Chanchala is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

adjective In linguistics, an adjective (list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that generally grammatical modifier, modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Tra ...

basically referring to the unsteady vacillating nature of human mind and actions which need to be stilled, neutralized or controlled for gaining right speech and vision.

Meaning

Chanchala (

: चञ्चल) means - 'inconsiderate', 'nimble', 'shaking', 'inconstant', 'moveable', 'flickering', 'moving', 'unsteady', 'fortune', 'wind', 'long pepper',

In Hinduism

''Chanchala'' is the good word for 'vacillation' in Sanskrit language; in

Sanskrit poetry Sanskrit literature broadly comprises all literature in the Sanskrit language. This includes texts composed in the earliest attested descendant of the Proto-Indo-Aryan language known as Vedic Sanskrit, texts in Classical Sanskrit as well as s ...

the girl with the dancing eyes is called ''chanchalakshi'', which is considered to be rare attribute. However, as part of the literary evidence of Kusana period, the word ''Chanchala'', like ''Dhavani'' and ''Rodini'', indicates the nature or action of

Mother goddess A mother goddess is a goddess who represents a personified deification of motherhood, fertility goddess, fertility, creation, destruction, or the earth goddess who embodies the bounty of the earth or nature. When equated with the earth or th ...

. In the sixth chapter on '' Dhyāna Yoga'' in the ''

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

'' (Sloka 6.26): :यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् , :ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वंश नयेत् , , the word Chanchala used in the first line refers to the restless and the unsteady mind that wanders away. ''Chanchala'', meaning, 'the fickle-fortune', is one of the many names of

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

. There is no mention of ''Lakshmi'' in the

Rig Veda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...

Sri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanes ...

of the Rig Veda is deified as a personified being in the

Yajurveda The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...

, and in the

Atharvaveda The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...

(I.18) she is prayed to secure prosperity. ''Jatavedas Agni'' is repeatedly asked to make the goddess come to the votary; the epithet ''anapagamini'' reflects the ''chanchala'' i.e. fleet or fickle aspect of the goddess. ''Lakshmi'' or ''Chanchala'' as the mobile one associates only with the rich and the dynamic, no matter what their caste, creed or colour. Because ''Lakshmi'' is ''chanchala'' i.e. quick on her feet, to make her ''achala'' i.e. 'immobile', she needs to be worshipped quietly so that she does not get distracted.

In yoga

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

, ''

vritti Vritti (Vrutti) (Sanskrit: वृत्ति, Harvard-Kyoto: vṛtti, Gujarati: વૃત્તિ), means "streams of consciousness",it is also a technical term used in yoga meant to indicate mental awareness against disturbances in the mediu ...

'' indicates the contents of mental awareness that are disturbances in the medium of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

. The ''vrittis'' of the '' gunas'' are ever-active and swift, the ''gunas'' serve as parts of ''

buddhi :''In Hindu mythology, Buddhi is one of the wives of Ganesha.'' Buddhi (Sanskrit: बुद्धि) refers to the intellectual faculty and the power to "form and retain concepts, reason, discern, judge, comprehend, understand". Etymology ''Budd ...

'', their habitual conduct is fickle, restless, tremulous (''chanchala'') activity, which activity can be controlled through ''

Abhyasa Abhyāsa, in Hinduism, is a spiritual practice which is regularly and constantly practised over a long period of time. It has been prescribed by the great sage Patanjali Maharishi in his Yoga Sutras, and by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as an ...

'', ''

Vairagya Vairāgya (वैराग्य) is a Sanskrit term used in Hindu as well as Eastern philosophy that roughly translates as dispassion, detachment, or renunciation, in particular renunciation from the pains and pleasures in the temporary materi ...

'' and ''

Ishvarapranidhana Īśvarapraṇidhāna "commitment to the Īśvara ("Lord")"N Tummers (2009), Teaching Yoga for Life, , page 16-17 is one of five Niyama (ethical observances) in Hinduism and Yoga. Etymology and meaning Īśvarapraṇidhāna is a Sanskrit compound ...

''. ''Sri Narada Pancharatnam'' (Sloka VIII.15) tells us that ''Chanchala'' is the ''

nadi Nadi (pronounced ) is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. A 2012 estimate showed that the population had ...

'' which along with ''Medhya'' resides in the ''Visuddha Chakra'' on the throat.

In Sikhism

Dasam Granth The ''Dasam Granth'' (Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various manuscripts in Sikhism containing compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

, which like the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

is an important book of

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

, it is not composed in

raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...

s (its first composition dates 1684 A.D.) tells us that ''Chanchala'' is the name a '' chhand'' or metre of sixteen syllables having ''ragan'', ''jagan'', ''ragan'', ''jagan'' and ''laghu'' consecutively in each quarter, this metre is also known as ''Chitra'', ''Biraj and ''Brahmrupak'', and has been used twice in ''Choubis Autar''.

References

Hindu philosophical concepts Sikh terminology Language and mysticism Philosophy of mind Yoga concepts Sanskrit words and phrases Vedanta {{Hinduism-stub