ANANDA

(Sanskrit: joy, or bliss), in Indian philosophy of the Upanisads and the school of Vedanta, an important attribute of the supreme being Brahman. Bliss is characteristically used in the Taittiriya Upanisad (c. 6th century BC) to define Brahman and, simultaneously, the highest state of the individual self. This bliss is identified with the bliss that is brought to the self by its release from the shackles of the body. In this sense ananda continues to play an important role in the orthodox school of Hindu philosophy, the Vedanta, though the nature of this bliss is differently interpreted according to the views held about Brahman itself.