The term Satyam is generally used to mean truth, and the opposite of truth, as we all know, is falsehood. But Satyam has a deeper meaning. The term Satyam has come from SAT i.e. Existence. There is a popular saying “Ekam Sat, Vipra bahudha vadhanthy”. Satyam is described as Sat-Chit-Anandam. This Sat-chit-anandam is the substratum on which the phenomena gets expression as a mere appearance. This substratum has a base which is beyond our comprehensioin and concepts. However we name the same as “Brahman”. This Brahman is the adharam (base) and Sat is the athistanam and the phenomenal appearance is prathibhasam.It should not be misunderstood that adharam, athishtanam and prathibhasam are staked one above the other. By an analogy it can be understood more clearly. In the Ocean, water is the adharam, ocean is athishtanam, and waves are prathibhasam. Ultimately everything is water. Adharam, athishtanam and prathibhasam are to be understood that way.
Among the seven lokas viz. Bhu, Bhuva, Swah, Maha, Jana, Tapa and Satya, as we see, the Satya loka is placed on the top of the other six lokas. Similarly among the yugas viz. Kritha yuga (also known as satya yuga), tretayuga, dwapara yuga and kali yuga, the satya yuga stand on the top. It is believed that the moral standard was cent-percent perfect in the period of satya yuga and it gradually deteriorated in the subsequent yugas. Thus, in the present kali yuga where we live in, the moral standard is only 25 percent! The popular sloka “dharma samsthapanartham”is to mean that to restore dharma, the Supreme comes in the form of archavatharam,whom we worship as God.
Truth-falsehood, good-bad, virtue-vice – all these dual aspects appear and relevant in the moral field of phenomena; but in the non-phenomena sphere there is no duality. All the apparent opposites dissolve in Satyam which is the athishtanam for the phenomena. This understanding does not give sanction to behave bad and practice vice. The positive qualities such as truth, goodness and virtue and all positive qualities influenced by satwa guna should necessarily be practiced since they are closer to Satyam and they would ultimately lead us to Satyam. A man walking in the opposite direction of lighted lamp is afraid of his own shadow cast in front whereas when he walks towards the light, the shadow hides behind and ultimately there is no more shadow as he becomes one with the light. The path of dharma is the path towards light and the path of adharma is the path in the opposite direction. The popular sloka “sarva-dharman parityagna expresses this truth of outliving both dharma and adharma.
“Satyam-sivam-sundaram” and “satyam-gnanam-anandam-brahma” are upa-vyakyanam to Sat-Chit-Ananda, the primary expression of the Noumena. The worshippers of Sakthy personify the Supreme Truth as Parasakthy and according to them. Parasakthy expresses as Adhi-sakthy which in turn expresses as Icha-Kriya-Gnana sakthies to bring forth the phenomena. Adhisakthy is Mahamaya and Icha-Kriya-Gnana sakthies together is jagan-maya. Saiva siddhanthies – worshipper of Shiva as supreme believe that Paramashiva is the supreme and Parasakthy is the power in Him. Vedantins describe “sa eva satyam Brahma-swaroopam”. Further they being in Pranava OM and exclaim “OM tatatma, OM tatsatyam OM tat sarvam. In another place they describe “satyam param paragu, satyahum satyena” – Satyam is the Para-tatwam.
To sum up: Brahmam is the Supreme beyond our comprehension and Satyam is the first expression . Dharma, Upasana, Pooja, Yagnam etc., are subordinate to Satyam and are relevant in the vyavaharic field whereas Satyam is the paramarthik Truth.
whom we worship as God.
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