Infinite happiness from world is impossible

[dattaswami]

Infinite happiness from world is impossible

196. Shreshthavichaare sankramanam vikaarapraachuryayorapyaanandasya.

 

Translation: In the search of finding the greatest category among the five categories, no where the analysis is stopped. Even the final category of bliss is not the greatest either in the sense of modification or in the sense of majority.

 

Explanation: In the case of ordinary human being, the analysis continued because no category is found to be the greatest or Brahman. Within the sphere of the affairs of human souls (Pravrutti), the greatest item is being searched in this analysis. Each category is great but not the greatest. Food and respiration stand for inert objects and trees, which are not the greatest. The mind stands for birds and animals, which are also not the greatest. Intelligence stands for human beings which are not the greatest. Happiness or bliss is finally concluded as the greatest item because happiness is the ultimate aim of Pravrutti and even for misunderstood Nivrutti. Unfortunately, happiness is always limited because it is linked with non-eternal items of the world. The entire creation is non-eternal and hence the happiness derived from the creation cannot be eternal or infinite. Therefore, even happiness is found to be only limited (Kosha). The word Anandamaya stands for either a modification of happiness (Mayat stands for vikara), or it stands for majority of happiness (Mayat stands for praachurya). In the first case, since the happiness from the world is non-eternal and limited, any modification of such happiness is also finite and cannot be the greatest or Brahman. In the second case, if you have major region of happiness, there must be minor region of misery because happiness is finite. Therefore, infinite happiness from world is impossible and such finite worldly bliss cannot be the greatest (Brahman).