Chitta (चित्तम्)

Chitta (also citta, Samskrit: चित्तम्) is described as one of the states of mind, according to the texts of Vedanta. वेदान्तमते चित्तस्यावस्थाविशेषः । Maharshi Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras uses the word "chitta" in a broad sense, that can be considered to represent the whole of psyche or mind as referred in modern psychology. However, the term citta should not be understood to mean only the mind. Citta has three components: mind (manas), intelligence (buddhi) and ego (ahankara) which combine into one composite whole.

Etymology

Chitta is formed from the dhatus चितीँ संज्ञाने । chiti samjnane and चितिँ स्मृत्याम्। chiti smrityam in the meanings of having knowledge and repetitive remembrance (or memory) of objects/subjects known.

According to Shabdakalpadhruma, chitta is one of the states of the mind and includes the five Chitta Bhumis namely Kshipta, Mudha, Vikshipta, Ekagra and Niruddha.

वेदान्तमते चित्तस्यावस्थाविशेषः । यथा । क्षिप्तं मूढं विक्षिप्तं एकाग्रं निरुद्धं इति पञ्चभूमयः ।

Maharshi Vyasa defines chitta as a combination of trigunas.

चित्तं हि प्रख्याप्रवृत्तिस्थितिशीलत्वात् त्रिगुणम्। (Vyas. Bhas. on Yoga. Sutr. 1.2)

Antahkarana and Chitta

While the basic functional understanding of chitta as a psychological element involved in memory, recollection or Smrti holds good in many places where this term is used, the way it is categorized either as a part of Antahkarana Chatushtaya (अन्तःकरणचतुष्टयम्) or called as Antahkarana itself is a point that requires clarification. There are slight differences in nomenclature based on the text followed, however, the psychological functionality is very similar across various ancient texts.

Citta has been translated into 'mind stuff' - unconscious mind, conscious mind, super-conscious mind, cosmic mind, individual mind and cosmic intelligence, all put together. So, citta is the consciousness that is indivisible, undivided. It is the totality of the mind, the mind-stuff, the totality of the intelligence which is indivisible, incapable of being partitioned - like space.

Chitta as a part of Antahkarana

The Absolute is characterized as sat, chit and ananda in the Upanishads. The term chitta stands for the manifestation of the chit, as pure consciousness or Purusha, in the individual Jiva. Chitta is the instrument through which the individual lives and evolves. The basic assumption of all systems of Indian thought is that the purusha (according to Samkhya), the Atman, the self in the individual, functions through the chitta or the Antahkarana.

In Vachaspatyam we find that chitta is one of the four components/vritti (or activity) of the inner organ or instrument called Antahkarana. Here it is mentioned as an agent of recollection or smriti.

अन्तःकरणभेदे - मनोबुद्धिरहङ्कारश्चित्तं करणमान्तरम् ।...तस्य च स्मरणम् अनुसन्धानात्मक वृत्तिभेदः । चिच्छब्दे दृश्यम् ।

Smarana or recollection as denoted by the word Chitta falls under the category of activity based on inquiry.

Chitta as Antahkarana

Maharshi Patanjali's Yoga darshana is founded on the philosophical paradigm of Sankhya darshana. Samkhya defines chitta as the subtlest form of Matter, and it constitutes of three components namely

• मनस् । Manas, the thought-component is the central processor which processes the sensory information received from the Indriyas. Indriyas refer to the sensory-motor apparatus.
• अहंकारम् । Ahamkara, the I-component initiates the process of individualization, gives identity to the psychophysical framework of the person.
• बुद्धिः । Buddhi, the Pure-Reason component is predominantly satvik and therefore the knowledge base of the person.

In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, there is no explicit mention of Buddhi. Chitta mentioned here is the same as Buddhi of Samkhya philosophy. According to Kuppuswamy, Yoga differs from Samkhya in placing the three internal organs of Samkhya, under one concept, namely, chitta. In this approach, all the mental processes are due to the chitta and they are termed as chitta vrittis; here chitta is equated to the mind. When the self (Purusha) is freed from the chitta, it will resume its normal and original state of being pure consciousness, and is a mere witness. So the main task of Yoga system is chitta vritti nirodha, restriction of the modification of the mind (Yoga. Sutr. 1.2). This self can be free from the bonds of Prkriti only when it is free from mental modifications.

Perspectives of Chitta in Yoga Darshana

Citta is the individual counterpart of mahat in Samkhya philosophy, the universal consciousness. It is the seat of the intelligence that sprouts from conscience, antahkarana, the inner organ of virtue and knowledge. Chitta is that part of the mind which has knowledge of objects and can repeatedly recall the objects or subjects known in the worldly realm. Pleasure and pain are the marks of consciousness functioning in Chitta. Jnana consists in the discrimination of this difference realizing that the Chitta is the instrument and not the, Self.

चित्तं त्रिगुणम्। Chitta is trigunas

As seen earlier, Maharshi Vyasa in his Yogasutra bhashya mentions that Chitta is of the nature of a ratio of Trigunas.

चित्तं हि प्रख्याप्रवृत्तिस्थितिशीलत्वात् त्रिगुणम्। (Vyas. Bhas. on Yoga. Sutr. 1.2) प्रकाशशीलं सत्त्वम्। क्रियाशीलं रजः स्थितिशीलं तम इति।

Chitta or mind is possessed of the three qualities (in a disproportionate combination), hence called trigunatmika, showing as it does the nature of illumination (sattva), activity (rajas) and inertia (tamas).

Prakhya (प्रख्या) is Sattva guna aspect of chitta and is characterized by wisdom and illumination.

Pravrtti (प्रवृत्ति) is Rajo guna aspect of chitta characterized by activity or action (kriyasheelatva)

Sthiti (स्थिति) is the Tamoguna aspect of chitta characterized by inertness or inaction.

