What the scriptures say about joy

1. Grief
2. the vast
3. Joy
4. action
5. Steadiness
6. Faith
7. understanding
8. understanding
9. truth
10. Self-knowledge

Narada knows every science and says that he knows the words, not the self, and he grieves. Sanatkumara leads him inward. One speaks truth when one understands. One understands when one reflects. One reflects when one has trust. One has trust when one is steadfast. One is steadfast when one acts. One acts when one finds joy. Joy is in the vast, not in the small.

• Narada

  सोऽहं भगवो मन्त्रविदेवास्मि नात्मविच्छ्रुतꣳ ह्येव मे भगवद्दृशेभ्यस्तरति शोकमात्मविदिति सोऽहं भगवः शोचामि तं मा भगवाञ्छोकस्य पारं तारयत्विति तꣳ होवाच यद्वै किंचैतदध्यगीष्ठा नामैवैतत् ॥

  so’haṃ bhagavo mantravidevāsmi nātmavicchrutaꣳ hyeva me bhagavaddṛśebhyastarati śokamātmaviditi so’haṃ bhagavaḥ śocāmi taṃ mā bhagavāñchokasya pāraṃ tārayatviti taꣳ hovāca yadvai kiṃcaitadadhyagīṣṭhā nāmaivaitat ||

  'Sir, I know only the texts; I do not know the self. I have heard from people like you that one who knows the self crosses beyond sorrow. I am in sorrow, sir. Please take me across.' He said to him: 'Whatever you have studied is only name.'

  Chhandogya Upanishad 7.1.3

• Sanatkumara

  यदा वै करोत्यथ निस्तिष्ठति नाकृत्वा निस्तिष्ठति कृत्वैव निस्तिष्ठति कृतिस्त्वेव विजिज्ञासितव्येति कृतिं भगवो विजिज्ञास इति ॥

  yadā vai karotyatha nistiṣṭhati nākṛtvā nistiṣṭhati kṛtvaiva nistiṣṭhati kṛtistveva vijijñāsitavyeti kṛtiṃ bhagavo vijijñāsa iti ||

  When one acts, one becomes steadfast. One does not become steadfast without acting; only by acting does one become steadfast. So action itself must be understood. 'Sir, I wish to understand action.'

  Chhandogya Upanishad 7.21.1

• Sanatkumara

  यदा वै सुखं लभतेऽथ करोति नासुखं लब्ध्वा करोति सुखमेव लब्ध्वा करोति सुखं त्वेव विजिज्ञासितव्यमिति सुखं भगवो विजिज्ञास इति ॥

  yadā vai sukhaṃ labhate’tha karoti nāsukhaṃ labdhvā karoti sukhameva labdhvā karoti sukhaṃ tveva vijijñāsitavyamiti sukhaṃ bhagavo vijijñāsa iti ||

  When one finds happiness, one acts. No one acts without finding happiness; only by finding happiness does one act. So happiness itself must be understood. 'Sir, I wish to understand happiness.'

  Chhandogya Upanishad 7.22.1

1. practice
2. Clarity
3. Joy
4. Carelessness
5. Laziness

The joy one grows into by practice, like poison first and nectar in the end, is born of a clear understanding of the self. Pleasure from the senses is nectar first and poison after. The pleasure of sleep, laziness and heedlessness deludes from start to finish.

• Krishna

  सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं श्रृणु मे भरतर्षभ । अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च निगच्छति ॥

  sukhaṃ tvidānīṃ trividhaṃ śrṛṇu me bharatarṣabha | abhyāsādramate yatra duḥkhāntaṃ ca nigacchati ||

  Now hear from me the three kinds of happiness, best of the Bharatas: the happiness one comes to enjoy through practice, and in which one reaches the end of sorrow.

  Bhagavad Gita 18.36

• Krishna

  यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम् । तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ॥

  yattadagre viṣamiva pariṇāme’mṛtopamam | tatsukhaṃ sāttvikaṃ proktamātmabuddhiprasādajam ||

  That which is like poison at first and like nectar in the end, born from the clarity of one's own understanding, is called sattvic happiness.

