they were obtained through the sense-organs previously. In the case of Vikalpa or
imagination they are reproduced in any form and order from the sensuous material pre-
sent in the mind. The imagination can combine these sensuous perceptions in any form
or order, congruous or incongruous but the power of combining the sensuous percep-
tions is under the control of the will. In the dream state the will has no control over
these combinations and they appear before consciousness in haphazard, fantastic and
frequently absurd combinations influenced to a certain extent by the desires present in
the sub-conscious mind. The higher Self with its will and reason has, as it were, with-
drawn beyond the threshold of consciousness, leaving the lower mind partly entangled
with the brain deprived of the rationalizing influence of reason and the controlling in-
fluence of will. When even this remnant of the lower mind also withdraws beyond the
threshold of brain consciousness we have dreamless sleep or Nidra. In this state there
are no mental images in the brain. The mind continues to be active on its own plane
but its images are not reflected on the screen of the physical brain.
Now, let the student examine his mental activity in the light of what has been
said above. Let him take any modification of the lower concrete mind which works
with names and forms and see whether he cannot put it under one or the other of these
five groups. He will find to his surprise that all modifications of the lower mind can be
classed under one or the other of these subheads and therefore the system of classifica-
tion is quite rational. It is true that many modifications on analysis will be found to be
complex and come under two or more groups but the various ingredients will all be
found to fit under one or another of the five groups. That is why the Vrttis are called
Pancatayyah, five-fold.
It may be asked why only the modifications of the lower concrete mind have
been taken into account in this classification of the Citta-Vrttis. Citta comprises all the
levels of the mind, the lowest of which is called the lower Manas functioning through
the Manomaya Kosa and dealing with concrete mental images with names and forms.
The answer to this question is obvious. The ordinary man whose consciousness is con-
fined to the lower mind can conceive of only these concrete images which are derived
from perceptions through the physical sense-organs. The Citta-Vrttis corresponding to
the higher levels of the mind though more definite and vivid and capable of being ex-
pressed indirectly through the lower mind are beyond his comprehension and can be
perceived on their own planes in the state of Samadhi when consciousness transcends
the lower mind. Yoga starts with the control and suppression of the lowest kind of
ben green
(Ben Green)
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