Antahkarana Chatushtaya (अन्तःकरणचतुष्टयम्)

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Antahkarana Chatushtaya (Samskrit: अन्तःकरणचतुष्टयम्) equated to the mind, is the composite of awareness and response systems. In Yoga, Antahkarana is referred to as Chitta and may be functionally distinguished into (1) the buddhi (executive system) (2) ahamkara (self-referencing system) and (3) manas (central processing system). In Advaita vedanta, while other functionalities are similar to that in Yoga, the Antahkarana is four fold, with chitta having the function of recalling.

The Upanishads describe four parts of the Antahkarana namely,

1. Chitta - storehouse of samskaras or vasanas
2. Buddhi - the decision making faculty
3. Ahamkara - the ego or I-sense
4. Manas - the information synthesizing faculty

In Advaita Vedanta texts such as Vedantasara, Chitta is treated as one of the modifications of Antahkarana. Vachaspatyam mentions the following

अन्तःकरणभेदे - मनोबुद्धिरहङ्कारश्चित्तं करणमान्तरम् । संशयोनिश्चयोगर्वः स्मरणं विषया इमे । (Veda. Pari. 1)

The concept of Antahkarana Chatushtaya as discussed in Vedanta texts consists of the four elements - Manas, Chitta, Buddhi and Ahamkara.

As it cannot operate on external objects except through the organs of sense and action, it is said to be an internal instrument or Antahkarana. One may note that Samkhya system calls the buddhi, ahamkara and manas as antahkarana, the inner organ in contrast to the five sense organs and organs of action which are external organs or bahyakarana.

In Vedantasara, Sadananda Yogindra describes Chitta as one of the Antahkarana vrittis which is involved in memory and recollection.

अनुसन्धानात्मिकान्तःकरणवृत्तिः चित्तम्।। (Vedantasara. 68)

Meaning: Chitta (referred to as Memory) is that modification of the inner organ which remembers.

Briefly, the Antahkarana, in Vedanta refers to an inner organ consisting of four elements viz.,

In Vedanta Paribhasha we find a lucid explanation defining Antahkarana vrtti or modifications of the mind as follows

तत्र यथा तडागोदकं छिद्रार्न्निर्गत्य कुल्यात्मना केदारान् प्रविश्य तद्वदेव चतुष्कोणाद्याकारं भवति, तथा तैजसमन्ततःकरणमपि चक्षुरादिद्वारा निर्गत्य घटादिविषयदेशं गत्वा घटादिविषयाकारेण परिणमिते स एव परिणामो वृत्तिरित्युच्यते।

Summary: Now, as the water of a tank, issuing through a hole, enters in the form of a channel to a number of fields, and just like them (the agricultural fields) assumes a rectangular or any other shape, so also the luminous mind (Antahkarana), issuing through the medium of the eye etc., goes to the space occupied by objects such as a jar, and is modified into the form of a jar or any other object. That very modification of the mind is called a state (Vrtti).

According to the Vedanta philosophy when an organ perceives an object the mind transforms itself into the object. When, for instance, the eye sees a pot the mind projects itself through the eye and takes the form of the pot. When the Antahkarana becomes absolutely sure of the existence of the pot then it is known as Buddhi, but when it cannot determine whether it is a pot or something else, then it is called Manas. Similarly when the Antahkarana remembers an object it is denoted as Chitta. Lastly when it establishes the relationship of "I" or ‘mine' with the object as, for example in, ‘I know the object', ‘I am happy' or ‘mine is the happiness’, it is known as Ahamkara.