initial stage of spiritual quest, we deny everything by saying, “neti, neti”–not this, not this–but eventually, we realize that even what we have negated is also Brahman. Swami beautifully explains this concept by teaching that the true meaning of  “neti, neti” is “not only this, not only this.” This explanation is all-inclusive because nothing exists other than Brahman. Swami beautifully says, “Pashyannapi na pashyati mudho, mudho, mudho.” (You see and yet do not see, fool, fool, fool!) We all see Brahman, yet we are not truly seeing because of our misunderstanding, ignorance, and misidentification.

Raso Vai Sah–Brahman is the Essence of Joy

Having guided us through the five sheaths, Brahmananda Valli now makes a declaration of extraordinary beauty in its seventh anuvaka: “Raso vai sah”–Brahman is verily the essence of joy. This verse is this Upanishad’s heart-song, its most lyrical and ecstatic affirmation. It asserts that Brahman is not just the source, the cause, or the goal of joy, but joy itself! The entire universe, with all its diversity, is this joy expressed through infinite forms. 

The feeling of happiness, however transient, however momentary, touches only this eternal rasa. The joy a mother feels for her child, the ecstasy of an artist immersed in creation, the contentment of a sage meditating in stillness–all are reflections, to varying degrees, of the one infinite bliss that is Brahman.

Baba further asserts that when sat, existence, and chit, pure consciousness or awareness, unite, the natural result is ananda. Just as sugar and water, when combined, produce syrup or sweet water, the union of sat and chit produces this experience of bliss. Baba says that bliss is our true nature, and that we are the embodiment of Sat-chit-ananda.  Because of ignorance, we do not realize this truth. He proclaims that when we remove ignorance by acquiring Brahma vidya and stop identifying the Self with the five sheaths, what remains is the endless ocean of bliss, which is always the eternal truth of our being.

Ananda Mimamsa–The Vast Scale of Bliss 

Brahmananda Valli, in its eighth anuvaka, explores the profound topic of bliss, or permanent happiness, which every being seeks. As Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, we are all embodiments of divine bliss–anandaswarupa. Every being is in search of that bliss. The only problem is that we are searching in the wrong place. Great spiritual masters guide us on the right path to make us realize our true nature, which is ananda (bliss). Thus, Swami says, “Happiness is union with God.” That is another way of saying that bliss always resides in the knowledge of Brahman.

In the Ananda Mimamsa (analysis of the nature of happiness), there is an inquiry into the nature of bliss. The Upanishad does not merely state that Brahman is infinite bliss. Instead, it creates a graduated scale of joy, beginning with human happiness measured as one unit, and gradually ascending through many levels of existence, culminating in Brahman, the infinite and eternal divine bliss. The spiritual seeker is thus motivated to pursue this eternal bliss, which, once attained, leaves nothing more to attain and results in the permanent and complete cessation of sorrow.

This section makes two important points. First, that the bliss of Brahman is not only  quantitatively greater than worldly happiness by any measure, but also qualitatively different. It is infinite and unaffected by any situation or other factors. Second, more remarkable is the fact that this infinite bliss is accessible right here and now to anyone who sincerely pursues it.

Throughout the Mimamsa,  this phrase is repeated many times: shrotriyasya cha akaamahatasya. This is a term from Vedanta representing a knowledgeable person, well-versed in the scriptures and teachings, who is free from desires. The entire hierarchy of this happiness, the cosmic bliss, is attained by those who have completely shed desires and body-consciousness and have realized their identity with Brahman. They live in the bliss of Brahman.

To convey that divine bliss is immeasurable and beyond comprehension, the Ananda Mimamsa begins by defining one unit of human bliss, or human joy, manushya ananda. This unit of joy represents the happiness of a virtuous, well-educated, disciplined, resolute, strong, and successful young man who possesses all the wealth of the earth. This is the measure of maximum happiness attainable at the human level. Then the Upanishad multiplies this by 100 and calls it the joy of manushya gandharvas, celestial musicians. A further hundredfold increase defines the joy of deva gandharvas, divine celestial beings. Yet another hundredfold increase yields the joy of pitrus, ancestors dwelling in their luminous realm. A hundredfold greater is the joy of ajaana devas, heavenly-born gods. One hundred times higher is the joy of karma devas, the ruling gods. Then, another hundredfold increase produces deva ananda, the joy of the heavenly gods. Continuing, a hundred times more is the joy of Indra, the king of gods, and a hundred times greater than that is the joy of Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods. Another hundredfold increase produces Prajapati ananda, the bliss of the creator. Finally, beyond all such happiness is Brahma ananda, the joy of Brahman itself.

