Sat-Chit-Ananda
Sat-Chit-Ananda ( Sanskrit , written together, Satchidananda or saccidānanda ) is the description of the actually attributeless Brahman in Vedanta . Consisting of:
- Sat (सत्) - state of being or existence in itself, also truth
- Chit (चित्) - consciousness, mind, also knowledge. Usually understood in terms of a pure impersonal consciousness.
- Ananda (आनन्द) - joy, bliss. The pure joy of Brahman is considered in the Upanishads as the highest form of unconditional happiness.
origin
Sat-Chit-Ananda is mentioned in many scriptures as the basic description of Brahman, but first appears in the Nrisimha-Uttara Tapaniya Upanishad and the Rama-Uttara Tapaniya Upanishad . Paul Deussen suspects a connection to Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahman of the older Taittiriya Upanishad :
- Satya (सत्य) - truth, the actual non-empirical reality.
- Jnana (ज्ञान) - knowledge, cognition, beyond duality
- Ananta (अनन्त) - limitless, infinite.
According to Paul Deussen , anantam could also be the corrupt form of anandam (bliss), since in the Taittiriya Upanishad immediately followed by the anandavalli, which Brahman describes as the highest form of ananda.
Different interpretations
Sri Aurobindo
For Sri Aurobindo , Sat-Chit-Ananda is a description of Brahman, the supreme divine being. So he explains in his work Isha Upanishad : "God is Sachchidananda. He manifests himself as infinite being, whose essence is consciousness, whose essence is in turn bliss ..." Furthermore, he explains in a letter: "Sachchidananda is the One. with a threefold aspect. In the Supreme, the three are not three, but one - being is consciousness, consciousness is bliss, and so they are inseparable, not only inseparable, but so much so that they are not different from one another. " And further: "There is no level beyond Sachchidananda."
Yukteswar
Yukteswar , the teacher of Yogananda , places sat (pure being) over chit (consciousness) and ananda (bliss) in his book The Divine Science . In Vishnuism , Brahma-Samhita describes Krishna as Sat-Chit-Ananda-Vigraha , i.e. the figure (Vigraha) that has these properties.