Satchitananda

Satchitananda
Satchitananda (Sanskrit: सच्चिदानन्द), a compound word of Sat (Existence), Chit (Consciousness), and Ananda (Bliss), is a description of the subjective experience of Brahman. This sublimely blissful experience of the boundless, pure consciousness is a glimpse of ultimate reality.
Sat, Chit and Ananda are not three distinct entities. They are not different from one another. They are coeval and coexistent with Atman. Just as water, Jal & Pani and light, heat and luminosity signify one and the same thing, so also Sat-Chit-Ananda signifies the one Atman.

What is Sat, Chit and Ananda:

1. sat (Sanskrit root as, "to be") means "Truth", "Absolute Being", "a palpable force of virtue and truth". Sat describes an essence that is pure and timeless, that never changes, that is eternal. Sat is the very nature of the Absolute; it is also a “dimension” of the transcendental reality. Sat is pure existence, devoid of any identification with social status, the body, the emotions, the thoughts, or the mind. Thus, the masks of individuality fall away in sat.
2. Chit means pure consciousness, pure awareness or pure experience. Pure Existence cannot really be present unless it is aware of its existence. In its purity, it is independent of the body, senses, feelings, thoughts, mind, and even the world. Thus, this Existence-Awareness- “I” is the essential nature of our Self. It can never cease to Exist and the Awareness of the Existence can never cease. This essential Awareness of our essential Being is Ananda (Pure Bliss).
3. Ananda means pure bliss. Ananda, spiritual beatitude, is absolute happiness without object and without end. It expresses the nature of Brahman (the Supreme Reality). This bliss comes from the same source as sat and chit. Supreme Bliss, unending joy, and delight are the very radiance of the Spiritual Heart. Ananda is not just the emotion of being happy, which usually leads to unhappiness when it goes away. Happiness leads by attainment external object cherished. Happiness goes away after its attainment sooner or later. Whereas Ananda arises spontaneously, not on demand. It is revealed only in total surrender to the Spiritual Heart.

Who is Satchitananda:

1. For the Vaishnava (devotee of Vishnu), it is Vaikuntha, abode of Vishnu.
2. For Gaudiya Vaishnavism (also known as Hare Krishna), the religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the 16th century, is the devotional worship (bhakti) of Radha and Krishna.
3. For Goswami Tulsidas, it is Rama not only as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, but also of Brahman, the supreme world spirit.
4. As per Vedantic philosophy, it is the three fundamental attributes of Brahman.
5. In the Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy, a person who fully lives Brahman (24 hours a day) is called a jivanmukta.

Where Satchitananda explained:
In Vedas & Upanishads:
Sat or Truth:

1. Satyasya Satyam, 'the Truth of truth.' [Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.1.20]
2. All this is Brahman. (Sarvam khalvidam brahma) — Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1
3. Brahman is the only truth, the world is unreal, and there is ultimately no difference between Brahman and Atman, individual self. (Brahma satyam jagat mithya, jivo brahmaiva naparah) - most famous quote by Shankara from Vivekachudamani.
4. Brahman is known when it is realized in every state of mind, for by such Knowledge one attains Immortality. By Atman one obtains strength, by Knowledge, Immortality. (Kena Upanishad 2.4).

Consciousness or Experience:

1. Consciousness is Brahman. prajnanam brahma - (Aitareya Upanishad 3.1.3) ('Consciousness is Ultimate Reality')
2. I am Brahman. Aham brahmasmi (अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि) - (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of Yajurveda)
3. You are Brahman. Tat Tvam Asi (तत् त्वम् असि) - (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of Samaveda)
4. This Self is Brahman." ayam atma brahma - (Mandukya Upanishad 2.)

 
One of the most important verses of the Rig Veda (1.164.46) is:
The Reality (Truth) is ONE: the wise call It by various names. Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti.
 
Ananda or Bliss:

1. Brahman is bliss (ananda). (Taittiriya Upanishad 3.6.1).
2. The infinite is bliss. There is no bliss in anything finite. Only the Infinite is bliss. One must desire to understand the Infinite. (Chandogya Up. 7.23.1)

Modern Gurus:
In “Yoga and the Spiritual Life” Sri Chinmoynanada has stated  - “To be sure, the Kingdom of Heaven is more than just a mere plane, like other planes. It is a plane of divine Consciousness. It is a state of Realisation. It embodies Sat-Chit-Ananda. Sat is divine Existence, Chit is divine Consciousness, Ananda is divine Bliss. When we go deep within, we feel these three together, and when we acquire the inner vision to perceive them all at once, we live verily in the Kingdom of Heaven. Otherwise, Existence is at one place, Consciousness is somewhere else and Bliss is nowhere near the other two. When we see and feel Existence-Consciousness-Bliss on the self-same plane, each complementing and fulfilling the others, we can say that we live in the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. Not only can we feel it, but without the least possible doubt, we can become it.”
In Sri Aurobindo's evolutionary vision of the soul and the Universe, of which sachidananda 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 Saccidananda 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 sachidananda.
 
Aurobindo holds that there exists a supreme power, the 'Supermind', which is the first emanation from sachidananda 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.

Where Satchitananda resides:
Consciousness is multi-layered in human beings, which has potential to move upward. These layers are called in Hindu philosophy (Taittiriya Upanishad) as Pancha Kosha - starting from lowest, annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijaynamaya and ananadamaya. It depends on the evolutionary stage of the person, he or she enjoys living in that particular level or realm. Satchitananda is highest plane.

