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→Etymology and definition:
==Etymology and definition:==
==Etymology and definition:==
The word ‘manas’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘mana’, meaning to know or understand. (‘Jnane Bodhane va’). The word ‘jnane’ denotes knowing, conscience, awareness, engaging in, or being acquainted with something. The word ‘bodhane’ refers to waking, understanding, signifying, awakening, enlightening, informing. These two words indicate mana functions and their role in daily living to maintain equilibrium in cognitive faculties.
The word ‘manas’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘mana’, meaning to know or understand. (‘Jnane Bodhane va’). The word ‘jnane’ denotes knowing, conscience, awareness, engaging in, or being acquainted with something. The word ‘bodhane’ refers to waking, understanding, signifying, awakening, enlightening, informing. These two words indicate mana functions and their role in daily living to maintain equilibrium in cognitive faculties.
Synonyms:
The Sanskrit words Sattva, [Cha.Vi.8/119] chitta, chetas are synonyms for mana (mind). Sattva means the essence, quality of purity, self-command, existence, reality, truth, excellence, proper, nobleness. Sattva is applied to denote mental strength. Chitta denotes reflecting, thought, intention, thinking over, pondering, attending, observing, reasoning, and discovering. Chitta is applied to denote the thinking, contemplating, or introspecting capacity of mana.
==Synonyms:==
The Sanskrit words Sattva, [Cha.Sa.[[Vimana Sthana]] 8/119] chitta, chetas are synonyms for mana (mind). Sattva means the essence, quality of purity, self-command, existence, reality, truth, excellence, proper, nobleness. Sattva is applied to denote mental strength.
Chitta denotes reflecting, thought, intention, thinking over, pondering, attending, observing, reasoning, and discovering. Chitta is applied to denote the thinking, contemplating, or introspecting capacity of mana.
The word Chetas denotes consciousness, insight, intelligence, splendor. It is applied to denote the union of mind with consciousness. An awakened state of mind, united with consciousness, can be named as ‘chetas’.
The word Chetas denotes consciousness, insight, intelligence, splendor. It is applied to denote the union of mind with consciousness. An awakened state of mind, united with consciousness, can be named as ‘chetas’.
Nature:
These three words are applied to indicate various psychological functions. It also indicates the affection of mental faculty in the pathogenesis of the disease. For example, the diseases like epilepsy (apasmara) and insanity (unmada) occur in persons with weak mental strength (alpa sattva). [Cha. Sa. [[Nidana Sthana]] 7 and 8]
Mana is one of the nine primordial elements (karana dravya). [Cha.Su.1/48] The mind and its objects, intellect and soul, constitute spiritual elements and qualities (adhyatma dravya guna samgraha). [Cha.Su.8/13] It functions as a motor and sensory organ. [ Cha.Sha.1/17 ] It is the sixth sense organ with super sensual power. [Cha.Sha.1/17]
Nourishment and development of mind:
==Nature:==
Mind is nourished from food. Chandogya Upanishada describes that the gross part of the food generates feces. The middle portion develops muscular and other body tissues, while the subtle parts nourish the mind. The quality of food, cooking method, place of eating, and dietary regulations (ahara vidhi) is crucial for proper nourishment of the body and mind.
Mana is one of the nine primordial elements (karana dravya). [Cha.Sa.[[Sutra Sthana]] 1/48] The mind and its objects, intellect and soul, constitute spiritual elements and qualities (adhyatma dravya guna samgraha). [Cha.Sa.[[Sutra Sthana]]8/13] It functions as a motor and sensory organ. [Cha.Sa.[[Sharira Sthana]]1/17] It is the sixth sense organ with super sensual power. [Cha.Sa.[[Sharira Sthana]]1/17]
==Nourishment and development of mind:==
Mind is nourished from food. Chandogya Upanishada describes that the gross part of the food generates feces. The middle portion develops muscular and other body tissues, while the subtle parts nourish the mind. The quality of food, cooking method, place of eating, and dietary regulations (ahara vidhi) is crucial for proper nourishment of the body and mind.
Mind plays an instrumental role in perception and knowledge. It is the mediator between senses (objects) and soul (knower). Therefore, the sensory and motor inputs handled by the mind are essential for developing and nourishing the mind. The kind of sensations like what the person see, listen, touch, taste, and smell are food for the mind. They are processed by mind and intellect together to store it as memory. Better the quality of this food, better is the development.
Mind plays an instrumental role in perception and knowledge. It is the mediator between senses (objects) and soul (knower). Therefore, the sensory and motor inputs handled by the mind are essential for developing and nourishing the mind. The kind of sensations like what the person see, listen, touch, taste, and smell are food for the mind. They are processed by mind and intellect together to store it as memory. Better the quality of this food, better is the development.
One should always make efforts to maintain the normal state of sense organs with mind and protect them from any trauma. This can be achieved by proper association of sense organs and their objects, the performance of beneficial duties, and following preventive measures opposite to the qualities of residing place (desha), season (kala) and one’s own constitution (prakriti)s. So, all, who are desirous of well-being, should always follow all the codes of conduct. [Cha. Sa. [[Sutra Sthana]] 8/17] Moral code of conduct (sadvritta) [Cha. Sa. [[Sutra Sthana]] 8/18-28] and behaviour therapy for rejuvenation (achara rasayana) [Cha.Sa.[[Chikitsa Sthana]] 1/4/30-35] helps to preserve a normal state of mind and prevent diseases.
