Papers by Antonyia Nacheva
A Semantic Inquiry into Ānanda in Ancient Indian Texts, 2026
The study examines the semantic evolution of ānanda-joy, pleasure, and bliss-in early Indian text... more The study examines the semantic evolution of ānanda-joy, pleasure, and bliss-in early Indian texts. As a central concept in religious and philosophical discourse, ānanda signifies both the ecstatic experience of devotees and mystics and a fundamental attribute of Brahman, the monistic Absolute. Building on limited prior scholarship, this study explores ānanda in the Saṃhitās, Brāhmaṇas, Upaniṣads, Śaṅkara's bhāṣya on the Brahmasūtras.The study uncovers nuanced meanings that extend beyond sensual pleasure and desire fulfillment, including ānanda as a divine attribute and as the joy experienced in ritual performance, as an inherent quality of the mind, pure knowledge, and as the integration of aspects of purified being within ānandamaya ātman, where self is merging with saguṇa Brahman in savikalpa samādhi. The study investigates ānanda as a product of tapas (ascetic practice) and its connection to the aesthetic category of rasa.
Аза, атма́н проявяващ се като, дживатма (jīvātmā) в живата форма на индивидуалното същество, се р... more Аза, атма́н проявяващ се като, дживатма (jīvātmā) в живата форма на индивидуалното същество, се разглежда във философията на адваита веданта като, присъстващ в поредица от „обвивки” (kośa) или последователни тела, представляващи многото варианти на неговото проявление. Ще се опитам да проследя етимологията и семантичната история на думата „кошa” в Ригведа и Атхарваведа Брахманите, основните Упанишади, и накратко коментарите на Шанкара към тях, за да разберем, защо точно този термин е използван в абстрактния си смисъл, като обозначение на „вместилище на бра́хман“ (ТУ 2.4), което ограничава изначалното му съвършенство и безпределност в рамките на човешкото същество. Концепцията панчакоша (páñcakośa) е въведена за първи път, както се смята от Шанкара в коментарите му на ТУ или по-рано в коментарите му на БАУ или БС 1.19. Вероятно терминът панчакоша е въведен от учителя на Шанкара, Гаудапада, поради това, че се среща в коментарите му на Манукия упанишад, Мандукя Карика.3.11. Представеното изследване e ново проучване в полето на Индологията.
Ключови думи: адвайта веданта, семантика, коша, Веди, Шанкара
КОМЕНТАРИТЕ (BHĀSYA) НА АДИ ШАНКАРА АЧАРЯ ВЪРХУ ТЕМАТА ЗА БЛАЖЕНСТВОТО (ĀNANDA) в БРАХМАСУТРА (I.1.11- I.1.19) – КРАТКО ПРЕДСТАВЯНЕ И АНАЛИЗ, 2023
В настоящия доклад е направен опит за анализ на темата за блаженството (ānanda) в коментара Бра... more В настоящия доклад е направен опит за анализ на темата за блаженството (ānanda) в коментара Брахмасутрабхашя (Brahmasūtrabhāṣya) на философа Ади Шанкара ачаря (8/9 в.) върху основополагащия за школата Веданта трактат на Бадараяна (3/4в.) Брахмасутра (Brahmasūtra, I.1.11- I.1.19). Разгледан е накратко въпросът за произхода на текста на Бадараяна. Представени са съществуващите изследвания върху коментара на Шанкара като акцентът е поставен върху спецификата на композирането на коментарите от типа bhāṣya. Доколкото в своя коментар на темата за блаженството в Брахмасутра, Шанкара се позовава най-вече на определени параграфи в Таиттирия Упанишад (Анандавали), съм се опитала да интерпретирам в сравнителен план този му коментар с коментара му върху упомената упанишада. Основната ми изследователска цел е да проследя развитието в разбирането на Шанкара по отношение на тази ключова концепция в метафизиката на Веданта.
