vritti

Vritti is a Sanskrit term meaning modification, fluctuation, or activity, and in Indian philosophy it refers to the changes that occur in the mind or mental faculty. The concept is most prominently used in Yoga and Vedanta to describe how the mind grasps, processes, and expresses experience.

In the Yoga tradition, as presented in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, vritti together with citta (the mind-stuff) constitutes the mental activities that shape perception and knowledge. The central aim of yoga is described as nirodha, the cessation or restraint of citta-vritti, so that consciousness (purusha) can be clearly cognized without distortion. By calming these fluctuations, one can perceive reality more directly and attain liberation or self-realization.

A commonly cited framework identifies five main vrittis or modifications of the mind: pramana (correct knowledge or valid perception), viparyaya (viparyaya; erroneous knowledge), vikalpa (imagination or conceptual construction without corresponding object), nidra (deep sleep or dreamless unconsciousness), and smriti (memory). These five forms describe the ways in which the mind can function and distort or veil true understanding. Among these, only pramana provides reliable knowledge; viparyaya, vikalpa, nidra, and smriti can introduce error or obscuration.

Beyond yoga, vritti appears in other Hindu philosophical discussions as mental modifications or impressions arising from sense contact or ignorance. While the terminology and emphasis may vary by school, the underlying idea remains that mental fluctuations influence experience, and the great aim is to tranquilize or transcend these fluctuations to realize a state of clear awareness.