The term paramānanda—a compound of parama (supreme) and ānanda (bliss)—is used in various Hindu philosophical texts to denote the highest conceivable form of joy. It is not an emotional state in the conventional sense, but a quality of being that arises when the distinction between subject and object dissolves. In Advaita Vedanta, paramānanda is not simply the goal of the spiritual journey—it is the very nature of reality, revealed when one realizes the non-duality of Atman and Brahman.
Historically, this idea appears across many Upanishadic verses, and later receives systematic treatment in the works of Shankara and other Vedantic commentators. The joy described here is not contingent on sensory input or psychological satisfaction. It is absolute, unconditioned, and self-existent. Those who have realised their true self are said to live permanently in this state, as embodiments of a joy that transcends worldly polarity.
