Sentient Being
Cetana (Sanskrit: चेतन — from cit, 'to know, to be conscious') means 'a conscious, sentient being.' In Viśiṣṭādvaita ontology, all of existence divides into:
- Cetana (sentient) — entities that have consciousness: all jīvātmās (individual souls), both bound (baddha) and free (mukta and nitya)
- Acetana (insentient) — entities without consciousness: all matter (achit / prakṛti)
Cetana is thus a near-synonym for chit — the first of the three tattvas. The difference is scope: 'chit' is a categorical label (one of the three tattvas), while 'cetana' more often appears when the experiential quality of consciousness is being emphasized.
Cetana and the Ācāryans' Teaching
In Piḷḷai Lokācārya's sūtrams and Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ's commentary, 'cetana' is used extensively when discussing the soul's relationship with the Lord. Key teachings:
- The cetana is defined by consciousness (jñāna) — it knows itself and knows the Lord
- The cetana's essential nature (svarūpa) is śeṣatva (belonging to the Lord) — this is more basic than even its consciousness
- The cetana should recognize: 'I am cetana, therefore I know; I know, therefore I surrender to the Lord who is my true nature'
The Path of Cetana
For Piḷḷai Lokācārya, the entire spiritual path reduces to the cetana becoming what it truly is: recognizing that its consciousness, its love, and its very existence are all directed toward and dependent on Bhagavān. Prapatti is the cetana's awakening to its own nature.