  Bhagavad Gita 18.37

• Krishna

  विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् । परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥

  viṣayendriyasaṃyogādyattadagre’mṛtopamam | pariṇāme viṣamiva tatsukhaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ||

  The happiness that comes from contact of the senses with their objects, like nectar at first and like poison in the end, is called rajasic.

  Bhagavad Gita 18.38

1. sensory contact
2. misery
3. Letting go
4. Joy

Pleasures born of contact are wombs of sorrow. They begin and end. The wise do not delight in them. Unhooked from outer contacts one finds the joy that is in the self. Whoever can withstand the surge of desire and anger here is happy.

• Krishna

  बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम् । स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ॥

  bāhyasparśeṣvasaktātmā vindatyātmani yatsukham | sa brahmayogayuktātmā sukhamakṣayamaśnute ||

  One whose self is unattached to outer contacts finds the happiness that is in the self. Joined to Brahman by yoga, he enjoys undying happiness.

  Bhagavad Gita 5.21

• Krishna

  ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते । आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥

  ye hi saṃsparśajā bhogā duḥkhayonaya eva te | ādyantavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣu ramate budhaḥ ||

  The enjoyments born of contact are wombs of sorrow; they have a beginning and an end, Kaunteya. The wise do not delight in them.

  Bhagavad Gita 5.22

• Krishna

  शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात् । कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः ॥

  śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṃ prākśarīravimokṣaṇāt | kāmakrodhodbhavaṃ vegaṃ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ ||

  One who is able, here in this life, before leaving the body, to withstand the surge born of desire and anger, is disciplined; he is a happy person.

  Bhagavad Gita 5.23

1. unstruck by desire
2. Joy
3. Fearlessness

Each higher joy is a hundred times the one below. Each equals the joy of the learned person who is not struck by desire. Knowing that joy, one fears nothing. One is no longer tormented by wondering why one did not do right and why one did wrong.

• Teacher

  सैषाऽऽनन्दस्य मीमाꣳसा भवति । युवा स्यात्साधुयुवाऽध्यायकः । आशिष्ठो दृढिष्ठो बलिष्ठः । तस्येयं पृथिवी सर्वा वित्तस्य पूर्णा स्यात् । स एको मानुष आनन्दः । ते ये शतं मानुषा आनन्दाः । स एको मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणामानन्दः । श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य ।

  saiṣā’’nandasya mīmāꣳsā bhavati | yuvā syātsādhuyuvā’dhyāyakaḥ | āśiṣṭho dṛḍhiṣṭho baliṣṭhaḥ | tasyeyaṃ pṛthivī sarvā vittasya pūrṇā syāt | sa eko mānuṣa ānandaḥ | te ye śataṃ mānuṣā ānandāḥ | sa eko manuṣyagandharvāṇāmānandaḥ | śrotriyasya cākāmahatasya |

  Now an inquiry into joy. Let there be a young man, good, well read, quick, firm and strong, and let this whole earth full of wealth be his: that is one measure of human joy. A hundred human joys make one joy of the human gandharvas, and so too is the joy of a learned one untouched by desire.

  Taittiriya Upanishad 2.8.1-2

• Teacher

  यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते । अप्राप्य मनसा सह । आनन्दं ब्रह्मणो विद्वान्। न बिभेति कुतश्चनेति ।

  yato vāco nivartante | aprāpya manasā saha | ānandaṃ brahmaṇo vidvān| na bibheti kutaścaneti |

  That from which words turn back, along with the mind, not reaching it: whoever knows the joy of Brahman fears nothing at all.

  Taittiriya Upanishad 2.9.1

• Teacher

  एतꣳह वाव न तपति । किमहꣳसाधु नाकरवम् । किमहं पापमकरवमिति ।

  etaꣳha vāva na tapati | kimahaꣳsādhu nākaravam | kimahaṃ pāpamakaravamiti |

  Such a one is no longer tormented by the thought: why did I not do good? Why did I do wrong?

  Taittiriya Upanishad 2.9.1