The job of the mind is to flow in its modulations. My job is to repose in the Self and know joy
Vrittayah Panchtayyaha
Klishta Aklishta
Pramaana Viparyaya Vikalpa Nidra Smritayaha
Our mind is taking us on a roller coaster ride all the time. We are either thinking of the past and getting angry, happy or sad, thinking of the future and getting anxious, worried, or happy. But we are hardly in the present moment really enjoying what is.
That is when I always get reminded of the five modulations of the mind by our soul scientist Maharishi Patanjali. He says that the mind can only exist in 5 states, no matter what you are thinking or not thinking:
- Pramaana: Right Understanding or looking for proof
- Viparyaya: Wrong knowledge or understanding
- Vikalpa: Hallucination or illusion
- Nidra: Sleep
- Smriti: Memory
He says that these can be either painful or harmful or can be harmless. Pramaana, or looking for proof is when the mind is asking for a reason for something to be true. For example, we are always asking for proof from people, whether they love us or not, or mothers asking their children where they are and validating via a video call!
Pramaana can be of three types
a. Pratyaksha or obvious, suppose you are in Ashram, you have the proof of it in your mind
b. Anumaana or conclusive, guessed, if you are sweating, you can conclude that it is hot
c. Aagama or Scriptural reference, if you check the temperature on the weather app is
40 degrees Celsius, you know that it is hot.
Pramaana is the trigger for all arguments, debates, and analyses we do on subjects. Viparyaya is a wrong understanding of knowledge. For example, if a glass is half empty, then it is also half full. But to think if the glass is filled then it is also fully empty is a wrong argument to make. Pramaana may not work well if someone’s mind is running in the second modulation as they have already started with wrong assumptions.
Vikalpa is imagination. If someone said something, and you did not take it in the right spirit, there is no end to what we can make out of it. Twitter these days is filled with such Instances.
Nidra is when the conscious mind is at rest and is not thinking too much. You are asleep
Smriti is a memory of past incidents.
This knowledge is an eye-opener and can shift your perspective from blaming, regretting, anger to observation, centredness, and awareness that all that you are creating in your mind is just your own creation, your own energy being used by the different modulations of the mind to create something that may not exist!
Since I have understood this, I know how to respond to my overthinking abilities. I know that it is the job of the mind to create such disturbances. My job is to be established in the self and be happy
Art of Living and Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has introduced me to the knowledge right from the source. Yoga opens up my body and mind and to a new dimension that I had never experienced before. I aim to help everyone reach their goals.
Stay Blessed!
By Parul Singh
A little note: As community conversation facilitators, we believe in giving an individual the autonomy of expression. The views expressed in this piece are the author's own.
