ESSAYS

Svabhava means “one’s own nature.” In worldly life it refers to tendencies shaped by gunas. In Vedanta, one’s absolute svabhava is identical with svarupa — Brahman, pure existence-consciousness-limitlessness.

Triguṇa yoga is Krishna’s teaching in the Bhagavad Gita about sattva, rajas, and tamas. By observing their play and cultivating sattva, the seeker prepares for Self-knowledge, ultimately recognizing the Self as beyond all guṇas.

When the jar is shaken, the ants turn on one another, forgetting that the true cause lies unseen. So too in human society, maya stirs the gunas, and we mistake neighbor for enemy. Vedānta reminds us to look deeper: not at who we fight, but at who is never shaken.

Sat-cit-ananda describes Brahman as existence, consciousness, and bliss. These are not attributes but synonyms pointing to one reality. Bliss here means fullness or limitlessness, not a passing joy.

Yoga prizes samadhi as the pinnacle of meditation. Advaita Vedanta honors it as discipline but insists that true freedom lies not in a state but in knowledge: recognizing that the Self illumines all states without ever changing.

Paramarthika refers to absolute reality, Brahman alone. Unlike dreams or the waking world, which depend on other factors, Brahman is independent, unchanging, and eternal — the “truth of truth.”