The Five Vrittis
Thoughts are a natural part of being human—they come and go like waves in the ocean of the mind. In the Yoga Sutras, these mental activities are grouped into five categories that shape how we see the world and how we relate to ourselves. They’re not necessarily “bad,” but they can sometimes get in the way of finding inner peace and clarity. Yoga teaches us to gently step back, observe what’s happening in the mind, and practice vairagya—letting go or non-attachment—so we’re not swept away by every passing thought. These five types of mental activity are explored in Yoga Sutra 1.6 to 1.11.
Yoga Sutra 1.6
Sanskrit:
Pramāṇa viparyaya vikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ.
Translation:
They are right knowledge (Pramāṇa), misconception(Viparyaya), verbal delusion (Vikalpa), sleep (Nidrā) and memory (Smṛti).
— Sri Swami Satchidananda
Explanation:
This sutra outlines the five kinds of mental activity, or vrittis, that color our perception and experience. Each one of them is further explained in Yoga Sutra 1.7 – 1.11. Here I list each one in order.
1. Pramāṇa (Right Knowledge) YS 1.7
Sanskrit: pratyakṣa-anumāna-āgamāḥ pramāṇāni
Translation: The sources of right knowledge (pramāṇa) are direct perception (pratyakṣa), inference (anumāna), and scriptural testimony (āgama).
— Sri Swami Satchidananda
We need all three ways of direct perception, inference, and testimony to gain valid knowledge. For example, you are trying to find a good meditation app for calming anxiety and someone recommended one. First, you download and try it yourself and find it beneficial and relaxing. (Pratyakṣa, direct perception) Then, you read other peoples reviews saying, “It works well for anxiety,” and you reason it might work for you too (Anumāna, inference). And a respected yoga teacher tells you he uses it daily and recommends it to his students. Also you find scientific research stating that meditation practice can reduce anxiety (Āgama, testimony). When all three confirm each other, you can trust the app might support your practice.
This verse also helps you in your inner journey. In meditation, a true insight comes when you experience stillness or clarity, reflect on what that experience means, and your insight is supported by teachings or trusted mentors. When you have the right knowledge validated by the three ways, you can practice meditation safely and nurture spiritual and ethical growth.
You might wonder why the right knowledge is a part of vrittis. Because even though it’s accurate, it’s still a movement or fluctuation or activity in the mind. The right knowledge helps you grow deeper in your yoga practice but we ultimately want to go beyond in order to attain the total absorption (Samadhi) or liberation (Kaivalya).
2. Viparyaya (Misperception / Wrong Understanding) YS 1.8
Sanskrit: Viparyayo mithyā-jñānam atad-rūpa-pratiṣṭham
Translation: Misperception (Viparyayo) occurs when knowledge of something is not based upon its true form.
— Sri Swami Satchidananda
The second kind of vrittis comes from misperception (viparyaya). This happens when we see or interpret something inaccurately, and our mind treats it as truth.
Imagine you’re scrolling through social media and see a photo of your friend smiling and having a blast on a beach. You might instantly think, “She has such a perfect life.” Then later, she tells you that she has been suffering from depression. What you don’t see is what’s outside the frame—perhaps her smile hides desperation, exhaustion, or loneliness.
The mind fills in the blanks with a story, believing it to be real. This is viparyaya—believing something is true when it’s not.
Also at work, you walk past a colleague you know, and she doesn’t say hello. The mind quickly jumps to, “She must be upset with me.” But perhaps she was lost in thought or didn’t notice you. Then the other colleague tells you that he was having a bad day. Again, the mind creates a story based on limited information.
Our perceptions shape how we feel and respond. When the mind is clouded by viparyaya, we may suffer unnecessarily.
Through Pramāṇa (Right Knowledge), yoga and mindfulness, we gently train the mind to pause, observe, and question its assumptions—inviting more clarity, compassion, and freedom.