Петте вместилища на аза (páñcakośa) според адвайта веданта на Шанкара. в : Език Литература и Култура на Изтока. , 2024
In the present study an attempt is made to examine one of the basic concepts in Śaṅkarā’s Advaita... more In the present study an attempt is made to examine one of the basic concepts in Śaṅkarā’s Advaita
Vedanta philosophy (VIII c.), the five receptacles or sheaths of the soul (kośa). These sheaths are
often considered to be a product of ignorance and a product of māya, which must be rejected (not
this, not this), in order for the center, ātman, to manifest. Although a product of ignorance, these
sheaths are a manifestation of the primordial cause ātman, as a microcosmic correlate to the
absolute brahman, which is their essence and keeps them alive through the energy of ātman
(Ātmabodha 20). For the purpose of this study, portions of Shankara's commentaries on the
Taittirīya Upaniṣad, the Brahmānandavallī, the Brahmasūtra, chapter 1.6, and the Māṇḍukya
Kārikā have been examined. Excerpts from the treatises of the prakaraṇagrantha tradition,
Ātmabodha and Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, traditionally attributed to Shankara are also examined. The study
is supported by excerpts from the basic Upanishads.
Hybrid LearningPreparing Tomorrow's Solutions, 2023
In this paper, an attempt is made to briefly introduce and compare the traditional
gurukul pedag... more In this paper, an attempt is made to briefly introduce and compare the traditional
gurukul pedagogical system with the hybrid learning developed and widely applied as a
relatively new academic teaching methodology, during the pandemic of Covid-19. The
current presentation is aimed at discussing the limitations and benefits of hybrid teaching and
at proposing some creative solutions. My analysis is based on Ādi Śaṅkara‘s commentary
(bhāṣya) on Brahmasūtra (I. 6.) dedicated to the notion of ānanda.
Етимология и семантична история на думата ананда (блаженство) в древноиндийската литература,, , Nov 17, 2022
In this study I concentrate on the etymology and semantic history of the word ānanda meaning joy,... more In this study I concentrate on the etymology and semantic history of the word ānanda meaning joy, pleasure and bliss. Ānanda is one of the most common terms in the religious vocabulary of the Brahmanical and Hindu traditions in both Sanskrit and vernacular languages, both in monastic traditions such as Advaita Vedanta and in the bhakti and tantric traditions. The term indicates the intense feeling of joy that devotees experience in their loving devotion and service to God, and mystics, in their meditative trance or samādhi. Within the advaita and related traditions, it represents a central and essential "attribute" of Brahman. The term has found a place in the names or titles of religious figures in many Indian religious traditions. Mokṣa, the ultimate goal of human existence, is defined as Ānanda. Drawing on the few contemporary studies by scholars such as van Buitenen and Patrick Olivelle, new interpretations and uses of the term are found in the Rig and the Atharvaveda, Āranyakas and the Upaniṣads. I explore the development in the idea of ānanda in the 6th theme (adhikaraṇa) "The Blessed One" in the Brahmasūtra of the Bādarāyana and the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, and in the commentaries (bhāṣya) of the Ādi Śaṅkarācāracharya on them where the meaning of the blessed self, ānandamaya, is acquired, along with the suffix mayat (change or abundance). Reaching of ānandamaya, is the result of knowledge and karma (action) and the final step in the process of union with the Absolute- Brahman.
