Bliss is a State of Equipois

Intuition, insight, primal innocence, balance and fulfillment are the attributes of the Bliss body, variously called anandamaya kosa, hiranmaya kosa, ('sheath of gold'), hridaya akasa (sky of heart), hridaya pundarika (lotus of heart), or brahmapura, (city of Brahma). Bliss body is the innermost layer encasing the human soul. It is preceded, in terms of subtlety, by sheaths of matter (annamaya), energy (pranamaya), mind (manomaya) and intellect (vijnanamaya).  Ancient sages associated it with the Karana sharira, causal body, which forms a thin layer between ordinary consciousness and the Divine within. Bliss-body is said to contain all the experiences and impressions of present and past lives. It derives its sustenance from the self effulgent soul, but is not the soul itself. In it, the world of cause and effect remains suspended.  Though intangible, a siddha purusha, a realised soul, can sense it in brahma bhava, deep meditation.

The Taittiriya Upanishad (II.5.1) perceives the human body as a bird: 'Its head is joy; its right wing, enjoyment, its left wing, hilarity; its trunk, bliss; and its tail, Brahman which gives it support.' Bliss is one of the three attributes of Brahman along with truth and beauty. It is a universal expression of parasakti, all-pervasive, pure consciousness, that manifests in a person who is firmly established in his true self. It is the highest spiritual value, and the summum bonum of meditation.

Bliss is a state of being, rooted in three vrittis, or tendencies of the mind, namely priyam, moda and pramoda. Priyam is a pleasurable emotion that arises from the mere sight or thought of something one holds dear. Moda is the onset of a rapturous feeling after one has attained that object. Pramoda stands for actual enjoyment of the object of love. Bliss is not happiness, but the power of pure consciousness that operates in a person. The characteristics of happiness are pleasure, love, satisfaction and delight. But worldly pleasures derived from sensory objects, are transient like water-drops on a lotus-leaf that evaporate, or fall with time. Bliss transcends ordinary pleasures; it is abiding joy that fulfils. Tiruvalluvar, an ancient Tamil poet-saint, admonishes in the Tirukural (18.173): 'Those who seek immortal bliss will not succumb to immoral deeds that follow desire for fleeting delights.'

Bliss denotes a state of equipoise and is experienced in proportion to the element of sattva, quality of purity or goodness, in a person. The seer of the Samaveda says: 'O Lord, I am lighting the fire of good thoughts in the altar of self. The spiritual dawn is emerging in my heart.' The prerequisites for being in a state of bliss are, true knowledge, pious fellowship, forbearance, contentment, vairagya, mental renunciation and meditation. 'May every moment of your life be a step upwards to reach the height of bliss', so goes a Rigvedic prayer. As one progresses inward, from lower to higher states of consciousness, peaceful vibrations pervade the mind and body. Atma-sakshatakara, selfvision, helps one to discover the ultimate unity beyond all plurality, and to realise the Mahavakya (the Great Saying of the Upanishads), Aham brahmasmi – 'I am divine'. Bliss is the unqualified innate delight sprouting from within. It harmonises the breath of life, quiets the senses, and creates an energy-field that influences not only humans, plants, and animals, but also inanimate matter within its range. It is well known that holy places and religious spots carry the spiritual aura of blissful souls who graced them once.

Dr Satish K Kapoor