Manasa, vacha, karmana

Last updated

Manasa, vacha, karmana are three Sanskrit words. The word manasa refers to the mind, vacha refers to speech, and karmana refers to actions.

Contents

In several Indian languages, these three words are together used to describe a state of consistency expected of an individual. The motto manasa, vacha, karmana is usually invoked to imply that one should strive to achieve the state where one's thoughts, speech, and the actions coincide.

Sanskrit words

The definitions below are from Macdonnell's Sanskrit Dictionary:

These three words appear at Mahabharata 13.8.16:

कर्मणामनसा वापि वाचा वापि परंतप / यन मे कृतं बराह्मणेषु तेनाद्य न तपाम्य अहम
"In consequence of what I have done to the Brahmanas in thought, word, and deed, I do not feel any pain now (even though I am lying on a bed of arrows)." [1]

These three words also appear in at least one version of the Guru Gita: [2]

कर्मणा मनसा वाचा सर्वदाऽऽराधयेद्गुरुम् । दीर्घदण्डं नमस्कृत्य निर्लज्जौ गुरुसन्निधौ ॥ ५१ ॥

Trikaranasuddhi

Purity and Unity of Thought, Word and Deed Trikaranashuddhi-Trikaranassudhi-Trikaranasuddhi.jpg
Purity and Unity of Thought, Word and Deed

Trikaranaśuddhi indicates the purity and unity of (1) manasa (thought), (2) vacha (word/speech), and (3) karmana (deed/action), and a harmony and congruence between them. A spiritual saying of India speaks about the existence of this congruence in great people ("Mahatma"): "Manassekam, Vachassekam, Karmanyekam Mahaatmanam". [3] It may also indicate that a "Mahatma" is one whose thoughts (Manas), words (Vachas) and Deeds (Karma) are centered on 'Unity'. It may also indicate that a "Mahatma" is one, whose thoughts (Manas), words (Vachas) and deeds (Karm) are centered on 'Unity'. The idea of Trikaranasuddhi has some connection to the commonly expressed adage of 'Talk your Thought, Walk your Talk'.

There has been exploration about the linkage between trikaranasuddhi and effectiveness in leadership. [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Ahimsa</i> Ancient Indian principle of nonviolence

Ahimsa is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to actions towards all living beings. It is a key virtue in Indian religions like Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.

Mahātmā is an honorific used in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satyagraha</span> Form of nonviolent resistance practised during British colonial rule in India

Satyāgraha, or "holding firmly to truth", or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone who practises satyagraha is a satyagrahi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vande Mataram</span> National song of India

Vande Mataram is a poem written in Sanskrit and Sanskritised Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s. The first two verses of the poem were adopted as the National Song of India in October 1937 by the Congress.

Kriyā most commonly refers to a "completed action", technique or practice within a yoga discipline meant to achieve a specific result.

The yamas, and their complement, the niyamas, represent a series of "right living" or ethical rules within Yoga philosophy. The word yama means "reining in" or "control". They are restraints for proper conduct given in the Vedas and the Yoga Sutras as moral imperatives, commandments, rules or goals. The yamas are a "don't"s list of self-restraints, typically representing commitments that affect one's relations with others and self. The complementary niyamas represent the "do"s. Together yamas and niyamas are personal obligations to live well.

<i>Satya</i> Sanskrit word and a virtue in Indian religions

Satya is a Sanskrit word loosely translated as truth or essence. It also refers to a virtue in Indian religions, referring to being truthful in one's thoughts, speech and action. In Yoga, satya is one of five yamas, the virtuous restraint from falsehood and distortion of reality in one's expressions and actions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three wise monkeys</span> Pictorial maxim, embodying "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"

The three wise monkeys are a Japanese pictorial maxim, embodying the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". The three monkeys are

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gandhism</span> Body of ideas inspired by Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhism is a body of ideas that describes the inspiration, vision, and the life work of Mohandas K. Gandhi. It is particularly associated with his contributions to the idea of nonviolent resistance, sometimes also called civil resistance.

Vyākaraṇa refers to one of the six ancient Vedangas, ancillary science connected with the Vedas, which are scriptures in Hinduism. Vyākaraṇa is the study of grammar and linguistic analysis in Sanskrit language.

