Vasanas

Vasanas are latent impressions or predispositions stored in the mind, arising from past actions and experiences. The word vasana comes from Sanskrit and is often translated as habit, tendency, or impression that resides in the mental layer, shaping present thoughts, desires, and responses.

In many Hindu and yogic traditions, vasanas are the seeds that influence the course of karma and rebirth. They are part of the mind's conditioning: when a vasana is triggered, it generates craving or aversion, which in turn leads to actions that reproduce the cycle of samsara. Vasanas may be dormant or active; ignorance (avidya) is said to sustain them.

Liberation, according to Advaita Vedanta and related paths, involves discerning the true self and cultivating detachment, discipline, and knowledge until vasanas lose their force. Practices such as viveka (discernment), vairagya (dispassion), meditation, self-inquiry, and ethical living (dharma) help purify or burn away vasanas.

Term usage varies by tradition; some texts use vasanas synonymously with samskaras—both referring to mental impressions formed by action—though vasana is often reserved for latent predispositions that condition future thought. Across schools, vasanas are treated as conditioning to be understood, transcended, and transformed on the path to freedom.