Brahman as Ānanda
The Taittirīya Upaniṣad famously declares: ānandaṃ brahmeti vyajānāt — "He understood that Brahman is bliss." The great passage expounds bliss as the innermost nature of the Lord — more essential even than consciousness. Brahman is not merely sat-cit (existence-consciousness) but sat-cit-ānanda — being, consciousness, and bliss.
In Rāmānuja's reading, ānanda characterizes both the Supreme (Brahman) and the individual self (jīvātman) in its pure state, unclouded by avidyā (ignorance) and karma. Liberation is the recovery of this native ānanda.
Not Mere Cessation
The Sri Vaishnava conception of liberation's bliss differs from the Advaita conception:
- Advaita: liberation is the cessation of suffering and the experience of undifferentiated bliss (Brahman knowing only itself)
- Viśiṣṭādvaita: liberation is the jīvātman's positive enjoyment of the Lord's presence, form, qualities, and the bliss of kainkarya — a relational bliss, not a blank bliss
The muktātman (liberated soul) in Vaikuṇṭham experiences ananta-ānanda — endless, relational bliss — in the company of the Lord, Lakṣmī, the nityasūris, and all the muktas.
Ānanda as Testimony
The Āzhvārs' anubhava (devotional experience) — expressed in the Tiruvāymozhi and other works — is itself ānanda in motion: the ecstatic knowledge that one belongs to the Lord, that the Lord is one's svāmī, that kainkarya is eternally one's nature.