Svacitta, Sva-citta: 2 definitions
Introduction:
Svacitta means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
Alternative spellings of this word include Svachitta.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationSvacitta (स्वचित्त) refers to “one’s own mind”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.5.18 (“The conversation between Nārada and Jalandhara”).—Accordingly, as Nārada said to Jalandhara: “[...] This occurs to my mind (svacitta), O valiant Jalandhara that there is none more prosperous in the three worlds than Śiva who possesses the most excellent of all ladies. Even the four-faced lord Brahmā, immersed in her ocean of beauty, lost his mental steadiness formerly. Who can be compared to such a beautiful lady? [...]”.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the GaganagañjaparipṛcchāSvacitta (स्वचित्त) refers to “one’s own thoughts”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “How, son of good family, does the meditation (dhyāna) of the Bodhisattva become like open space? Son of good family, the meditation of the Bodhisattva becomes like the expanse of the sky when he is endowed with the four dharmas. [...] To wit, (1) even if his thought is still during in the meditative absorption, he does not make it as an object of particular reflection; (2) while turning back the thought from outside, the external thought is still in activity, but he has no conception of it; (3) by the sameness of his own thoughts (svacitta-samatā) he enters into concentration on the universal sameness of the thoughts of all beings; (4) and that the sameness of the thoughts is the entering into concentration on the sameness of all dharmas being like an illusion”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Full-text: Arambaniya, Paribhashana, Parishyandayati, Parishyandeti, Surati, Nidhyapti, Paribhashayati, Paribhasati, Paribhashate, Stambhana, Vashavartin, Gocara, Sarasa.
Relevant text
Search found 4 books and stories containing Svacitta, Sva-citta; (plurals include: Svacittas, cittas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)
Verse 2.3.71-72 < [Chapter 3 - Bhajana (loving service)]
A History of Indian Philosophy Volume 1 (by Surendranath Dasgupta)
Part 13 - Uncompromising Idealism or the School of Vijñānavāda Buddhism < [Chapter V - Buddhist Philosophy]
Lankavatara Sutra (by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki)
A Dictionary Of Chinese Buddhist Terms (by William Edward Soothill)