Citta Vṛtti

Citta Vṛtti (Sanskrit: “mental fluctuations”) is a concept in Patañjali’s Yoga psychology.

Overview

Citta vṛtti refers to the modifications, fluctuations, or activities of the mind-stuff (citta). The central aim of yoga, as stated in the Yoga Sūtras, is the cessation of these fluctuations (citta-vṛtti-nirodha).

Philosophical Context

Patañjali defines yoga as “the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind-stuff” (Yoga Sūtra 1.2). The vṛttis are described as fivefold: pramāṇa (valid cognition), viparyaya (misconception), vikalpa (imagination/doubt), nidrā (sleep), and smṛti (memory) (Yoga Sūtra 1.5-1.11). Each vṛtti is further classified as either klisṭa (afflictive, producing suffering) or aklisṭa (non-afflictive). The management of citta vṛtti is the core project of yoga: the practitioner progressively stabilizes and purifies the mind through the eight limbs until the fluctuations cease entirely, revealing the puruṣa in its pure, witnessing nature.

Interpretations

In Buddhist psychology, the equivalent concept is citta (mind-stream) with its associated cetasikas (mental factors). In modern psychology, citta vṛtti has been compared to the default mode network or the stream of consciousness. Some contemporary yoga teachers interpret the cessation of vṛttis not as total mental stillness but as the attenuation of habitual, unconscious mental patterns.

Verification Notes

• The five vṛttis are described in Yoga Sūtras 1.5-1.11
• The definition of yoga as citta-vṛtti-nirodha is Yoga Sūtra 1.2