1. Annamaya Kosha is the physical body made of five elements (Pancha Bhutas), namely earth, water, fire, wind, and space. A person who resided predominantly in the Annamaya Kosha believes that he is only the physical body. He gives more importance to physical things and physical fitness. If you see people around, you will find most people finds happiness in food, audio visual media, perfumes, touching opposite sex, luxuries, big brands, cars, etc. “
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3. Pranmay Kosh is energy sheath or the life force which holds together the body and the mind. Its physical manifestation is the breath. This kosha is made of five vital forces (pancha pranas) namely apana, prana, udana, samana and vyana. These vital forces surge through causing various body functions. A balance between these five pranas is health, and an imbalance results in disease.  People residing in this kosha are active and energetic.
4. Manomay kosh is the aspect of one's personality wherein the mind carries on its different functions such as perception (manas) (मन), memory (chittah) (चित्त), and ego (ahankara) (अहंकार). It is the mental faculty (manas) that receives all the five sensory inputs, interprets them. Memory (chittah) is the storehouse of karma and samskaras (impressions). Ahamkara is a sense of 'I' ness or the faculty of identity. By which, person identifies himself with the body – Dehatma Bhava (देहात्मा भाव). The manomay kosh includes thoughts, emotions, feelings, imagination, memories, and the subconscious mind.

 
The trained mind can influence the entire physical body system to function well and conserve energy. The trained mind increases concentration. The purified mind overcomes selfishness and ego, increases inner strength and brings inner peace. We can purify the Manomaya kosha through meditation, karma yoga (selfless service and charity work), bhakti yoga (prayer), knowledge (studying the scriptures), and Yama and Niyamas (the yogic moral ethics towards the society and self-discipline). The state of the manomay kosh is affected by both what we eat (annamaya kosha) and our energy level (pranamaya kosha) too.
 
The person residing in this layer has thoughts and desires which identify with form and name, position and qualities. He is emotional in nature. This person lacks the cognitive abilities of reasoning and is void of any discrimination but may have keen appreciation for fine arts, music and dance and drama.
 

1. Vigyanmay kosh is the faculty of intelligence and reasoning. It is the discriminating faculty (Buddhi) which continuously guides the manomay kosh to master the basic instincts and to discriminate between what is 'good and bad', 'right and wrong,' 'useful and not useful' to move towards long-term sukha (happiness).

 
The person residing in Vigyanamaya Kosha is knowledgeable and wise. Loves literature, creative and are good orators. This fourth sheath is the wisdom that lies beneath the processing, thinking aspect of the mind. He knows, decides, judges, and discriminates between the information he processes and is innovative. Discovery, research and management are the areas where these people are involved in. Persons experiencing Anandamaya Kosha are stable in behaviour and firm in decision, are happy in every state of life and appreciate higher order of things and thinking like nature, prayers, meditation connection with God etc. They are self-realized persons. 
 

1. Anandamay kosh is the bliss sheath (Ananda). The bliss sheath normally has its fullest play during deep sleep: while in the dreaming and wakeful states, it has only a partial manifestation. The blissful sheath is a reflection of the Atman which is truth, beauty, and bliss absolute. This is unaffected by our gross senses, emotions, and tribulations. Nevertheless, anandamay kosh is still a sheath covering atman (the Supreme Self), not the intrinsic reality of atman, which is sat-chit-ananda. Thus, bliss is not a state of mind but the condition that remains when all psycho-mental phenomena—including the experience of joy—have been transcended.

How to reach Satchitananda:
In Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Bhagwan Sri Krishna has explained the means to reach Satchitananda. Self-surrender (Smarpan) to almighty is only means to reach Satchitananda. He says:

• The grace of the Supreme Being comes on those who surrender themselves whole-heartedly to him, and that grace accomplishes what one cannot do by one’s own effort. (Chapter 15, shlokas 1-3)
• whole hearted self-surrender (body, mind and soul) and love ensures attainment of Brahman. (Chapter 9, shlokas 29-34)
• Those, who depend exclusively on Me, and surrender all actions to Me, worship Me (God with attributes), constantly meditate on Me with single-minded devotion, I speedily deliver from the ocean of birth and death, their mind being fixed on Me (Chapter 12, Shlokas 6,7). Therefore, fix your mind on Me, and establish your intellect in Me alone; thereafter you will abide solely in Me. There is no doubt about it (Chapter 12, Shlokas 8). If you cannot steadily fix the mind on Me, Arjuna, then seek to attain Me through the (Bhakti) Yoga of practice (listening, chanting, meditating, japa, study of scriptures etc.) (Chapter 12, Shlokas 9). If you are not able to the pursuit of such practice, be intent to work for Me; you shall attain perfection (in the form of My realization) even by performing (Nishkam Karma) actions for My sake (Chapter 12, Shlokas 10). If, taking recourse to the Yoga of My realization, you are unable even to do this, then, subduing your mind and intellect etc., relinquish the fruit of all actions (Chapter 12, Shlokas 11).
• Knowledge (Jnana) is better than practice (Raja Yoga) without discernment (knowing the essence), meditation on God (Bhakti) is superior to knowledge, and renunciation of the fruit of actions (Nishkam Karma) is even superior to meditation; for, peace immediately follows renunciation (Chapter 12, Shlokas 12).