Contributions from Community

(Mind Modulation) And Ways to Overcome

A. Pramana –

In this vritti, the mind is engaged in wanting proof for everything. There are three types of pramaana – pratyaksha, anumaana and aagama.

1 – Pratyaksha means that which is obvious.
2 – Anumana means something which is not so obvious, but which can be inferred.
3 – Agama means written proof. Example – scriptures.

B. Viparyaya

Wrong knowledge is that understanding which is not based upon its real form.

C. Vikalpa

Imagining things that don’t exist is Vikalpa. Vikalpa is a sort of delusion or baseless fear. It could be just a joyful, pleasurable fantasy or it could be a baseless fear. Such thoughts and ideas are called vikalpas.

D. Nidra

The fourth one is nidra or sleep. It’s a state of pure voidness, absence of any content of mind.

E. Smriti

The fifth activity of the mind is smriti – Memory of the past experience/ remembering the experiences it had.

The different ways to overcome five Vrittis are as follows-

a – Abhyasa- Practice of Living in the Self
b – Vairagya- Dispassion towards ant thing.

‘’Tatra-sthitau-yatno-abhyaasah’’
Continuous effort to be established there (in the nature of the seer) is practice.

‘’sa tu dirghakaala-nairantarya-satkaarasevito-dridha-bhoomih’’

Practice done for a long time, continuously (without break) and with honour and reverence, one becomes firmly grounded on it.

‘’ Drishtaa-anushravika-vishaya-vitrishnasya-vashikaara-samjnaa-vairaagyam’’
Dispassion is the mastery over the quality of desirelesness towards anything that is seen or heard.

‘’ Tatparam-purusha-khyaaterguna-vaitrishnyam’’
That supreme dispassion (giving up even the finest qualities) comes when the awareness of the unmanifest dawns.

Mayank Raj Saxena

Life Member