The very first aphorism from the Pratyabhijñā-hṛdayam (PH) says: the Highest Citi, out of her freedom, contracts from its expanded state to manifest everything. Then PH 5 specifies a result of that process. The absolute Consciousness contracts to produce our individual awareness, citta.

PH 5 citir eva cetana-padād avarūḍhā cetya-saṃkocinī cittam
Citi: absolute Consciousness
eva: itself
cetana: uncontracted or expanded Consciousness
padād: state, stage
avarūḍhā: descend
cetya: object of perception
saṃkocinī: contracted, limited
citta: mind, individual awareness
Consciousness contracts from its expanded state and becomes our individual awareness, conforming to objects of perception.

You may recognize citta in this sūtra as the same word from the definition of yoga in the Yoga Sūtra. Yoga is the calming of the whirlings/vṛttis of the mind/citta (YS 1.2). PH 5 indicates the citta is a relatively contracted state of awareness. Remember the citta-vṛttis include all our thoughts and feelings, both positive and negative.

Anyone who observes the movements of the mind/citta-vṛttis, knows that the mind is quite active, which, of course, is the opposite of the directive from YS 1.2 to stop (nirodha) the thoughts. The challenge in trying to calm the mind is reflected in a teaching common in spiritual circles about “monkey mind,” which asserts that the mind is unsettled, uncontrollable, and full of restless mental chatter. You may perceive a bit of a rub between the idea from Tantra that “the mind is divine” and the idea of monkey mind.

When I began to study the Yoga Sūtra, I got the sense that thoughts are a bad thing, especially in meditation. From the perspective of Classical Yoga, one wants to squelch/nirodha the thoughts/citta-vṛttis. Early in my journey, I thought I was really messed up and couldn’t meditate properly because my mind was active. But in this sūtra (PH 5), the expanded awareness/cetena, contracts to form our individual mind/citta. If we think of our thoughts as manifestations of the Highest/Citi, maybe thoughts aren’t so bad, and perhaps they can be seen as part of a benevolent process. The mind/citta is a beautiful thing; we just need to make it an ally. We need it to function in, and maximally experience, our householder life. It allows us to live in this world. The mind is allowing you to read this book and learn these teachings.

Particularly as indicated in this sūtra, the mind/citta is a manifestation of the Highest/Citi. Indeed, it is a gift that allows us to maximize our householder lives and to contact the highest Consciousness. The mind is the instrument to return to the Divine. So from a Tantric perspective, there is an honoring of the mind that has a different flavor than is found in Classical Yoga.

Reflect and Explore

How does the phrase “monkey mind” make you feel?

Do you see your mind as an ally or a problem? Why?