Manan (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: मनन) is the deep state of thinking without joy or grief.

Yajnavalkya Yajnavalkya or Yagyavalkya (, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST:) is a Hindu Vedic sage prominently mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (c. 700 BCE) and Taittiriya Upanishad, ''Tattiriya Upanishad''., Quote: "Yajnav ...

in the context of the '' mahavakya'' – ''

Tat Tvam Asi Tat or TAT may refer to: Geography * Tát, a Hungarian village * Tat Ali, an Ethiopian volcano *Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean country People *Tat, a son and disciple of Hermes Trismegistus * Tiffani Amber Thiessen, initials T.A.T. * Tat Wood, ...

'', told Paingala that whereas ''

shravana Shravana (Devanagari: श्रवण), also known as Thiruvonam in Tamil and Malayalam (Tamil: திருவோணம், Malayalam: തിരുവോണം), is the 22nd ''nakshatra'' or ''lunar mansion'' as used in Hindu astronomy, Hindu ca ...

'' ('hearing') is the inquiry into the real significance of this '' vākya'', to inquire in solitude into the significance of ''shravana'' is ''Manan'' (consideration or reflection).

Patanjali Patanjali (, , ; also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra) was the name of one or more author(s), mystic(s) and philosopher(s) in ancient India. His name is recorded as an author and compiler of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these a ...

terms ''Manan'' as '' dharana'', the unshakeable mental conviction. In Advaita Vedanta, ''Manan'', the deep reflection on what is heard from the teacher, is a part of the three-fold process of ''shravana-Manan-nididhyasana'', the three stages of religious life which combined acting as the path of knowledge, lead to the attainment of ''

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

''. According to the Pasupatas belonging to the cult of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, ''Manan'' is a ''satmaka'' or mastery over the power of seeing and acting; ''Manan'' is the supernormal knowing of objects of thoughts. ''Manan'' means – 'thinking', 'reflection', 'meditation', 'cogitation'; Panchadasi (Sloka I.53) reads as follows:- :इत्थं वाक्यैस्तदर्थानुसन्धानं श्रवणं भवेत् , :युक्त्या संभावितत्वानुसंधानं मन्नन्तु तत् , , :"The finding out or discovery of the true significance of the identity of the individual self and the supreme Universal Self with the great sayings is what is known as shravana; and to arrive at the possibility of its validity through logical reasoning is what is called Manan." In this context,

Vidyaranya Vidyaranya (IAST: Vidyāraṇya), usually identified with Mādhavācārya, was the ''jagadguru'' of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham from ca. 1374–1380 until 1386 – according to tradition, after ordination at an old age, he took the name of ...

had previously stated that the Self is untouched by doubts about the presence or absence of associates etc; that are superimposed on it phenomenally. In the afore-cited sloka, Swami Swahananda in his commentary explains that whatever be the relation between two ''vikalpas'' ('alternatives'), relation itself has to be understood which even though not an attribute is to be related, for the domain of ''bheda'' ('difference') is riddled with contradictions.

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

considers vikalpa as ''kalpana'' or 'contrary imagination' that invariably leads to anavastha ('infinite regress'). The identity alluded to by the great sayings ('' mahavakyas'') conveyed by a

Guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

to his disciples i.e. sown in the mind of his sisya, have logical support for their validity which support is revealed through Manan which process reveals true knowledge. It is through deep meditation that the knowledge of Brahman is gained, and

Katha Upanishad The ''Katha Upanishad'' (, ), is an ancient Hindu text and one of the '' mukhya'' (primary) Upanishads, embedded in the last eight short sections of the ' school of the Krishna Yajurveda.Paul Deussen. ''Sixty Upanishads of the Veda''. Volume 1 ...

(I.iii.15) declares that one becomes free from the jaws of death by knowing that which is ever constant; Badarayana states that what is mentioned in that Upanishad is meant for deep meditation on

Purusha ''Purusha'' (, ʊɾʊʂᵊ ) is a complex concept whose meaning evolved in Vedic and Upanishadic times. Depending on source and historical timeline, it means the cosmic being or self, awareness, and universal principle.Karl Potter, Presupposit ...

- आध्यानाय प्रयोजनाभावात् (

Brahma Sutras The ''Brahma Sūtras'' (), also known as the Vedanta Sūtra (Sanskrit: वेदान्त सूत्र), Shariraka Sūtra, and Bhikshu-sūtra, are a Sanskrit text which criticizes the metaphysical dualism of the influential Samkhya philos ...

III.iii.14), during which process the differing attributes are not to be combined but only non-different attributes which exist collectively in all the contexts.

References

{{Indian Philosophy, state=collapsed Hindu philosophical concepts Vedas Vedanta