==Test for existence of mind:==
Knowledge is one and the actual proof of the existence of the mind. The sequential contact of mind with soul, sense organs, and objects leads to understanding and knowing that particular object. [Cha.Sa.[[Sharira Sthana]]1/18-19] Presence of mind can be tested by presence or absence of knowledge. This is one of the signs of active mind. [Cha.Sa.[[Sharira Sthana]] 1/18] Mind plays a significant role in the chain of perception to knowledge and memory. Memory works only after proper attention and perception of knowledge. If the mind is absent, the process of perception, knowledge, and memory are blocked.
==Location:==
The primary site of mind is the heart. [Cha.Sa.[[Chikitsa Sthana]]24/34-35], [ Su.Sa.Sharira Sthana 6/26], [A.Hr.Sharira Sthana.4/13] Other sites are described as between head (shiras) and palate (talu). [Bhe.Sa.[[Chikitsa Sthana]]8/2-4] Mind is present all over body through its sensory and motor functions. Contemporary texts describe the site of mind as brain and nervous system.
====Manovaha srotas (channels of transportation and transformation of mental factors)===
The channels that transport and transform mental factors are described.[Chakrapani, Cha.Sa.[[Vimana Sthana]] 5/3] Mind is connected with the sense and motor organs ([[indriya]]). It carries various functions in coordination with soul ([[atma]]) and intellect ([[buddhi]]). These components are included in manovaha srotasa. It is spread all over the body through ten vessels (manovaha dhamani) originating from heart. [Chakrapani, Cha.Sa. [[Indriya Sthana]] 5/41] These channels connect the heart to the brain. It is affected in diseases like psychosis (unmada) [Cha.Sa.[[Chikitsa Sthana]] 9/5]. If it is vitiated by all three [[dosha]], then the person experiences terrible dreams indicating underlying diseases pathologies. [ Cha.Sa.[[Indriya Sthana]] 5/41]
The chetanavahi or chetovahi srotasa (channels of consciousness) is obstructed in diseases like intoxication (mada), syncope (murchcha) and coma (sannyasa). [Shivadasa sen commentary on Cha.Sa. [[Chikitsa Sthana]] 9/5] The vitiated [[dosha]] obstruct these channels and cause diseases like psychosis and epilepsy. [Bhela Samhita Nidana Sthana 7/2, 8/3, 8/8] The channels can further lead to a severe disease called ‘atattvabhinivesha’ (a disease of perversion of intellect). [Cha.Sa. [[Chikitsa Sthana]] 10/57-60] Obstruction to channels carrying psychic impulses (sanjnavahi srotasa) by [[rajas]] and [[tamas]] causes a confused state of mind. [Su.Sa. Uttara Tantra 61/8] Accumulation of [[dosha]] in heart causes depletion of mental strength and leads to psychosis. [A.S. Uttara Tantra 10/2, A.Hr. Uttara Tantra 7/2] manovaha srotas is closely connected with rasavaha srotas. The activities are conducted mainly by [[vata]] [[dosha]] and regulated by sadhaka [[pitta]] and avalambaka [[kapha]].
==Attributes of mind:==
The mana is subtle (anu) and unitary (eka). [ Cha.Sa.[[Sharira Sthana]] 1/19]
*'''Subtleness''': The mind is the subtlest organ. Ordinary visual senses cannot observe it. One can perceive the mind through its functions associated with senses. This subtleness might be a reason for the limitation to define and conclude the exact physical structure of mind.
*'''Oneness''': Mind is only one in an individual. The psyche may appear more than one as it presents multiple roles in an individual. The variation is due to a change in perception as per own suitability (svartha), the capacity of motivation and perception of objects of senses (indriyartha). Similarly, it takes various forms due to its contact with qualities like purity (sattva), activity (rajas), and ignorance (tamas). However, the mind is person-specific and only one. It can unite with only one sense organ at a time to acquire knowledge. [Cha.Su.8/5-6] The other attribute of mana is its fickleness (chanchalatva). Fickle mindedness is one of the significant obstacles in concentration and meditation.
Factors related from mind:
Factors related to mind:
Following factors are related to mind (sattvaja) during embryogenesis. These factors develop further to build the psychic constitution based on exposure and experiences in lifetime. Devotion (bhakti), character (sheela), purity (shaucha), hatred (dvesha), memory (smriti), attachment (moha), sacrifice (tyaga), jealousy (matsarya), valor (shaurya), fear (bhaya), anger (krodha), drowsiness (tandra), enthusiasm (utsaha), sharpness (taikshnya), softness (mardava), seriousness (gambhirya), unsteadiness (anavasthitatva). All these are present in the same person, however, do not manifest simultaneously. An individual is said to be of a particular type, based on the predominant type of mind. [ Cha.Sa. Sharira Sthana 3/13]
Following factors are related to mind (sattvaja) during embryogenesis. These factors develop further to build the psychic constitution based on exposure and experiences in lifetime. Devotion (bhakti), character (sheela), purity (shaucha), hatred (dvesha), memory (smriti), attachment (moha), sacrifice (tyaga), jealousy (matsarya), valor (shaurya), fear (bhaya), anger (krodha), drowsiness (tandra), enthusiasm (utsaha), sharpness (taikshnya), softness (mardava), seriousness (gambhirya), unsteadiness (anavasthitatva). All these are present in the same person, however, do not manifest simultaneously. An individual is said to be of a particular type, based on the predominant type of mind. [ Cha.Sa. Sharira Sthana 3/13]
Functions (karma):
Functions (karma):