THE INNER INSTRUMENT - swami Sivananda Saraswati

THE INNER INSTRUMENT

Antahkarana (the inner instrument) is a broad term which includes mind, intellect, memory and egoism (ahankara). The one antahkarana assumes different names, just as the same man assumes the name of judge when he works as a judge in the law courts, or president when he serves in a society or association, and store-keeper when he is in charge of the stores.

When you walk through a mango garden, the will and doubt are done by the mind - it thinks whether the mango is good or not. The intellect comes to its aid; it determines that the mango is `good'. Then the citta (mind-stuff) finds out how to get hold of some of the mangoes from the gardener. Ahankara self-arrogates. It demands the mango at any price. The mind executes this order by passing it to the feet (karma indriya) to take the man to the gardener. Ahankara buys the mango and eats it. The impressions of the mango remain in the mind and the vasana (tendency) is formed in the mind. The thought of enjoyment comes to the mind later on. And this, through memory (in the form of a subtle vasana) produces thought (sankalpa) and troubles the man again and again, to enjoy the mango.

This cycle: desire, thought, action, goes on from eternity to eternity. This brings bondage to man. When the vasana is repeated several times it becomes a strong passion. Then the man is a slave of the passion and indriyas (senses). A strong sense-hankering is called a trsna. The difference between desire and vasana is that the vasana is subtle and hidden in the subconscious mind, whereas the desire is gross. The pleasure derived from the enjoyment of the object brings attachment in this mind. Attachment is moha.

The man who is attached to objects, who is full of sense-vasanas, is tied to those objects. Escape becomes nearly impossible for him. Escape is possible only by destroying these knots, by knowledge of the witness, the director of this mental factory, who has kept up this show inside.

If you can clairvoyantly visualise the inner working of this mental factory you will be dumb-founded.

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Wake up from this long slumber of ignorance.
Purify, meditate and attain wisdom
And roam about happily.

—So says Sivananda

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