This is the beginning Sutra of Patanjali‘s Yoga Sutra, the fist one being an indication of what is being said in The Sutras.
“Yogah: Chitta VruththiNirodha”
Translation; Yoga means the Cessation of the Modification of The Chittha.
Yoga is communion or reverting back to The State.
Communion is with our Inner Self.
We have Brain, Mind and Intellect.
Brain is the CPU that receives sensory impressions like a CPU of a Computer‘just receives it, nothing more.
Mind is the Activity of The Brain.
As the Brain receives the sensory impressions from the Neurons, another part which Patanjali calls Mind classifies them into groups of sensations and records them.
Then we have Buddhi(Intellect) which has the attribute of distinguishing and labeling the information as correct or incorrect, Right or Wrong.
To pass such judgments and classify the Intellect has to have a frame of reference and a Director.
This is Chiththa.
I do not have an equivalent for this in English.
Chiththa is not Consciousness ,not Buddhi but that lies in between.
When we think of some thing thought waves are created.
There is debate even to-day among psychologists on how the Concepts are formed.
These ways are inclusive of thoughts which are inclusive of thoughts against the course of action we may contemplate later.
For instance, if even if one is a teetotaler, our thought processes includes the thought of Drinking enjoying.
It is the Buddhi which approves or disapproves drinking.
This Buddhi is directed by a Higher level.
For we are aware of the Buddhi or Intellect; we are aware of its presence.
This Chitha is what determines and directs the direction the Buddhi or Intellect has to take.
The Intellect directs Mind, Mind the Brain and the Brain the sense organs.
These activities take place simultaneously and they are so swift we fail to note them.
How does Chiththa choose a particular direction?
This, as Patanjali would explain later,is because od Vasanas or the tendencies.
Now Patanjali says Yoga is about Chiththa.
He does not say ‘modify Chiththa for Chiththa per se can not be modified as it is an attribute of Brahman , The Ultimate Reality.
The description of Brahman is ‘ Sat, Chit, Ananadam’,’Being,Chiththa(attribute of Consciousness) and Bliss.
So Patanjali calls for the modification of Chiththa.
That is you make an effort and attempt to modify the Impressions of The Chiththa.
This, Patanjali says , is possible by The practice of Yoga.
The Chiththa, being the attribute of Consciousness, once you clean it up you will be able to realize the Pure Consciousness within, which is a part of the Universal Consciousness.
Recall Swami Vivekananda’s Words. What is in The Microcosm is in The Macrocosm and what is in the Macrocosm is in The Microcosm”
Related articles
- Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra Introduction Sutra 1 (ramanan50.wordpress.com)
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