3. Vikalpa (Verbal Delusion / Imagination) YS 1.9
Sanskrit: Sabda-jñāna-anupātī vastu-śūnyo vikalpaḥ.
Translation: An image that arises on hearing mere words without any reality [as its basis] is verbal delusion.
— Sri Swami Satchidananda
In essence, Vikalpa describes a mental construct or idea we form using words, concepts, or stories, even when there’s no actual, tangible object or direct experience behind it. It’s the mind’s ability to create a “reality” from concepts alone.
Vikalpa isn’t inherently “bad”; it’s a natural function of the mind. However, Patanjali highlights it as a vritti (a fluctuation of the mind) because it can cloud our perception of reality and hinder our path to inner stillness if we get lost in it.
For instance, consider spending hours imagining your perfect future: a dream job, a beautiful house, an ideal partner, a luxurious car. You visualize every detail and how incredibly happy you’ll be. This “perfect future” is a mental construct based purely on your desires and what you’ve heard or read about someone’s successful story. While such visualization can be motivating, becoming overly attached to this imagined future can lead to dissatisfaction with your current reality, as the actual path will inevitably involve challenges and different experiences. Another common example is jumping to conclusions based on hearsay. A colleague tells you your boss looked unhappy. You immediately start imagining you did something wrong, even though there’s no concrete evidence. Your mind creates a whole narrative of negativity from a single piece of verbal information (“boss looked unhappy”). There’s no objective reality to your imagined scenario. The boss might simply be having a bad day. This leads to unnecessary stress.
Our mind constantly generates imaginations, influenced by words or statements that are false.
4. Nidrā (Sleep / Deep Dreamless Sleep) YS 1.10
Sanskrit: Abhāva-pratyaya-ālambanā vṛttir-nidrā
Translation: “That mental modification supported by cognition of nothingness is sleep.”
— Sri Swami Satchidananda
In Yoga Sutra 1.10, Patanjali describes nidra, or deep dreamless sleep, as a vritti—a fluctuation or activity of the mind. Although sleep may seem like the absence of consciousness, it is still considered a subtle mental state. The Sanskrit word abhāva means “absence,” and in this context, it refers to a state where the mind rests in the perception of nothingness. It is not a complete void, but a state in which sensory engagement and mental activity are subdued under the influence of tamas—the quality of inertia and dullness.
To visualize this more intuitively, imagine a still lake. When calm and clear, the lake reflects sattva, the quality of clarity and balance. When clouded by an overgrowth of algae, the lake may appear motionless, yet it is affected by an excess of nutrients—a tamasic state. In both scenarios, the lake remains water at its essence, but its appearance changes based on external conditions. Similarly, the mind in deep sleep reflects the prevailing influence of tamas, even though it may seem still.
Patanjali includes sleep among the five vrittis—alongside right knowledge, misconception, imagination, and memory—because it is a distinct mental state that leaves impressions (saṁskāras) which shape our waking experience. While the content of the mind appears absent, the mind is still subtly active, perceiving the experience of “nothing.” This quiet registration of absence is what makes nidra a vritti.
Though deep sleep can feel peaceful and free from thought, it is not the same as samadhi, where awareness remains present, clear, and undisturbed. While sattva-influenced sleep can feel peaceful and refreshing—free from restlessness and mental chatter—it is still distinct from samadhi. In sleep, even when the quality is clear and balanced, awareness is still lightly veiled. In samadhi, by contrast, awareness remains fully present and luminous, even though other mental activities have ceased. The two states may feel similar on the surface, but their inner dynamics are profoundly different. Recognizing nidra as a mental activity encourages us to consider its impact rather than dismiss it as mere unconscious rest. The aim is not to eliminate sleep, but to understand its nature and refine its quality. As we lessen the hold of tamas in our sleep, we move closer to a steadier, more conscious awareness—awake to the stillness that exists beneath all fluctuations.
5. Smṛti (Memory) YS 1.11
Sanskrit: :
Anubhūta-viṣayāsaṁpramoṣaḥ smṛtiḥ
Translation:
When a mental modification of an object previously experienced and not forgotten comes back to consciousness, that is memory.
