cittavritti

Cittavritti is a foundational term in Indian yogic philosophy, especially in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. It denotes the modifications or fluctuations of the mind. The word combines citta (mind or consciousness) and vritti (turning, modification, or activity). In this view, the mind is not permanently fixed but continually changes its state, color­ing perception and experience.

In the Yoga Sutras, cittavritti are identified as five kinds of mental modification: pramana, viparyaya, vikalpa, nidra, and smrti. Pramana is correct or valid knowledge; viparyaya is mistaken or false knowledge; vikalpa refers to imagination or conceptual fabrications without corresponding reality; nidra means deep sleep; and smrti denotes memory. These fluctuations are seen as the primary source of error, doubt, and bondage, because they veil the true nature of consciousness.

Yoga aims at nirodha, the restraint or cessation of cittavritti. By quieting the mind’s fluctuations, a practitioner can discern purusha (the witnessing consciousness) and experience kaivalya, or liberation. The practice typically involves ethical disciplines, breath control, concentration, and sustained meditation, all directed at reducing dependence on sensory input and conditioned knowledge.

Scholars often frame cittavritti within a broader psychology of the internal organs (antahkarana): manas (mind), buddhi (intelect), citta as the mind-stuff, and ahamkara (ego). In this account, cittavritti are the changing states of the internal organ that obscure true awareness, and their systematic quieting is the core program of yoga practice.