[Advaita-l] chid-aabhaasa

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Thu, 26 Feb 2009, Michael Shepherd wrote:

> One further question about Panchadashi 8 and chid-aabhaasa please, since I
> don't have the Sanskrit or a transliteration :
>

The only reasonably widely available edition of the Panchadashi is the one 
with English translation by Swami Swahananda of the Ramakrishna mission. 
His translation is based on the commentary of Ramakrishna.  (Note this is 
a different person than the 19th century Bengali saint.)


> In such phrases as 'the intellect is inert' is 'buddhi' the word translated
> intellect/intelligence ?
>
> English blurs the distinction in translation between manas, buddhi and
> chitta, with words like 'mind' or 'intellect', and it's rather vital to
> understanding this operation of 'reflection'.
>

As I understand it, chidabhasa refers to the entire buddhi-manas-ahamkara
conceptual framework. (What I think Sadananda is refering to as BMI.)  It 
is inert in the sense that it is only a reflection of the atman.

-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>