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<p>The study examines the semantic evolution of <i>ānanda</i>—joy, pleasure, and bliss—in early Indian texts. As a central concept in religious and philosophical discourse, <i>ānanda</i> signifies both the ecstatic experience of devotees and mystics and a fundamental attribute of Brahman, the monistic Absolute. Building on limited prior scholarship, this study explores <i>ānanda</i> in the Saṃhitās, Brāhmaṇas, Upaniṣads, Śaṅkara’s <i>bhāṣya</i> on the <i>Brahmasūtras.</i>The study uncovers nuanced meanings that extend beyond sensual pleasure and desire fulfillment, including <i>ānanda</i> as a divine attribute and as the joy experienced in ritual performance, as an inherent quality of the mind, pure knowledge, and as the integration of aspects of purified being within <i>ānandamaya ātman</i>, where self is merging with <i>saguṇa</i> Brahman in <i>savikalpa samādhi</i>. The study investigates <i>ānanda</i> as a product of <i>tapas</i> (ascetic practice) and its connection to the aesthetic category of <i>rasa</i>.</p>

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A Semantic Inquiry Into Ānanda in Ancient Indian Texts

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月10日

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  • Antonyia Nacheva

摘要

The study examines the semantic evolution of ānanda—joy, pleasure, and bliss—in early Indian texts. As a central concept in religious and philosophical discourse, ānanda signifies both the ecstatic experience of devotees and mystics and a fundamental attribute of Brahman, the monistic Absolute. Building on limited prior scholarship, this study explores ānanda in the Saṃhitās, Brāhmaṇas, Upaniṣads, Śaṅkara’s bhāṣya on the Brahmasūtras.The study uncovers nuanced meanings that extend beyond sensual pleasure and desire fulfillment, including ānanda as a divine attribute and as the joy experienced in ritual performance, as an inherent quality of the mind, pure knowledge, and as the integration of aspects of purified being within ānandamaya ātman, where self is merging with saguṇa Brahman in savikalpa samādhi. The study investigates ānanda as a product of tapas (ascetic practice) and its connection to the aesthetic category of rasa.