Ananda in Education: The Sanatana Perspective

The There are two words in the current theme: Ananda happiness and education.

- Ravindra Kumar

By implication, the topic calls for such an education that paves the way for happiness; in other words, learning to be happy. Happiness, the Ananda in Indian terms, has two foremost synonyms, pleasure, and satisfaction.

The objective of education is to achieve the goal of life, i.e., happiness or pleasure, which is conducive to inner satisfaction; it may be the essence of the whole theme. However, the spirit in the root of the topic can be seen in the larger perspective as the one to make life meaningful. Therefore, a deeper and more insightful analysis of the theme is required. Let us discuss it accordingly starting from happiness, the Ananda as it is the nucleus of the theme as well as the goal of all our actions!

The Indian concept of the Ananda, happiness is based on a stupendous and prodigious idea associated with philosophy and spiritual thinking of which the universal unity (Sarvabhaumik Ekata) is the focus; in the realization and development of this, great sages, Rishis and Maharishis have played not only an important role, but they have devoted their entire life in various discoveries and experiments related to it. The concept of the Ananda transforms into reality after reaching the state of the Paramananda, Moksha, Mukti, Nirvana, Parinirvana or Vimukti. It is a state of being one with the Supreme, the ocean of bliss:

44 रसो वै सः। रसं ह्येवायं लब्ध्वानन्दी भवति - Raso Vai Sah Rasam
Hyevaayam Labdhvaanandii Bhavati' The Taittiriiyopanishad (2: 7:2) 

The Indian concept of Ananda is, thus, far broader in comparison to the views of the Western thinkers like Epicurus (lifetime: 342/1-270 BCE) and Cicero (lifetime: 106-43 BCE), who have accepted a situation free from pains to be the best state of pleasure, and have declared physical-mental peace to be the symptom of joy. It is also different from their opinion in which they have considered enjoying physical-mental pleasure to be the happiness.