Title: Sat-Chid-Ananda

User: Swami Gaurangapada Date: 2007-03-11 20:06:21

 

 

Dear Swami Gaurangapada

dandavats Is there any relationship between the name of Gauranga, Saccinandana, son of mother Sacci and the words Sat-chit-ananda that I read about.

 

"sat-chit-ananda, Being-Consciousness-Bliss. The Absolute simply is--an eternally stable, self-luminous, conscious force

continously and joyously manifesting its own awareness. Satchitananda."

 

Is the above statement an impersonal view of God, whereas to view Saccinandana as a person , a son of a mother , even though the words have meanings, is that what makes it personal rather than impersonal. Any comment on this really would be appreciated, i thought it a coincidence that the name correlates so well with those words.

 

Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna

Chandrika Gauranga dasi

 

 

Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:

 

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Sat (truth)-chid (knowledge)-ananda (bliss) is an adjective for Lord Shachinandana to describe His transcendental form meaning His form of full of infinite truth (eternity), all knowledge and the supreme bliss. Satchidananda is also used to describe anything of the Lord's internal potency like pastimes, qualities, associates, abodes etc. and even the spiritual soul which has the same quality of satchidananda as Lord but in infinitesimal quantity. So Satchidananda is a qualitative attribute of Lord Shachinandana Gauranga.

 

 

Thankyou Swami Gaurangapada it is fascinating all the meanings of the names describing the Lords qualities, i see what you mean that his qualities are so unlimited and so his names are also unlimited. The names we chant Nityananda Gauranga and Hare Krishna, even though they have meanings what makes them special names, do they describe the entirety of the Lord's qualities, whereas some other names only describe some aspects of his qualities? Are all of the names of Gauranga that he is given in the scriptures absolutely complete in describing him or are the names Nityananda and Gauranga especially complete?

 

 

Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:

 

Principal and Secondary Holy Names

 

揟he holy name can be categorized into two types: principal and secondary. By taking shelter of the principal names of the Lord, the jiva obtains the essence of spiritual life. The principal names of Lord Gauranga-Krishna describe His transcendental pastimes and contain all of the Lord's spiritual excellences. They are, for example: Krishna, Nityananda, Gauranga, Govinda, Gopala, Gaurahari, Rama, Sri Nandanandana, Shachinandana, Radhanatha, Hari, Yasomati-Pranadhana, Nimai, Madana-Mohana, Syamasundara, Madhava, Gopinatha, Brajagopala, Rakhala, Yadava, etc. Anyone who chants these names of the Lord, which depict His eternal pastimes in the spiritual world , can attain the Lord's supreme abode.

 

Secondary names and their symptoms

 

揟he Vedas address the Lord with names that characterize His affiliation with the material nature. These are His secondary names, e.g. Creator, Supersoul, Brahman, maintainer and annihilator of the world, Yajnesvara, Hara, etc. Such names of the Lord are invoked by those pursuing fruitive activities and empirical knowledge. In keeping with the Vedic directions, the chanting of such names of the Lord will succeed in giving one piety and liberation.

 

However, the most consequential result of chanting the Lord's names條ove of Godhead梚s to be attained only by saintly souls who invoke specifically the principal names of Lord Gauranga-Krishna.

 

(Summarized from Hari Nama Chintamani of Seventh Goswami Shrila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura.)