Meaning of the word “Satcitananda” (Sat Chit Ananda)
Consciousness, The field of all possibilities
Courses for citizens of the age of enlightenment
Preparatory courses for developing sidhis
Theme of the course
Higher states of consciousness, Eternal Bliss Consciousness,
The experience of the attributeless absolute
27 August 1970 Humbolt State College, U.S.A.
Question : Maharishi, I have a couple of questions, could you discuss “Sat Chit Ananda” (Satcitānanda, Satchidānanda, or Sat-cit-ānanda (Sanskrit: सच्चिदानन्द) ?
Maharishi : Sat is absolute non changing truth.
(Maharishi seeing someone coming in) Beautiful, now we have all science of creative intelligence. Dr Rains is here. Beautiful, very good, such a joy. Dr Sqall and Dr Migdal have being developing that. Now we’ll incorporate the whole thing.
Sat Chit Ananda, Sat is that never changes, Truth, Absolute Being. Chit is consciousness. Ananda is bliss. Absolute Bliss Consciousness.
One point of remarkable interest to us, Absolute is a direct experience to us. Absolute is a living reality to us.
Now, how could Absolute be experienced? The word “Chit”, consciousness, rescues the experience of Absolute. If absolute were not Chit or Consciousness, it could not become a living reality.
You see the point? In being Absolute, if it is being a living reality, it must have some magic in it. Because Absolute flat won’t be a living reality, it won’t be an experience. And because we know, when the nervous system is properly refined, pure nervous system reflects full absolute being : Sat.
So when Sat is reflected in it’s fullness, then that Sat is taken to be having that attribute of Chit – which is Consciousness. Consciousness is with reference to the Self. Consciousness: basis of being conscious. So that consciousness is one with That which is never changing. And by virtue of that attribute, by virtue of the attribute of consciousness, the attribute less absolute becomes a living reality.
When we go deeper into the character of the absolute, Sat. We are able to dig into it, because it is intimate to us, and when it is intimate to us, when it is our consciousness, because it is our consciousness, it could become an experience, a direct experience, otherwise it would not be an experience. And because we know from our own experience that it is an experience, therefore we attribute this attribute of consciousness to the attribute less absolute.
Now, by being an experience, and by virtue of having this attribute of consciousness, the attribute less still remains attribute less. Still it remains attribute less, it remains, it holds on to its absolute unbounded character. And that is why consciousness is equated to absolute. And that is why Sat Chit.
Ananda (Ānanda) is a quality which goes with fullness of life, fullness, ananda (ānanda).
Upanishads are very beautiful about this ananda (ānanda), they say:”Anandad ... imāni bhūtāni jāyante”. You should also listen sometimes to Upanishads:“Anandad ... imāni bhūtāni jāyante … anand ... parama vyoman prathishtita”.
The whole philosophy of ananda (ānanda), and ānanda as the basis of life, as the sustainers of life, and as that ultimate into which everything dissolves. That ānanda is life. The creation is born out of ānanda, is sustained in ānanda, and will eventually dissolve in ānanda, will evolve from ānanda, will be maintained in ānanda, will dissolve in ānanda.
The cycle of evolution and dissolution which continues forever is in ānanda. And ānanda alone is. This knowledge taught by Bhrigu to his son Varuni is located beyond "akasha" (ākās̄́a).
Akasha (ākās̄́a) : space.
Akasha is caracterised by sound. Where ever there is sound, there is Akasha. And when it is located beyond Akasha, it means it is located in the field which transcends sound, transcends speech, transcends tought. If you take awareness to that field of transcendental consciousness, you will know that ananda is all that there is, by direct experience.
This verse of the Upanishads comes out to say about Transcendental Meditation (TM). And establishes that in and out of life is all that one element which is bliss. It speaks of life evolving from ananda. Creation coming out of ananda.
Sustained in ananda. Goes to ananda. The entire field of individual, inception, as a wave of cosmic life is in the field of ananda. Bliss, which is my Self. So, the eternity of ananda is what puts ananda parallel to Sat, never changes. And because it can become a living reality, bliss can become a living reality, this bliss is equated with Chit, consciousness. So, Sat Chit Ananda, Absolute Bliss Consciousness. And because it is ananda, it is fulfiling. Because it is Chit, the absolute attribute less can become a living reality of day to day life.
So this word “Sat Chit Ananda” opens to us the entire philosophy of life. “Sat Chit Ananda” and “That I am”, “That thou art”, and “all this is That”, and “That is It”. This is the story of “Sat Chit Ananda”.
The one point, because Absolute is a living reality, it can be equated with Chit, which is Consciousnes, if it where not consciousness, it could not become an experience, and if it could not become an experience, it could not become a living reality. But we live it, we know it. And therefore, Sat is equated with Chit, and Chit equated with Ananda.
Because when Sat is Chit, it is a direct experience. Then, what is that experience? Next word says, it's bliss. Fulfilling, absolute happiness, this is the experience. Sat is that which never changes, abstract reality, which never changes. That which never changes, non-relative, must be abstract. If it is abstract, can it be experienced ? You say Yes, because it is consciousness. And then if it is conscioousness, can it be experienced ? You say Yes, because it is consciousness. And then if it is consciousness, a direct experience, then, what is that experience ? Bliss.
So, all the enquiery about the abstract underlying reality is solved, is explained by one word : “Sat Chit Ananda”.
That will be enough for the time. ...