Sacchidananda is the Anglicised spelling of the Sanskrit compound Saccidānanda (sat–cit–ānanda), a term that describes the essential nature of the Self in Advaita Vedanta. This term is central to Vedantic philosophy. It expresses what we truly are at the deepest level—not the body, not the mind, but the unchanging reality that is being, consciousness, and bliss. Each part of the compound carries rich significance:
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Sat (सत्): Pure Being. That which exists, without change or dependence on anything else. Eternal presence.
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Cit (चित्): Consciousness. The power of knowing, awareness itself—illuminating all experience.
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Ānanda (आनन्द): Bliss. Not pleasure in the ordinary sense, but the unlimited joy of completeness that arise when one rests in the Self.
In Advaita Vedanta, Saccidānanda is Brahman—the ultimate reality. At the same time it is also our own true nature. To realize this is to recognize that happiness and peace are not things we acquire, but aspects of what we already are. The sage who abides in this understanding lives in harmony with the whole of existence, perfectly content and inwardly free.
