Meaning of Mantra, Satchidananda Rupaaya

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Jai Guru Datta

 

During Gurupoornima 2009 in Dallas Shri Swamiji gave us a Guru Mantra.

 

सचà¥à¤šà¤¿à¤¦à¤¾à¤¨à¤‚द रूपाय कृषà¥à¤£à¤¾à¤¯

अकà¥à¤²à¤¿à¤·à¥à¤Ÿà¤•à¤¾à¤°à¤¿à¤£à¥‡

नमो वेदांत वेदà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¯ गà¥à¤°à¤µà¥‡

बà¥à¤¦à¥à¤§à¤¿à¤¸à¤¾à¤•à¥à¤·à¤¿à¤£à¥‡

 

SaccidAnandarUpAya kRishNAyAkliShTakAriNe

namo vedAntavedyAya gurave buddhi sAxiNe 

While searching for the meaning of this Mantra, I came across its interpretation

on the following web pages. I find it fascinating and encourage readers to

visit following links for more details.

http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/advaita-vedanta/140511-fwd-shri-vishnu-sahasr\

anama-bhashyam-h.html

http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/advaita-vedanta/140513-fwd-re-shri-vishnu-sah\

asranama-bhashyam-h.html

 

I am displaying some of the text from these web pages for easy reference.

 

Salutations to Lord Krishna whose nature (Rupa रà¥à¤ª) is

 

Existence (सतॠsat), Consciousness (चितà¥chit), Bliss

(आननà¥à¤¦Ananda),

 

Who performs his actions (perfectly) without getting disturbed from his natural

state (अकà¥à¤²à¤¿à¤·à¥à¤Ÿ कारिनà¥),

Who is known (वेदà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¯ vedyAya)  through vedAnta

(वेदानà¥à¤¤) (as brahman),

Who is the teacher of all (गà¥à¤°à¥ Guru), and

Who is the witness of buddhi.(बà¥à¤¦à¥à¤§à¤¿à¤¸à¤¾à¤•à¥à¤·à¤¿à¤¨à¥

Buddhisakshin)

 

What does it mean that He is the witness of buddhi (बà¥à¤¦à¥à¤§à¤¿)?

Traditionally the antaH karaNam (अनà¥à¤¤à¤ƒà¤•à¤°à¤£à¤®à¥) or inner organ

is made of manas(मनः), chitta (चितà¥à¤¤), buddh(बà¥à¤¦à¥à¤§à¤¿)

i and aha.nkAra (अहंकार).

Manas(मनः) is the sensing agency. It receives sensory data from and

coordinates different organs of senses like eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin.

 

Chiita (चितà¥à¤¤) is like a data bank, where things are stored,

 Buddhi (बà¥à¤¦à¥à¤§à¤¿) is the intellect and

Aha.nkAra (अहंकार) is ego.

 

Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably.

Aha.nkAra (अहंकार) arises out avidyA (अविदà¥â€Œâ€à¤¯à¤¾),

when it becomes an upAdhi (उपाधि limitation or qualification on

something. It can also be viewed as a disguise or vehicle for true reality) to

Atman.

Buddhi and aha.nkAra (अहंकार) together create the notions like " I

am "

Atman (आतà¥à¤®à¤¨à¥) is sAxi (साकà¥à¤·à¤¿) for the play that is

going on. It does not undergo any modifications or suffering. It is the

reflected consciousness in the aha.nkAra (अहंकार). Atman does not

but it is the aha.nkaRa that struggles in the vortex of life and death called

saMsAra (संसार). So Atman like Paramatman or Krishna can be called

AkliShTakAriNe (अकà¥à¤²à¤¿à¤·à¥à¤Ÿ कारिनà¥)

 

Understanding this concept, leads to a prayer:

  " O Lord, I eat the bitter and sweet fruits from the tree of Life and suffer

the consequences. I rejoice, weep, struggle, and suffer. You witness all this

without getting perturbed, with eternal peace and unfathomable bliss.

 I am told (by scriptures and great ones) that I am not what I think I am, I am

indeed you, but suffering under the limitation of avidyA

(अविदà¥â€Œâ€à¤¯à¤¾). It is beyond my grasp and I merely repeat what I

hear with no direct realization. Guide me to the realization or at least to a

correct theoretical understanding of my true nature, so that I may not get

agitated and do my duties perfectly like thee akLiShTa kAriN

(अकà¥à¤²à¤¿à¤·à¥à¤Ÿ कारिनà¥) without getting entangled in the

mess of saMsAra " (संसार)

 

In this email if you cannot see Sanskrit words written in devnagari

script,(which are in parenthesis) you may have to download BarahaIME font by

visiting http://www.baraha.com/ and get more information on Indian languages in

windows by visiting http://www.baraha.com/help/kb/enabling_indian_languages.htm

 

Shree Guru Datta