— Sri Swami Satchidananda
We rely on memory (smṛti) to function in everyday life—whether we’re making a decision based on past experience, following a recipe from memory, or recalling a meaningful event. In this sutra, anubhūta-viṣaya refers to anything we have previously perceived, thought, felt, or imagined—essentially, all past experiences, whether direct or indirect. Asaṁpramoṣaḥ suggests that memory is the mind’s ability to retain and recall these experiences accurately without distortion or loss, which can still influence us because the memory has not been lost or erased. It remains latent as a saṁskāra (the mental impression stored in the chitta, or mind-field), ready to surface when triggered.
Imagine you’re preparing for a job interview. As you rehearse your answers, you remember a moment from a past interview when you spoke too quickly and lost your train of thought. That conscious recollection of a past event is smṛti. You also recall your mentor once advised, “Pause and breathe before answering. It shows confidence.”
This remembered teaching is also smṛti. This time, drawing on both memories, you apply the wisdom—you pause, breathe, and respond with clarity.
To go deeper, we turn to saṁskāra—the subtle mental imprints left by our actions, emotions, and thoughts. These are not just memories as we usually think of them, but energetic residues that influence our behaviors, preferences, and tendencies (vāsanās), often without our conscious awareness.
In essence:
- Smṛti is the active recall or resurfacing of a past experience.
- Saṁskāra is the latent imprint that remains, even when we are not consciously aware of it.
You could say smṛti is the tip of the iceberg—a conscious expression—while saṁskāra lies beneath the surface, silently guiding our patterns and responses.
This relationship appears in yoga practice, too. We may remember a teaching (smṛti), but through repetition, it leaves a deeper impression (saṁskāra), eventually transforming how we think, move, and relate to the world.
While memory is essential for daily life, in the context of yoga, it is considered a vṛtti—a mental modification—because:
- It binds us to the past: Memories, especially intense or recurring ones, can keep us preoccupied with past emotions or narratives, disconnecting us from the present.
- It colors our perception: Past memories and their saṁskāras influence how we interpret new experiences, often leading to habitual reactions, biases, or misperceptions.
- It can lead to suffering: Dwelling on painful memories may create distress, while clinging to pleasant ones can cause craving and dissatisfaction when they’re no longer present.
- It disturbs the mind’s natural stillness: Memory is a movement within the mind. The goal of yoga (citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ) is to quiet these fluctuations so the Seer (draṣṭā), our true Self, can rest in its own pure nature.
Breaking the Cycle
In the yogic path, we are not simply trying to stop thinking, but to quiet the vṛttis, including the movements of memory. Memories can trigger emotions, cravings, or aversions, pulling us into patterns of identification with the past. These fluctuations reinforce our saṁskāras, which in turn perpetuate cycles of duḥkha (suffering) and kleśa—the mental afflictions like ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, and fear that are the roots of suffering.
By bringing mindful awareness to how memories arise and influence us, we begin to loosen the grip of samskāric conditioning. Through practices like meditation, breathwork, and ethical living (yamas and niyamas), we gradually transform these patterns, making space for clarity (viveka) and ultimately, liberation (kaivalya).
Key Takeaways
- All five vrittis—Pramāṇa, Viparyaya, Vikalpa, Nidrā, and Smṛti—are mental fluctuations that shape perception.
- Some, like right knowledge, support growth; others, like misperception and imagination, often obscure truth.
- Even seemingly restful states like sleep and useful faculties like memory are activities of the mind.
The yogic goal is citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ—the cessation of all mental fluctuations—so that the true Self (draṣṭā) may shine forth, unclouded.
Reference
- Bryant, Edwin F. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary. Edited by Edwin F. Bryant, translated by Edwin F. Bryant, North Point Press, 2009.
- Satchidananda, Swami, editor. The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. Translated by Swami Satchidananda, Integral Yoga Publications, 2012.