Yogashikha Upanishad (critical study)
by Sujatarani Giri | 2015 | 72,044 words
This page relates ‘Mind and its Impact’ of the English study on the Yogashikha Upanishad—a key text from the Krishna Yajurveda, focusing on the pinnacle of Yogic meditation. This essay presents Yoga as a crucial component of ancient Indian philosophy and spirituality and underscores its historical roots in Vedic literature—particularly the Upanishads and Vedant. The chapters of this study are devoted to the faculties of the mind and internal body mechanisms such as Chakras as well as the awakening of Kundalini.
Part 2 - Mind and its Impact
Mind is called citta in yoga. As it has already been pointed out that the systems of Sāṃkhya and Yoga have much in common. On account of their similarly they are regarded as allied systems. Hence the details already discussed under Sāṃkhya are not considered here. We proceed straight to the concept of mind in Yoga.
Yoga is predominantly a psychological darśana (philosophy) and consequently we find in it a through and critical study of mind. It is also a science and an art of mental discipline for attaining a state of samādhi. The final aim of Yoga is complete freedom not of the mind but from the mind and from Prakṛti of which mind is an evolute or product. For this purpose it is necessary to know the nature, structure and functions of the mind and the way to bring it under perfect control.
Buddhi–According to derivation it means ‘to make up’ ‘recover consciousness’, ‘observer it accounts for the capacity of illumination determination and certainty. It is the source of virtue, non-attachment and wisdom. It manifests itself through determination, resolution in thought and action, formation and retention of concepts and generalizations. It is the last to act in all cognitional, affectional and volitional processes of the ahaṃkāra, mānas and indriyas. When the mānas is registering the objects of thoughts, it is the buddhi that discriminates determines and recognizes.
Ahaṃkāra–The second aspect of this synthetic, unit ‘mind’ citta is ‘ahaṃkāra’. In this aspect personal consciousness realizes is self as a particular “I-experience”. Here there is no decision, no reflection, no concepts it is an ego principle. It arrogates to itself the experiences held by the manas and passes it on to buddhi to be determines. It is the conscious subject of all psychological experiences. It is the ‘ego’.
Manas–It is the third aspect of ‘citta’. It is the directing power behind all action. It possess the capacity of attention selection etc. It synthesis the discrete manifold of the sensation. It can perceive out cannot conceive as does buddhi. It is continually vacillating between objects.