Sankaracharya and Taittiriyopanishad

SR No.: 269125
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vijay Pandya
Publisher: ZZ_Anusandhan
Total Pages: 12
Language: English
Classification: Article & 0_not_categorized
File Size: 90 KB

Page 6

TICHETT-919. 115
Tradition sanctified by usage and hallowed by time was too overwhelming for him to reject the term ananda. In support of this statement, it may be mentioned that, in the whole of literature by Sarkarăcārya the most frequent phrase in the Indian philosophy, i.e. succidānanda taken as a whole does not occur. Individually sat, cit and even ananda did occur in the literature by the ācārya, but as a definition of Brahman and even otherwise by way of inserting such phrases, this phrase saccidānanda, is conspicuous by its absence.
So, as with anandamaya, Sankarācārya considered ananda epithet of Brahman as qualifying it. The epithet änanda goes against the tenor of his philosophical strain and despite Sankarācārya, in the Post-Sankara period the epithet and the phrase saccidānanda have continued to reign unchallenged.
Though there is no direct evidence to prove it but, according to Sankarācārya, it appears ānanda would bring the worldly content which would pollute, so to say, Sankarācārya's Brahman.
And perhaps (not sure) the connotations of the word ānanda contextually used in the classical Upanisadic literature, had strengthened his aversion to the word ananda being applied to Brahman.
It is not very infrequently that in the Upanisads the word ānanda has a sextual connotation. To point out a few :
In the Brhadaranyakopanişad (2-4-11) it is statet that
स यथा सर्वासामपां समुद्र एकायनम्, एवं सर्वेषां स्पर्शानां त्वगेकायनम्, एवं सर्वेषां गन्धानां नासिके एकायनम्, एवं सर्वेषां रसानां जिहवैकायनम्, एवं सर्वेषां रूणाणां चक्षरेकायनम, एवं सर्वेषां शब्दानां श्रोत्रमेकायनम, एवं सर्वेषां सङ्कल्पानां मन एकायनम्, एवं सर्वेसां विद्यानां हृदयमेकायनम्, एवं सर्वेषां कर्मणां हस्तावेकायनम्, एवं सर्वेषामान्दानामुपस्थ एकायनम्, एवं सर्वेषां विसर्गाणां पायुरेकायनम्, To nicht gan tai pagi atai aro 17 i (B.U.24-11)