What is Joy?-part-3 (concluding part)

What is Joy? — Part 3 (Concluding Part)

This is the final part of the series on what is joy. In the earlier articles, we explored how Vedanta defines joy as something far deeper than pleasure. If you haven’t yet read the first two parts, you may begin with Part 1 and then Part 2 to understand the foundation of this concluding reflection.

What Is Joy? (Part 1)

In Part 1, we studied Section VIII of the Brahmananda Valli, the second part of the Taittiriya Upanishad.
This section defines the unit of human joy.

The text then describes how joy increases as we move to higher worlds (lokas).
Each step upward multiplies joy by one hundred.

At the highest world, the amount of joy becomes 10²⁰ (hundred quintillion) units — a symbolic measure of infinite bliss.

However, the Taittiriya Upanishad finally declares something profound:

“A man full of revelation, but without desire, has equal joy.”

In Sanskrit, the verse reads:

“श्रोत्रियस्य च अкамहतस्य” —
“The man well-versed in the Vedas and free from desires enjoys the same joy everywhere.”

Thus, the Upanishad teaches that true joy does not depend on where we live or what we gain.
It arises from inner knowledge and freedom from desire.

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What Is Joy? (Part 2)

In Part 2, we explored the deeper meaning of this statement.
What does revelation mean here? It means real knowledge of the Vedas — the insight into truth, not mere information.

We also introduced Vedanta, the essence of the Vedic wisdom.
To understand it better, we discussed Brahma Sutra Topics 1 to 3.
These topics show how the Self (Atman) and the Absolute (Brahman) are one reality.

Each topic leads us closer to understanding the source of unchanging joy.
The joy of the realized person is not measured; it simply is.

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1. The Path to Realisation

In Part 3, we continue from Topic 3, Chapter 1 of the Brahma Sutra. This section includes Topic 4 and key mantras from the principal Upanishads. Through these teachings, we understand how the removal of ignorance (Avidya) reveals the natural brilliance of Brahman, the eternal joy that shines as our true Self.

Knowledge of Brahman cannot be attained through reasoning alone. It arises through intuition or revelation — the final result of deep enquiry into the Self. The scriptures describe three essential stages on this path of realization:

• Śravaṇa (Study of Vedanta): Listening to the teachings of sages and studying the scriptures. In the early Vedic period, this was oral learning, as writing did not exist.

• Manana (Reflection): Thinking deeply about what has been heard and testing it through reasoning and experience.

• Nididhyāsana (Meditation): Contemplating the truth revealed by Vedanta, focusing on the Mahāvākyas such as “Tat Tvam Asi.”

As the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad teaches:

“The Self, my dear Maitreyi, should be realized — it should be heard of, reflected on, and meditated upon. By the realization of the Self, my dear, everything is known.”

Śravaṇa, Manana, and Nididhyāsana lead to intuition (Aparokṣa Anubhūti). From this purified understanding, Brahma Kāra Vṛitti arises within the sāttvic mind after following the four means of salvation and the guidance of an enlightened teacher (Āchārya).

This Brahma Kāra Vṛitti destroys fundamental ignorance (Mūlāvidyā) — the root of bondage, birth, and death. When this veil is removed, Brahman, self-effulgent and eternal, reveals itself in its pristine glory and splendour.

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2. The Message of the Upanishads

The Brahma Sutra Topic 4 of Chapter 1, called Samanvayādhikaraṇam, declares that Brahman is the main purport of all Vedantic texts. The opening statement, “Tattu Samanvayāt,” means “Brahman is to be known only from the Scriptures.”

The Chāndogya Upanishad, Chapter Six, beautifully illustrates this truth through the story of Sage Uddālaka and his son Śvetaketu. When Śvetaketu returned from his education full of pride, his father asked if he had learned that knowledge by which everything becomes known. The young man admitted he had not. Then the sage began to teach him that supreme knowledge — the understanding that all existence arises from the one Reality, Brahman.

In this dialogue, one of the four Mahāvākyas, “Tat Tvam Asi” (“That Thou Art”), appears nine times to affirm the unity of the individual Self with Brahman.

Here are some important declarations from the Upanishads showing that Brahman is the essence of all:

• “Being alone was this in the beginning, without a second.” — Chāndogya Upanishad VI–2–1

• “The Atman, free from sin, is what we must seek to know.” — Chāndogya Upanishad VIII–7–1

• “In the beginning, all this was Atman alone.” — Aitareya Aranyaka II–4–1–1

• “Let a man worship Him as the Self.” — Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad I–4–7

• “This Self is Brahman, perceiving everything.” — Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad II–5–19

• “He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman.” — Muṇḍaka Upanishad III–2–9

• “The wise who know the Self as bodiless among bodies never grieve.” — Kaṭha Upanishad II–1–2

These verses affirm that Brahman is the sole, eternal reality and the source of all joy.

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3. The Essence of the Vedas and Final Realisation

Brahman cannot be perceived by the senses, for it is infinite, subtle, and beyond all objects. The senses and mind themselves derive power from Brahman, the ultimate source. Brahman is self-luminous, self-existent, and self-delighting.

When one realizes Brahman, all sorrows vanish. The seeker attains Moksha, liberation from the cycle of birth and death. This final state is eternal freedom — pure awareness without duality.

Vedantic texts thus teach that Brahman is eternal, all-knowing, indivisible, and self-effulgent. Proper understanding of Vedanta alone leads a person to final emancipation. This is the real meaning of the line:

“A man full of revelation, but without desire, has equal joy.”

To complete the discussion, we must briefly touch upon the two sections of the Vedas:

• Karma Kanda (Purva Mimamsa): The ritual portion, compiled by Sage Jaimini, deals with duties, sacrifices, and rites meant to purify the mind. Its purpose is not endless ritual, but self-discipline leading toward selfless action, as taught by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.

• Jnana Kanda (Uttara Mimamsa): The knowledge portion, associated with Sage Badarayana, focuses on the Upanishads and Brahma Sutras. It teaches the highest truth — that the Atman and Brahman are one.

The final revelation of Advaita Vedanta is simple yet profound:

Atman = Brahman.

There is only one non-dual reality, without a second. The world has no separate existence apart from Brahman. Realizing this truth is the culmination of all spiritual enquiry — the discovery of the unchanging joy that we already are.

References:

1. Back to the Truth: 5000 years of ADVAITA by Dennis Waite.
2. THE TEN PRINCIPAL UPANISHADS: Translated by Shree Purohit Swami and W.B.Yeats
3. Brahma Sutra Bhasya of Sankaracharya: Translated by Swami Gambhirananda.
4. You are the Universe; Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why it Matters: By Deepak Chopra & Menas Kafatos.
5. THE TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD: SHIKSHAVALLI-ANANDAVALLI-BHRIGUVALLI with Sri Shankara’s Commentry By Sri Swami Satchidanandera Saraswati.
6. Information available on internet.