Sukha means joy or happiness. ‘Sukha asana’ is a easy and comfortable sitting posture. ‘Sukha poorvaka’ is simple preliminary practice. Sukha bhoga is the experience of happiness. Sukhahasya is cheerfulness. Generally ‘Sukham’ is feeling at ease, pleasant, relaxed and comfortable. The phrase ‘sukham aksayam astnute’ in Gita 5.21 means enjoys an imperishable happiness.
The words ‘sukha’ in Gita 6.27, is a lakshana that points out the svarupa of atma as the wholeness, the limitlessness that stands undivided between an object and onelself. The undivided whole is atma and is ponted ou by the word ‘sukha’. So this cannot be ordinary sukha but atyantika sukha- absolute sukha or sukha uttama or ultimate sukha. Therefore Sukha that is the very nature of atma; svarupa sukha.
Sri Krishna states that the most exalted happiness- ‘uttamam sukham’ reaches the person as a result of contemplation. This suhka cannot be compared to any other happiness. There is no compassion for Bliss because it is a fullness-Purnatvam that is the very svarupa of Atma.
‘Santa rajasa’ is one whose passion is quieted; his passion pacified. Is one for whom all the impurities, rajas, are resolved. Mohadi klesam is a fascination for things that are totally false based on one’s ragas and dvesas. One who is fee from sin; freed from past sinful reactions.
The akalmasah is one who is no longer in the hands of ragas and dvesas. Kalmasam means a defect in terms of adharma and papa. So one whose pursuits in life are no longer not improper are referred to as akalamasa. He is one who becomes a brahma-bhuta, one who has the niscaya, the definite knowledge that Brahman is everything.
Brahma-bhutam means one has become Brahman or liberation by identification with Absolute. ‘Bhuta’ means has come into being. He is the person who has definite knowledge that Brahman is everything-idam sarvam brahmaiva; I am That Brahman-tat brahma aham asmi; I am everything- aham idam sarvam. Knowing this makes the person Brahma-bhuta. This Brahma-bhuta, who is akalmasa, santa rajasa and prasanta-manasa gains utama sukha, ananda, that being the svarupa of atma. Because of the knowledge of Atma, this sukha as though reaches the person.
Yogi Ananda Saraswathi