What is chitta? – Part 2

 

Photo Credit: Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

What is Chitta? – Part 2

We can look at the lake for a comparative understanding of the chitta. If you have gone boating in a lake you may have seen that when your boat is in the centre of the lake and is not moving, it may be possible to see the bottom of the lake. This can only happen when there are no ripples in the lake, if the lake is not muddy and the surface of the lake is calm and serene. The lake is the chitta, the ripples in the lake represent our thoughts and right at the bottom of the lake is our true Self.

The mind too has different states – we all have heard or read about Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva. A person with a tamsic bent of mind is rooted in darkness and this state is found mostly in brutes and idiots – they only act out of base emotions, to hurt or to injure. No other idea comes in that state of mind. Then there is the active state of mind or rajas, whose primary motive is power and enjoyment – their aim is to rule or control others, power is what they are after! Then there is the still higher state called the sattvic state – in this state the mind becomes calm, serene as the waves cease to form and the mind-like lake becomes clear with the bottom clearly visible. In this state the mind is not inactive, rather it is intensely active in a complete state of awareness.

The greatest and best manifestation of power is to remain calm. It is very easy to be active. If you actually let go of the reins the horses will run away with you. Anyone can do that, but only a strong person can stop the galloping horses. Ask yourself – what requires more strength – restraint or letting go? Don’t mistake the calm man to be dull, don’t misinterpret a sattvic state to be dullness or laziness. The calm person is one who actually controls the mind waves. Activity or action is a manifestation of the inferior kind of strength and calmness that of the superior.

The chitta is always trying to go back to its natural state, but the sense organs keep drawing it out. The entire aim of ashtang yoga is to first restrain or check this outward tendency of the mind and to then start it on its return inward journey – that is the first step of yoga, because only by doing this one can set the course of the chitta’s inward journey.

The chitta manifests in three forms – from the lowest to the highest – scattering, darkening, gathering, single-pointed, focused or concentrated. The scattering represents activity which could manifest in the form of pleasure or pain. The darkening represents dullness or pain which tends towards injury. The third form is natural to the angels and the first two to the demons. The gathering form is when the chitta is struggling to centre itself. The single-pointed or focused form is what brings us to a state of samadhi.