Achourya or Asteya is the Sanskrit term for "non-stealing". It is a virtue in Hinduism. The practice of asteya demands that one must not steal, nor have the intent to steal, another's property through action, speech, and thoughts.

<i>Svādhyāya</i> Term of self study

Svādhyāya is a Sanskrit term which means self-study and especially the recitation of the Vedas and other sacred texts. It is also a broader concept with several meanings. In various schools of Hinduism, Svadhyaya is a Niyama connoting introspection and "study of self".

Shaucha literally means purity, cleanliness, and clearness. It refers to purity of mind, speech and body. Shaucha is one of the niyamas of Yoga. It is discussed in many ancient Indian texts such as the Mahabharata and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. It is a virtue in Hinduism and Jainism. In Hinduism purity is a part of worship and an important quality for salvation. Purity is a mind pure and free of evil thoughts and behaviors.

In Hinduism, Vaishvanara, meaning "of or related to Visvanara" is an abstract concept. It is related to the soul atman, the (universal) Self or self-existent essence of human beings. Etymologically, Vaishvanara is a derivative of the conjoined word Vishvanarai.e. Vishva (Universe) + Narah (Man) i.e. the 'Universal or Cosmic Man'. In the Rig Veda, Vaishvanara is an epithet of the fire god deity Agni.

Malayalam is one of the Dravidian languages and as such has an agglutinative grammar. The word order is generally subject–object–verb, although other orders are often employed for reasons such as emphasis. Nouns are inflected for case and number, whilst verbs are conjugated for tense, mood and causativity. Malayalam adjectives, adverbs, postpositions and conjunctions do not undergo any inflection; they are invariant.

<i>Fuck: Word Taboo and Protecting Our First Amendment Liberties</i> Nonfiction book by law professor Christopher M. Fairman

Fuck: Word Taboo and Protecting Our First Amendment Liberties is a nonfiction book by law professor Christopher M. Fairman about freedom of speech, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, censorship, and use of the word fuck in society. The book was first published in 2009 by Sphinx as a follow-up on the author's article "Fuck", published in 2007 in the Cardozo Law Review. It cites studies from academics in social science, psychoanalysis, and linguistics. Fairman establishes that most current usages of the word have connotations distinct from its meaning of sexual intercourse. The book discusses the efforts of conservatives in the United States to censor the word from common parlance. The author says that legal precedent regarding its use is unclear because of contradictory court decisions. Fairman argues that once citizens allow the government to restrict the use of specific words, this will infringe upon freedom of thought.

Dhī is a Sanskrit word meaning 'understanding', 'reflection', 'religious thought', 'mind', 'design', 'intelligence', 'opinion', 'meditation', 'imagination', 'notion', and 'intellect'. This word is directly connected with the word Vāc, meaning Speech, derived from Vac meaning, 'to speak'. Dhi is the voiced Vāc or 'Speech', it is the thought-mind or intellect. Dhi also means 'to hold' or 'to place', and indicates the activity of the intellect.

Akrodha literally means "free from anger". It's an important virtue in Indian philosophy and Hindu ethics.

Punya (Sanskrit: पुण्य, romanized: puṇya, lit. 'virtue'), also rendered punyam is a concept in Hinduism with various definitions. It generally refers to virtue or merit, and the activities that allow one to acquire this attribute, in order to achieve liberation from samsara, the cycle of birth and death in the material world.

Indian Ethos in Management refers to the values and practices that the culture of India can contribute to service, leadership and management. These values and practices are rooted in Sanathana Dharma, and have been influenced by various strands of Indian philosophy.

References

  1. Sanskrit text and English translation
  2. For text, see here on Hindi Wikipedia.
  3. Rousseau, Barbara (2013). Your Conscious Classroom: The Power of Self-Reflection. Bloomington, IN: Balboa Press. p. 62.
  4. Sankar R N, Ajith (2012). "Ascertaining Linkages between Trikaranasuddhi and 'Tapping Spirituality as the Context of Leadership'". SSRN   2212138.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Sankar R N, Ajith (2013-02-18). "Building a Case for Linking Trikarana Suddhi with the Emerging Theme of Spirituality at Work and as a Context for Leadership". SSRN   2220587.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)