Shloka
तत आत्मा सदानन्दो नास्य दुःखं कदाचन ।
यत्सुषुप्तौ निर्विषय आत्मानन्दोऽनुभूयते ।
श्रुतिः प्रत्यक्षमैतिह्यमनुमानं च जाग्रति ॥ १०९ ॥
tata ātmā sadānando nāsya duḥkhaṃ kadācana ;
yatsuṣuptau nirviṣaya ātmānando’nubhūyate ;
śrutiḥ pratyakṣamaitihyamanumānaṃ ca jāgrati . 109 .
Anvaya
- यत्yat
- Because
- सुषुप्तौsuṣuptau
- in deep sleep
- निर्विषयःnirviṣayaḥ
- object–less bliss of the Atman
- अनुभूयतेanubhūyate
- is experienced
- ततःtataḥ
- hence
- आत्माātmā
- the Atman
- सदानन्दःsadānandaḥ
- is always of the nature of bliss
- अस्यasya
- for that (Atman)
- न दुःखं कदाचनna duḥkhaṃ kadācana
- there is no unhappiness at anytime
- श्रुतिःśrutiḥ
- The Veda
- प्रत्यक्षम्pratyakṣam
- direct experience
- ऐतिह्यम्aitihyam
- tradition (the word of the guru)
- अनुमानं चanumānaṃ ca
- and also logical derivation
- जाग्रतिjāgrati
- (done) during waking state
Translation
Atman is said to be always of the nature of bliss because of the fact that objectless bliss is experienced in deep sleep. There is never any unhappiness to Atman. This is known through scripture, direct experience, tradition and by inference done in the waking state.
Annotation
Objectless bliss – Sense objects give us happiness during the wakeful state. Without the help of the gross body, the mind in the dream state creates its own world of objects and derives happiness. In deep sleep however, both the gross body and the subtle body are not in action but happiness exists. This is realised when a person wakes up. Thus it is called objectless bliss (Jagadguru). Scripture – Upanishads in several places declare that Atman is of the nature of bliss. Direct experience – This is as explained in the above note on objectless bliss. Inference – The syllogism is explained thus. Atman is of the nature of bliss (proposition, pratijña). It is so because it is the locus of love at all times and above all things (reason, hetu). If it were not the pre–eminent locus of love, it could not be called the nature of bliss, as in the case of sense objects. Hence Atman is of the nature of bliss (conclusion, nigamana) (Jagadguru). The word jāgrati – ‘during waking state’ – is used because all analysis and contemplation is done during the waking state only.