Satchitananda
Encyclopedia
Saccidānanda, Satchidananda, or Sat-cit-ānanda (Sanskrit: सच्चिदानन्द) is a compound of three Sanskrit
words, Sat (सत्), Cit
(चित्), and Ānanda (आनन्द) (the ā is of longer vocal length), meaning Existence
(Truth
, the Eternal
), Consciousness, and Bliss respectively. The expression comes from Hinduism
and is used in yoga
and other schools of Indian philosophy
to describe the nature of Brahman
as experienced by a fully liberated yogi
or saint
. As it is maintained that this experience is one of unification, the three phenomenologically distinct concepts are nonetheless regarded as representing the unity of the ultimate reality. Orthography may differ depending on whether the word is treated in its compound form and therefore subject to sandhi
: saccidānanda (सच्चिदानन्द), or split into its elements: sat-cit-ananda, sac chid ananda, etc. The compound always sounds like: Sach-chid-ānanda, regardless of spelling.
Yoga describes the essence of Universal Consciousness as Satchitananda which means existence, consciousness and absolute bliss.
Saccidānanda may be understood as the energetic state of non-duality, a manifestation of our spiritually natural, primordial and authentic state which is comparable in quality
to that of deity
.
), saccidānanda is related to Vaikuntha, abode of Vishnu.
states:
īśvaraḥ paramah krsnaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kārana-kāranam
Krishna
who is known as Govinda
is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.
of the three fundamental attributes of Brahman
.
was Bhagavan
: not only an incarnation of Lord Vishnu
, but also of Brahm
, the supreme world spirit. According to J. M. Macfie, author of commentary on Tulsidas's Ram Charit Manas called The Ramayan of Tulsidas or the Bible of Northern India (Pg 26), one of the most beautiful expressions of Tulsidas's faith in God and in Ram as the incarnation of God can be found in the following statement:
"The Adorable (Bhagavan) is one, passionless, formless, nameless, unborn, existence, thought, joy ( sachchidanand ) , the supreme abode. He pervades all things. He exists in all forms. He assumes a body and performs many deeds simply for the sake of those devoted to Him. He is supremely merciful and full of love to His servants, very affectionate to those who are His own, and in His compassion is not angry with them. He is the restorer of that which is past, the protector of the humble, the sincere and powerful Lord."
(An alternate translation of this passage, plus the original Hindi text in Romanized and Devanagari alphabets, may be found on page 38 of this file).
's evolutionary vision of the soul and the Universe (of which saccidānanda is the principal term), even though the soul is incarnate in maya
and subject to space, matter and time, it maintains an ongoing and eternal oneness with saccidānanda or divinity
. This incarnating aspect or dimension of the human being, the spirit-soul, or the 'psychic
being' or chaitya
purusha
, is the staple essence that reincarnates from life to life. This essence is of the energetic quality of saccidānanda.
Aurobindo holds that there exists a supreme power, the 'Supermind
', which is the first emanation from saccidānanda and can be brought into play through the practice of yoga to yoke life, mind and matter with sublime states of consciousness, being, delight and power and thereby manifest more of our inherent divinity.
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
words, Sat (सत्), Cit
Cit (consciousness)
Chit is a Sanskrit word meaning consciousness. It is a core principle in all ancient spiritual traditions originating from the Indian subcontinent. In Upanishads it is referred to as the Drishta or the Seer, the Sense that makes sense of all other sense experiences...
(चित्), and Ānanda (आनन्द) (the ā is of longer vocal length), meaning Existence
Existence
In common usage, existence is the world we are aware of through our senses, and that persists independently without them. In academic philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning, being contrasted with essence, which specifies different forms of existence as well as different identity...
(Truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
, the Eternal
Eternity
While in the popular mind, eternity often simply means existence for a limitless amount of time, many have used it to refer to a timeless existence altogether outside time. By contrast, infinite temporal existence is then called sempiternity. Something eternal exists outside time; by contrast,...
), Consciousness, and Bliss respectively. The expression comes from Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and is used in yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and other schools of Indian philosophy
Indian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
to describe the nature of Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
as experienced by a fully liberated yogi
Jivanmukta
Jivanmukta is someone who, in the Advaita philosophy of Hinduism, has attained nirvikalpa samadhi - the realization of the Self, Parasiva - and is liberated from rebirth while living in a human body....
or saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. As it is maintained that this experience is one of unification, the three phenomenologically distinct concepts are nonetheless regarded as representing the unity of the ultimate reality. Orthography may differ depending on whether the word is treated in its compound form and therefore subject to sandhi
Sandhi
Sandhi is a cover term for a wide variety of phonological processes that occur at morpheme or word boundaries . Examples include the fusion of sounds across word boundaries and the alteration of sounds due to neighboring sounds or due to the grammatical function of adjacent words...
