[Advaita-l] A novel interpretation of the word mahatma

[V Subrahmanian]

महात्मशब्दस्यापूर्वं व्याख्यानम्

A novel interpretation of the word mahatma:

विवेकचूडामणिव्याख्याने 230 तम श्लोकस्थमहात्मश्बदस्य 'आस्तिकानाम्' इति
व्याख्याय पर्यायेण अन्यद्व्याख्यानं कृतवन्तः श्रीचन्द्रशेखरभारतीमहास्वामिनः
-

In the Vivekachudamani verse 230 occurs the word mahatma. For this while
commenting, HH Jagadguru Sri Chandrashekhara Bharati Mahasvamin says, in
the alternative,

महानात्मा येषां श्रुत्याचार्योपदेशेन परिच्छिन्नपंचकोशात्मबुद्धिं त्यक्त्वा
कृतब्रह्मसाक्षात्कारतया अखण्डाकारवृत्तिमदन्तःकरणानां वा तेषाम् ।

Mahatma is the one who as per the upadesha of shruti and Acharya, given up
the wrong identification with the finite pancha koshas and attained the
direct realization of Brahman through the Akhandakaravritti in their mind.

The idea is: the mind which earlier was finite now is infinite. The one
with such a mind (atma = mind) is a mahatma.

https://sringeri.net/jagadgurus/sri-chandrashekhara-bharati-mahaswamiji

सदात्मध्याननिरतं विषयेभ्यः पराङ्मुखम् ।
नौमि शास्त्रेषु निष्णातं चन्द्रशेखरभारतीम् ॥

Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati MahaswamiJi was the 34th Acharya of
Sringeri Sharada Peetham.

Today is His Jayanti.