The perceiving mind
The Meaning of Manas
Is the sense-mind, is achieved when one progresses spiritually to an extent in which it gets easier to remain tranquil for longer hours. It also has the ability to sense by proximity, foresight and extended physical consciousness.
Manas is classified into two types: karya citta and karana citta. In the Yoga Sutras, the status of the mind is classifed into the following five:
Kshipta – A state of wakefulness when the focus is easily shifted from one object or subject to another.
Vikshipta – A state when manas processes a wide range of information without the ability to focus on one object.
Mudha – A state when the manas is dull and not seeking new knowledge.
Ekagrata – A state when manas is focused on one object and remains focused without getting distracted.
Niruddha – The state when the mind is completely in control and spiritual elevation is achieved. is the first aspect of perception, showing how the world appears through the senses. It does not qualify or define these sensory images. At the level of manas, a person is not yet involved in ego identifications. Impressions enter through the senses and are stored passively by manas, remaining a confused and disconnected mass until further processed by the other aspects of consciousness.
The consciousness of manas is centered at the top of the head, while the other three aspects of the mind are centered progressively lower in the body.
is the perceiving mind, one of the four key aspects of consciousness in Hindu philosophy. Whether an individual identifies with ego consciousness or cosmic consciousness, their perceptions of the world are mediated through manas. The other three aspects of the mind are:
Buddhi (intelligence)
Ahankara (ego)
Chitta (feeling)
Interiorization of Manas and Jyoti Mudra
The practice of Jyoti Mudra in Kriya Yoga helps interiorize manas. This technique involves:
Closing the gates (openings) of the body.
Sequestering the mind in the heart center.
Channeling life force to the brain.
Focusing on the spiritual eye, which opens onto infinity.
Through Jyoti Mudra, manas is withdrawn upward from the lower chakras (associated with outer consciousness) and focused in the heart chakra. This involves using the fingers to lightly close the eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth, directing energy inward and upward.
Etymology and Broader Meaning of Manas
The Sanskrit words manas (mind) and manu or manuh (man) share the same ancient proto-Indo-European root *man-, meaning "man." This is why the English words "man" and "men" are used to refer to all human beings capable of rational thought, or possessing a "mind."
Manas and Mantra
Manas is also the root of the word mantra. A Vedic mantra (the Rig Veda consists of over a thousand mantras) is often translated as "hymn," though this term fails to capture its sacred nature. The root words of mantra are manas ("mind") and tra ("tool"), making a mantra a "mind tool." Mantras were used in the Treta Yuga to achieve deep states of attunement to Spirit, much like the natural states of Satya Yuga. However, mantras chanted by someone without heart of a natural focus won’t yield miraculous results.
The Rig Veda mantras are powerful mental tools, effective only in the hands of those with disciplined minds.
in Indian philosophy, the human “mind,” that faculty which coordinates sensory impressions before they are presented. Therefore when a person sees, hears, and smells an object—three different and not necessarily related impressions—the manas makes certain that he is conscious that it is the same object.
This awareness allows us to re-engineer the mind's pathways, consciously shaping our inner architecture by invoking heightened sensory perceptions.
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