: saccidānanda (सच्चिदानन्द), or split into its elements: sat-cit-ananda, sac chid ananda, etc. The compound always sounds like: Sach-chid-ānanda, regardless of spelling.
Yoga describes the essence of Universal Consciousness as Satchitananda which means existence, consciousness and absolute bliss.
Saccidānanda may be understood as the energetic state of non-duality, a manifestation of our spiritually natural, primordial and authentic state which is comparable in quality
Quality (philosophy)
A quality is an attribute or a property. Attributes are ascribable, by a subject, whereas properties are possessible. In contemporary philosophy, the idea of qualities and especially how to distinguish certain kinds of qualities from one another remains controversial.-Background:Aristotle analyzed...
to that of deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
.
Vaishnava philosophy
For the Vaishnava (devotee of VishnuVishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
), saccidānanda is related to Vaikuntha, abode of Vishnu.
Brahma Samhita
Sloka 5.1 of the Brahma SamhitaBrahma Samhita
The Brahma Samhita is a Sanskrit Pancaratra text, composed of verses of prayer spoken by Brahma glorifying the supreme The Brahma Samhita is a [[Sanskrit]] [[Pancaratra]] text, composed of verses of prayer spoken by [[Brahma]] glorifying the supreme...
states:
īśvaraḥ paramah krsnaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kārana-kāranam
Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
who is known as Govinda
Govinda
' and ' are names of Krishna, referring to his youthful occupation as a cowherd. He is regarded as the Supreme Godhead in the Vaishnava tradition and also by much of the pan-Hindu tradition...
is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.
Vedanta philosophy
The Vedantic philosophy understands saccidānanda as a synonymSynonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
of the three fundamental attributes of Brahman
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
.
Tulsidas philosophy
To Tulsidas, his Lord RamRama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
was Bhagavan
Bhagavan
Bhagavan, also written Bhagwan or Bhagawan, from the Sanskrit nt-stem literally means "possessing fortune, blessed, prosperous" , and hence "illustrious, divine, venerable, holy", etc.In some traditions of Hinduism it is used to...
: not only an incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, but also of Brahm
Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being...
, the supreme world spirit. According to J. M. Macfie, author of commentary on Tulsidas's Ram Charit Manas called The Ramayan of Tulsidas or the Bible of Northern India (Pg 26), one of the most beautiful expressions of Tulsidas's faith in God and in Ram as the incarnation of God can be found in the following statement:
"The Adorable (Bhagavan) is one, passionless, formless, nameless, unborn, existence, thought, joy ( sachchidanand ) , the supreme abode. He pervades all things. He exists in all forms. He assumes a body and performs many deeds simply for the sake of those devoted to Him. He is supremely merciful and full of love to His servants, very affectionate to those who are His own, and in His compassion is not angry with them. He is the restorer of that which is past, the protector of the humble, the sincere and powerful Lord."
(An alternate translation of this passage, plus the original Hindi text in Romanized and Devanagari alphabets, may be found on page 38 of this file).
Sri Aurobindo
Murphy (2000) writes that in Sri AurobindoSri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
's evolutionary vision of the soul and the Universe (of which saccidānanda is the principal term), even though the soul is incarnate in maya
Maya (illusion)
Maya , in Indian religions, has multiple meanings, usually quoted as "illusion", centered on the fact that we do not experience the environment itself but rather a projection of it, created by us. Maya is the principal deity that manifests, perpetuates and governs the illusion and dream of duality...
and subject to space, matter and time, it maintains an ongoing and eternal oneness with saccidānanda or divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
. This incarnating aspect or dimension of the human being, the spirit-soul, or the 'psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
being' or chaitya
Chaitya
A chaitya is a Buddhist or Jain shrine including a stupa. In modern texts on Indian architecture, the term chaitya-griha is often used to denote assembly or prayer hall that houses a stupa.-History:...
purusha
Purusha
In some lineages of Hinduism, Purusha is the "Self" which pervades the universe. The Vedic divinities are interpretations of the many facets of Purusha...
, is the staple essence that reincarnates from life to life. This essence is of the energetic quality of saccidānanda.
Aurobindo holds that there exists a supreme power, the 'Supermind
Supermind (Integral thought)
Supermind in Sri Aurobindo's philosophy refers to the infinite unitary truth-consciousness or truth-idea simultaneously transcendent and immanent to planes of matter, life, and mind. Supermind is the dynamic form of satcitananda , and the necessary conduit, mediator or linkage between satcitananda...
', which is the first emanation from saccidānanda and can be brought into play through the practice of yoga to yoke life, mind and matter with sublime states of consciousness, being, delight and power and thereby manifest more of our inherent divinity.