Stop for a moment and observe your mind. You will find
thoughts upon thoughts rising one after another. The mind is always
oscillating. Its fluctuation never stops as it continues even in the dream-state.
If you go through Patanjalis Yoga Sutras, you will find how he describes the
fluctuating states of the mind.
Patanjali divides
them into five catagories. They are Pramana (right knowledge), viparyaya (wrong
knowledge), vikalpa (imagination), nidra (sleep) smritaya (memory).
Pramana: it’s the right perception of things, i.e. to
understand the things as such. In other words to understand the underlying deep
reality is right knowledge. This comes either from deduction or from valid
testimonies like sacred scriptures.
Viparyaya: it’s the erroneous perception of things caused by
avidhya (ignorance). It is due to this avidhya we suppose ourselves as body and
run after physical comfort for happiness. This can be removed when there comes
right knowledge.
Vikalpa: its that state of mind where there are merely
concepts not the real objects. Concepts of virtue, vice, good, bad etc all are
vikalpas.
Nidra: it’s the state of deep sleep where there is no object
in connection with the mind. The mind without pratyaya, i.e. without any object
to get attached to, is nidra. It is the deep sleep where no dream appears.
Smritaya: the faculty of mind which stores the
previously experienced things is memory.
In another way not letting escape the experienced matters from the mind is
memory.
Ahar (diet) also influence one's chitta vritti- it is said in Bhagavad Geeta also.
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