At every step, this Mimamsa notes that the Brahmanishtha, the one established in the knowledge of Brahman, experiences the same joy as each ascending level, starting with manushyananda, even while living in a human form. Thus, the entire hierarchy of joy is simply Brahman flowing through different, increasingly transparent vessels.

Now, one can understand why humans are never satisfied with any amount of pleasure, because their innermost nature is infinite bliss. No finite amount of joy can satisfy an infinite being, since the infinite within refuses to be satisfied by the finite outside. Thus, Ananda Mimamsa shows that what human beings have always sought is infinite bliss, of which finite pleasures are just the tiniest fraction. 

The ultimate level of joy, when measured with human happiness being one unit, is mathematically equivalent to 10 to the power of 20 (10²⁰). But this is something beyond human grasp, which we cannot put into words. That is why it is best described as yatho vacho nivarthante aprapya manasa saha–something that words cannot describe and the mind cannot understand fully. So the scriptures say that the one who is in eternal bliss just remains silent, because it is only experiential and cannot be expressed. 

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (a great saint and divine incarnate) illustrates this principle with a beautiful example of a salt doll that went to measure the depth of the ocean. When the salt doll entered the ocean and got immersed, it dissolved completely and became one with the ocean. Thus, it never returned to report the results. Similarly, the spiritual seeker in search of the depth of the ocean of Satchidananda–existence, consciousness, and bliss –merges in that bliss. The liberated soul loses its sense of separate identity entirely and cannot express that bliss.

There are two interesting facts to notice. Throughout the Ananda Mimamsa, it is stated that the person who has conquered desire gains access to that bliss. That is why Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba introduced the concept of a ceiling on desires early in His Avatarhood. Ultimately, to experience bliss, one should have no desires. But one can start by setting a limit on desires and reducing them gradually.

Another important corollary is that selfless service, as advocated by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, is also a way to attain Brahman. Since Brahman is the reality of all beings, service to any being is service to Brahman. That is why Swami says, “Service to man is service to God.” But one should serve all beings with the awareness that each is a manifestation of God. This is the practical consequence of truly understanding Brahmananda Valli. When we know that the same Brahman that we are is also the Self of every being, then compassion and service are not moral obligations but natural expressions of our very own nature.

Vision of Oneness and the Gift of Fearlessness

Brahmananda Valli reaches its spiritual peak in a teaching that appears in its fullness in the ninth anuvaka–the great affirmation that the vision of oneness is sole and sufficient grounds for abhayam, fearlessness. The sadhaka becomes free from fear when he attains that oneness. Real wisdom is experienced through this oneness (advaita darshanam jnanam), and realizing this oneness alone is real knowledge and wisdom.

As Baba says, people are fraught with fear from birth to death. Human beings have many fears, such as the fear of losing youth, beauty, intelligence, strength, wealth, health, name and fame, power, and ultimately the fear of death. In the deepest sense, these are not fears of any particular object or circumstance. This fear arises from the sense of being a separate, finite, vulnerable individual in this infinite universe.

Brahmananda Valli declares that this fear completely dissolves when the vision of nondual oneness is experienced. When one understands this, not just as an intellectual concept but as a living experience, then the innermost Self of the seeker and the innermost reality of the cosmos are experienced as the same Brahman. As a result, the very basis of fear dissolves permanently.

The concluding verse of the Brahmananda Valli states that the knower of the bliss of Atman completely overcomes all fear. He is fearless. The knower of Brahman has no sorrow, has no suffering,  and is entirely fearless and in a state of peace that passeth understanding.

As Swami says, the one message that Vedanta stresses is to be completely fearless. That is the greatest blessing that can be obtained from God.  The deities in temples are shown as gods with one hand in Varada Hastha, giving boons to people to satisfy their desires, and the other hand raised in Abhaya Hastha, granting fearlessness. But Bhagawan Baba uniquely blesses us by raising both hands in Abhaya Hastha. With both hands, He blesses and assures us, “Be fearless, be fearless!” His famous quote is, “Why fear when I am here?” Thus, when we are in touch with Brahman, we live in a state of complete fearlessness.

Brahmananda Valli defines the nature of Brahman and how to explore Brahman by traveling through the five sheaths. It also provides a glimpse of the bliss of Brahman to motivate the spiritual seeker to pursue the path to Brahman with intensity and sincerity until it is realized.

In the concluding section of Taittiriya Upanishad, Bhrigu Valli, we will discuss how to experience Brahman, the ultimate goal.

Jai Sai Ram.