Brahman is joy!

There is a beautiful story in one of the books—the story of the disciple who, meditating on the great mystery, said first that Brahman (God) was anna (matter), next that Brahman was prana (life), next that He was manas (sensation), then that He was vignan (intellect) and last that Brahman was ananda (love-joy).

Brahman is joy. In this bold declaration, the sages of the Upanishads have recorded their vision of the world-whole, their conviction concerning the final synthesis of life. The first synthesis, ‘brahman is matter’ (anna) is so crude, so imperfect; yet there was a time — not so very long ago—when this view of the universe was regarded as the latest finding of science and reflective consciousness. Moleschott said—“Man is the sum of parents and nurses, of place and time, air and weather, noise and light and clothing.” Cynder wrote a book on “Man a Machine”! Gradually the idea dawned that ‘matter’ itself was but a centre of forces, that man was not a mere machine.

‘Brahman is prana’ is the next synthesis; but this, too, is incomplete. Spencer was anxious to derive all from unknown energy. But the energy of the universe is not unknown; the World-will is not blind. Kelvin and Wallace point out that one is justified on scientific grounds in believing that Nature has a “directive intelligence”.