Хиндуисткият и суфийският мистически път на екстаза в сравнителна перспектива в онлайн списане Нота Бене , 2021
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to offer a comparative analysis of the mystical paths in ... more Abstract: The purpose of this study is to offer a comparative analysis of the mystical paths in Hinduism, (Advaita Vedanta and bhakti) and those in Islam, (Sufism) in terms of their purpose, personal union with the Divine (unio mistica), bearing unchanging bliss and religious ecstasy (ānanda). The main doctrines in Upanishads and Mysticisms of Personality and Infinity are examined. The concepts of fanā', annihilation and baqā', integration into Sufism with the concept of "not this, not that": de-identification from "limiting adjuncts" (kośa) are compared. Parallels are found in the soteriological doctrines, those of the relationship of micro- and macrocosmos and the differentiation of the illusory from the true. For the purposes of the study, excerpts from Bhagavad Gita, some of the Principal Upanishads and commentaries by Adi Shankaracharya, Jalal al-Din Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Kabir were examined and compared. The observation shows worthy similarities, as well as some differences in the mystical traditions of Hinduism and Islam, as a path of knowledge or love, as evidence of a person's unified pursuit of unchanging happiness (ānanda).
Thesis Chapters by Antonyia Nacheva
The dissertation was discussed and proposed for public defense by the Department of Classical Eas... more The dissertation was discussed and proposed for public defense by the Department of Classical East at the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology of Sofia university "St. Kliment Ohridski". The dissertation consists of an introduction, five chapters, a conclusion, and refrenences. The research comprises 365 pages, with 351 pages main scholarly text. The references cover 178 titles, including 14 by Bulgarian authors.
Conference Presentations by Antonyia Nacheva
Śaṅkara’s Interpretation of the Blissful Self, 2025
Śaṅkara (7th century) is among the most influential philosophers of Indian classical thought and ... more Śaṅkara (7th century) is among the most influential philosophers of Indian classical thought and considered as the founder of non-dual (Advaita) Vedānta, branched during the centuries in numerous Vedānta traditions. His teachings form the basis for understanding Brahman-the Absolute-as one with Ātman, the Self, an inner state described as ānanda (bliss). This study comparatively analyzes Śaṅkara’s commentaries on Chapter 6, Ānandamayādhikaraṇa, of the Brahmasūtra, alongside excerpts from the Taittirīya Upaniṣad (Ānandavallī), with his commentaries. It examines exegetical methods and philosophical stance, especially his claim that ānandamaya is Brahman (Brahmasūtrabhāṣya 1.1.12–18), later refuted in 1.1.19 and Taittirīya Upaniṣad Bhāṣya (2.5). The study explores whether this contradiction is incidental or a synthesis of two seemingly opposing ideas like a feature of Śaṅkara’s oeuvre, leading students beyond logic to direct experience. Тhe study aims to deepen understanding of Śaṅkara’s thought and his notion of the doctrine of the blissful self-ānandamaya.
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Papers by Antonyia Nacheva
Ключови думи: адвайта веданта, семантика, коша, Веди, Шанкара
Vedanta philosophy (VIII c.), the five receptacles or sheaths of the soul (kośa). These sheaths are
often considered to be a product of ignorance and a product of māya, which must be rejected (not
this, not this), in order for the center, ātman, to manifest. Although a product of ignorance, these
sheaths are a manifestation of the primordial cause ātman, as a microcosmic correlate to the
absolute brahman, which is their essence and keeps them alive through the energy of ātman
(Ātmabodha 20). For the purpose of this study, portions of Shankara's commentaries on the
Taittirīya Upaniṣad, the Brahmānandavallī, the Brahmasūtra, chapter 1.6, and the Māṇḍukya
Kārikā have been examined. Excerpts from the treatises of the prakaraṇagrantha tradition,
Ātmabodha and Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, traditionally attributed to Shankara are also examined. The study
is supported by excerpts from the basic Upanishads.
gurukul pedagogical system with the hybrid learning developed and widely applied as a
relatively new academic teaching methodology, during the pandemic of Covid-19. The
current presentation is aimed at discussing the limitations and benefits of hybrid teaching and
at proposing some creative solutions. My analysis is based on Ādi Śaṅkara‘s commentary
(bhāṣya) on Brahmasūtra (I. 6.) dedicated to the notion of ānanda.
Thesis Chapters by Antonyia Nacheva
Conference Presentations by Antonyia Nacheva