


The practice of yoga aims to control the vrittis of the chattering mind, so we can get the reality behind it. This bound awareness always creates the disturbance in realizing the higher consciousness. Hence, Vritti (वृत्ति) is like a cycle (circle – Vritt ‘वृत्त’) of thought patterns into which our awareness keep bound to certain objects. Vrittis are the result of samskara, which produces another samskara.

Samskara gives the mind a direction to express the variety of emotions & behaviour towards different situations. Samskara is the result of our past karma that left imprints on the mind. Vritti in Hinduism describes on the basis of samskara. Usually, vritti is the result of our attachments, desires & fear of the external world. Hence, Vritti is the fluctuations (of chattering mind) that affect our perception of experiencing the reality. This unclear surface keeps us from experiencing the deeper truth of self.

Regular accumulation of vritti over Chitta surface (lake surface) makes the bottom vision unclear. Vritti is the ripples appeared on the surface of the lake. The stones we throw into the lake is the external causes which enter in mind through senses. These ripples don’t let us see at the bottom of the lake. Until we stop throwing a stone, it gradually appears at the surface. When we throw a stone into the lake, ripples start appearing on the surface. To make understand how vritti prevents us from self-realization experience & burdens on Chitta – Swami Vivekananda gave an example of a lake.Ĭonsider a silent lake.
