Mind (the eleventh organ)

The Mind is of the nature of both the organs of cognition and those of action. It is also an organ like the other ten organs because of community of nature with other Indriyas. Mind is the eleventh organ. Mind is the inner organ which is regarded as the chief organ, since it activates the other Indriyas. It is the observing principle used in the sense of imagination. It shares the nature of both kinds of organs. Mind has been enumerated as an instrument of knowing, as an Indriya or organ. And in this way there are eleven organs enumerated, five being sense organs and five being organs of action, with the mind as the eleventh organ. Among these the mind is of the nature of both organs, cognitive and active. It is explicative. It is also an Indriya because of community of nature with other Indriyas from specific modifications of the constituents proceeded diversity, differences of external form^[1]. The different modifications of the guṇas are related to the Manas. The deep reflection or contemplation is manana. It is the process of reasoning to remove the doubts regarding the Ātman. Two fold karaṇas are Antaḥkaraṇa and Bāhyakaraṇa. Internal organs or antaḥkaraṇas are three in number, Buddhi or the Intellect, Ahaṃkāra or the I-principle and Manas or the Mind. These three are called Antaḥkaraṇa, due to their locations inside the body. The external organs Bāhyakaraṇas are ten, five sense organs and five motor organs. They are the channels through which the internal organs operate in Saṅkalpa or analyzing, Abhimāna or self-identifying and Adhyavasāya or determining objects.