The Forms of Joy
As May 16th was approaching, I opened the app and began prepping for the Satsang Diksha Adhiveshan.
Swaminarayan Bhagwan etle ke sākshāt Akshar-Purushottam Maharaj sarvane param shānti, ānand ane sukh arpe. (1)
I read this, and then memorized; however, I always wondered, why did Mahant Swami use the word “sukh” and the word “anand”, cause both these words mean the same thing.
This question forced me into thinking about the subtle difference between Sukh and Anand; and helped me understand the 2 Forms of Joy.
Sukham: The Temporary Form
Getting married into a loving family, being financial stable, living a healthy life, having a lovely child. All these events have one thing in common and that is Happiness. In Gujarati, we often say that, “Aa bahu Sukhi chhe” .
However, what is the guarantee that the person who is happily married right now, will have the same relationship in future. What if they are divorced?
What is the guarantee that, the person who is financially stable right now, will not be sitting by the sidewalk along the streets and earning a living by begging. What if they get bankrupt in future?
What is the guarantee that, the person who has a good health right now, will not be lying in the hospital suffering from Covid in the future?
When these events happen, we tend to change our statement to, “Aa bahu Dukhi chhe.” This mere change of words can happen anytime, anywhere, and with anyone. This change is unpredictable and unavoidable. Hence, the word “sukh” could be used for the happiness that is temporary, and it can change into “dukh” at any point in time. However, Mahant Swami Maharaj has mentioned in the above shlok that, upon taking the refuge of Shriji Maharaj, one will attain sukh. This is because, upon being offered the Fellowship of our sampradaya, Shriji Maharaj had asked Ramanand Swami for two boons:
“If your satsangi is to suffer the pain of one scorpion sting‚ then may the pain of the sting of millions of scorpions befall on each and every pore of my body; but no pain should afflict your satsangi. And if your satsangi is destined to have a begging bowl‚ then let that begging bowl come to me; but your satsangi should not suffer from the want of food and clothing.”
With this, Maharaj himself took up all our Dukhs and blessed us with his Sukh instead. Therefore, upon taking his refuge, we will never face the hardships that others have to face, and even if hardships occur, Maharaj himself will help is overcome those challenges. This is why Mahant Swami has said that, all the Satsangis will attain sukh, meaning the temporary happiness of this world.
Ānandam: The Permanent Form
When we talk about Akshardham and Moksha, the statement that we always use is, “Param Anand ni prapti”. It is unlikely that we use the word “Sukh”.
Now, we might question that why do we use the word “anand” for the bliss of God? Why can’t we use the word “sukh”? Well, to answer this, lets actually look into the grammar. The word “sukh” has an antonym called “dukh”, however the word “anand” does not have any antonym. This word is a standalone with a meaning of its own. Grammatically, there is no opposite for the word Anand and therefore, it’s meaning is different from the meaning of sukh.
Anand is the permanent form of Happiness in which, the joy is immeasurable and ever-lasting. This joy has no bounds or limits. It is constant and continuous. This feeling can only be felt upon realizing the true form and mahima of Maharaj and Swami.
Due to this, the sadhus of Shriji Maharaj were different from everyone else. Those sadhus weren’t any ordinary ascetics, rather they were called the “nand santos”. Maharaj had named everyone in a way that all of their names ended in the word “anand”. Premanand Swami, Muktanand Swami, Brahmanand Swami, Shukanand Swami, Devanand Swami and many more. These santos were the living forms of the muktas that reside in Akshardham and they were the personified form of the word “anand”. This naming trend of Shriji Maharaj established the meaning of true and permanent happiness, which can only be experienced with the association of God and a true Satpurush.
Why was this the Ideal Prayer?
It was a ritual that the devotees would ask for Fagwa in the form of blessing from Shriji Maharaj, during the festival of Holi. On one such Fuldol festival, Maharaj asked the devotees to pray for anything and all their wishes would be fulfilled.
Many devotees asked for financial, personal, and physical aids. As promised, Maharaj granted those and blessed them. There were some devout haribhaktas who asked for Akshardham. Being pleased, Maharaj blessed them with that boon. However, when women devotees of Gujarat were asked to offer their prayers, they asked for:
“Mahābaḷvant māyā tamārī, jeṇe āvariyā narnārī; Evu vardān dījiye āpe, eh māyā amne na vyāpe…”
Meaning, please protect us from your powerful Maya and bless us so that we are never affect by it.
I always wondered, why did Maharaj become immensely pleased with this prayer, rather than the prayer of attaining Akshardham. However, after giving it some thought we can relate this to the concept of anand.
When we talk about Moksha and Param Anand, we often refer to life after death. We see Akshardham as a place in the skies, where we can go after leaving this body. However, is that the true meaning of Moksha and Anand? If we can attain the bliss of God only after dying, then why are we praying hard and doing bhakti while living? Why are we happy to die and sad while living?
Well, lets think about the prayer that the female devotees had asked. They asked for protection from Maya, and in simple words, Maya is everything except God. So, if we are protected from Maya, then we are eventually closer to God. And once we are closer to God, then we are essentially in Akshardham, attaining Moksha, and experiencing Param Anand. Hence, this prayer is the most ideal prayer that one could ask for.
Praying for Akshardham is great, but this will only be fulfilled once we leave this body. However, prayer for being protected from the clutches of Maya can help us attain the same bliss that we will experience after death. And once we experience the Anand and understand its true meaning, we will no longer wish to die; rather we will be happy in each and every situation that Shriji Maharaj places us in. We will be content.
Jai Swaminarayan.