The state of equilibrium (samyavastha) when all the gunas are in the right proportions (neither less nor more) it is called Prakriti. When the equilibrium of gunas is disturbed Srshti or creation is initiated. Prakrti undergoes the first major transformation resulting in Mahat tattva, also called as Buddhi or Chitta created as a result of increase in Sattva guna. Rest of the evolutes or tattvas are described as per the Samkhya philosophy.

चित्तवृत्तयः Chitta Vrttis

Due to the movements of the gunas, the mind is said to possess the nature of changing quickly as described by Vyasa - चलं च गुणवृत्तम् इति क्षिप्रपरिणामि चित्तम् उक्तम्। (Yoga. Sutr. 2.15 Vyas. Bhas)

Chitta is always characterized by vritti, modification, not only in the wakeful state (jagrat avastha), but also in dream (svapna) and even in deep sleep (sushupta) states. So man is aware of the modifications or the vrittis alone and not of the Self. Again it is the same chitta, being an instrument prevents man from realizing the self; it is a hinderance that can be overcome. It is also recognized that it is the only instrument through which self-realization is possible. Hence, restraining the chitta vrittis is the foremost task of a Yoga sadhaka.

चित्तभूमयः। Chitta Bhumis

The Five Chitta Bhumis

According to Vyasa bhashya on the Yoga Sutra (1.2) of Maharshi Patanjali, chitta can be in classified into five different states,

क्षिप्तं मूढं विक्षिप्तम् एकाग्रं निरुद्धम् इति चित्तभूमयः।

1. क्षिप्तं ॥ kshipta, a mental force which is scattered, in a state of disarray and neglect
2. मूढं ॥ mũdha, a foolish, confused and dull state
3. विक्षिप्तम् ॥ vikshipta, puzzled, agitated and distracted
4. एकाग्रं ॥ ekāgra, a state of one-pointed attention, concentrated
5. निरुद्धम्॥ niruddha, where everything is restrained, controlled

These states of mind partake of many physical and psychological characteristics and they are determined by the trigunas - satva, rajas, and tamas. Since there are many shades of each of the gunas, chitta itself defines itself differently in different people. The mind is possessed of these three qualities, showing as it does the nature of illumination, activity and inertia.

चित्तं हि प्रख्याप्रवृत्तिस्थितिशीलत्वात् त्रिगुणम्। (Vyas. Bhas. on Yoga. Sutr. 1.2)

The relation between the trigunas and chitta is as follows:

1. kshipta, is when the mind is distracted by rajasic impulses. In this wandering state mind is distracted by the worldly objects and is extremely unsteady.

2. mũdha, is when it remains inert, as in deep sleep, on account of tamas. Mind remains in a forgetful state of inertia.

3. vikshipta, is when the distraction alternates with tranquility caused by satva. This state is different from the wandering state of kshipta, where relatively steady states of the mind are present.

4. ekāgra, is when the chitta is stripped of rajasic and tamasic propensities and attains to one-pointedness as a result of the sātvic trait.

5. niruddha is when all modifications remain totally restrained and exist only as potencies (Iyengar, 1993; Subramanian, 2008).

According to Vedanta, the various chitta bhumis are described as follows

आसुरसम्पल्लोकशास्त्रदेहवासनासु वर्त्तमानं चित्तं क्षिप्तभूमिका । १ । निद्रातन्द्रादिग्रस्तं चित्तं मूढभूमिका । २ । कदाचिद्ध्यानयुक्तं चित्तं क्षिप्ताद्विशिष्टतया विक्षिप्तभूमिका । ३ । तत्र क्षिप्त-मूढयोः समाधित्वशङ्कैव नास्ति विक्षिप्ते तु समाधित्वशङ्का तदितरत् भूमिद्बयं समाधिः । एकाग्रे मनसि सम्भूतमर्थं प्रद्योतयति क्षिणोति च क्लेशान् कर्म्मबन्धनानि श्लथयति निरोधमभिमुखीकरोतीति सः प्रज्ञातो योग एकाग्र-भूमिका । ४ । सर्व्ववृत्तिनिरोधरूपा संप्रज्ञात-समाधिर्निरुद्धभूमिका । ५ । इति वेदान्तसंज्ञा-निरूपणग्रन्थः ॥

The chitta engaged in Asuric (having asuric) qualities, pleasures, worldly ways not living as per the shastric (injunctions), and in sensual propensities is said to be in Kshipta avastha. That chitta caught in sleep, laziness and lassitude is said to be in Mudha avastha. When the chitta has the qualities opposite to those in Kshipta yet sometimes being in the state of Dhyana is said to be Vikshipta. In the states of Kshipta and Mudha there is no doubt that chitta will be in samadhi state, but in the Vikshipta state chitta definitely experiences some periods of Samadhi. The Samadhi state is verily present in the other two Bhumis, viz., Ekagra and Niruddha. Ekagra is when the mind is illumined with yatartha jnana, destroys grief, loosens the bonds of karma and takes the person to the state of that yoga leading to Niruddha. Niruddha is when the chitta is totally restrained from outward influences and the engages in samprajnata samadhi.

Chittabhumi based personality

Although the concept of chitta bhumike was contributed by Vyāsa, over a period of time various philosophers, practitioners, experts and scholars have given different explanations and interpretations. They have noted that practice of Yoga system of Patanjali essentially involves a change in the chitta bhũmike, the state of mind, and it is only when a person is predominantly characterized by a vikshipta state of mind he/she will be drawn towards spirituality. Kshipta and mũdha states of mind are materialistically oriented and a person who is predominated by inertness and distractions will not have any inclination towards practicing yoga as a way of life.