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samskara (Sanskrit: "patterned or conditioned behaviors; subconscious tendencies; worldly life; impression.") — 1. The imprints left on the subconscious mind by experience (from this or previous lives), which then color all of life, one's nature, responses, states of mind, etc. 2. A sacrament or rite done to mark a significant transition of life. These make deep and positive impressions on the mind of the recipient, inform the family and community of changes in the lives of its members and secure inner-world blessings. The numerous samskaras are outlined in the Grihya Shastras. Most are accompanied by specific mantras from the Vedas.

The Sixteen Samskaras

Artha Panchaka — The Five Requirements. There are the five categories of spiritual knowledge which one needs to study, reflect upon, realize and practice in order to progress spiritually. These are:-


antahkarana
antahkarana (Sanskrit: "inner conscience" or "the manifest mind") — the Mental faculty of the sukshma-sharira (astral body), comprising intellect, instinct and ego. It consists of 1. manas (the mind), 2. chitta (the memory), 3. buddhi (the intellect) and 4. ahańkāra (the ego).

4	ahańkāra	"I-maker," egoity
3	buddhi	knows, decides, judges, and discriminates
2	chitta	storage of impressions
1	manas	sensory, processing mind

The Four Functions of the Mind

There are four functions of the Mental faculty or Mind (represented with a capital M in English). In Sanskrit these four functions are designated as manas, buddhi, ahamkara and chitta.
Manas is ordinary, indeterminate thinking — just being aware that something is there and automatically registers the facts which the senses perceive.
The subconscious action, memory, etc., is caused by chitta. The function of chitta is chinta (contemplation), the faculty whereby the Mind in its widest sense raises for itself the subject of its thought and dwells thereon.
Buddhi determines, decides and logically comes to a conclusion that something is such-and-such a thing. That is another aspect of the operation of the psyche — buddhi or intellect. buddhi, on attending to such registration, discriminates, determines, and cognizes the object registered, which is set over and against the subjective self by ahańkāra.
Ahamkara — ego, affirmation, assertion, 'I know'. "I know that there is some object in front of me, and I also know that I know. I know that I am existing as this so-and-so." This kind of affirmation attributed to one's own individuality is the work of ahamkara, known as egoism.

Hierarchical relationship

There is a definite hierarchical relationship between the four parts of the mind from Mana to Ahankar in ascending order. Mana, being intangible hence superior than the body and sensory organs can control them but it can’t control or perceive Chitta as it is superior to Mana. Chitta can’t perceive Buddhi and Buddhi can’t perceive Ahankar. Ahankar being the subtlest of the four can perceive all these parts of the mind as well as the gross physical body. Asmita, the ‘Id’ is not included in the foursome called Antahkaran, as it is still above and subtler in the hierarchy.

The Mind perceives the world through the five senses

Our mind perceives the world around us through the five senses, namely, sound, touch, sight, taste and smell, aided by the five respective sensory organs the ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose. When our Mind desires to know an external object, it activates the sensory organ or organs necessary for the purpose, engulfs the object through that organ and collects the necessary information of the object. The part of mind performing the above task is called Manas and the above act is called Manan. The part of the Mind thinking and visualizing the objects, events and experiences from the past or the future is called the Chitta and this act is called Chintan. It is necessary to take note of the fact that in the process of Chintan the outer object is absent. The part of Mind that records the accumulated conclusive knowledge on brain neurons and help recalling the same as and when required is called Buddhi. The ever-present awareness of the above three actions, like ‘I, so and so, am knowing this particular object, I am internalizing the knowledge so acquired, I hold so much accumulated knowledge’, is the fourth part of the Mind, which is called Ahankar

arishadvarga — the six passions of mind or enemies of desire, kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (pride) and matsarya (jealousy), the negative characteristics which prevent man from realizing the atman (Reality that is his True Being).

• kama — lust, craze, desire
• krodha — anger, hatred
• lobha — greed, miserliness, narrow minded
• moha — delusory emotional attachment
• mada or ahankara — pride, stubborn mindedness
• matsarya — envy, jealousy, show or vanity, and pride

Kama and krodha or lust and anger are responsible for all kinds of difficult experiences which we have in our lives.
With the false ego ("I-ness") up and active, all our acting in the world becomes selfish and evil. Hence there is no other factor causing the illusory duality and the repeated pain and delusion it entails than the psychological ego-sense. When the materially identified ego has sided with the materialistic forces of creation (Maya), it is said to have the following faults: kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada or ahankara, and matsarya. Also called evil passions, man's Spiritual heritage constantly gets looted by these internal thieves (and their numerous variations), causing him to lose knowledge of his True Being.
If a fellow is virtually a prisoner of arishadvargas (the six internal enemies of kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya) then his life is totally governed by the destiny. As a person moves ahead on the path of self-realization, the grip of the destiny over him loosens and he gets more and more leverage to change his destiny. When a person identifies himself with the self, then, he becomes part of the destiny power. His power of mere sankalpa is good enough to materialize and change any situation either for good or bad according to his sankalpa.

Commentaries

Panchaklesha

panchaklesha (Sanskrit: “five hindrances”) — to spiritual growth: avidya (ignorance), asmita (egoism), abhinivesha (clinging to life), raga (cravings), dwesha (aversions); also considered the “five roots” of all problems of human existence; the motivating factors which drive humans to act in such ways as to produce and perpetuate Karma.

The five kinds of afflictions

guna

The Gunas

According to the Sankhya philosophy, Prakriti is composed of three Gunas or forces, called Sattva (purity, light, harmony), Rajas (passion, activity, motion) and Tamas (inertia, darkness, inertness, inactivity). Guna means a cord. The Gunas bind the Self with a triple bond.
These Gunas are not the Nyaya-Vaiseshika Gunas. They are the actual substances or ingredients, of which Prakriti is constituted. They make up the whole world evolved out of Prakriti. They are not conjoined in equal quantities, but in varying proportions, one or the other being in excess. Just as Sat-Chit-Ananda is the Vedantic trinity, so also the Gunas are the Sankhyan trinity.

Interaction Between the Gunas Leads to Evolution

The three Gunas are never separate. They support one another. They intermingle with one another. They are intimately related as the flame, the oil and the wick of a lamp. They form the very substance of Prakriti. All objects are composed of the three Gunas. The Gunas act on one another. Then there is evolution or manifestation. Destruction is only non-manifestation.
The Gunas are the objects. Purusha is the witness-subject. Prakriti evolves under the influence of Purusha. Mahat or the Great (Intellect), the Cause of the whole world, is the first product of the evolution of Prakriti. Ahankara arises after Buddhi. Agency belongs to Ahankara. It is the principle that creates individuality. Mind is born of Ahankara. It carries out the orders of the will through the organs of action (Karma Indriyas). It reflects and doubts (Sankalpa-Vikalpa). It synthesises the sense-data into percepts. The mind takes part in both perception and action. There is no separate Prana Tattva in the Sankhya system. The Vedanta system has a separate Prana Tattva. In the Sankhya system, mind, with the organs, produces the five vital airs. Prana is a modification of the senses. It does not subsist in their absence.

Characteristics of the Three Gunas

Sattva is equilibrium. When Sattva prevails, there is peace or tranquillity. Rajas is activity which is expressed as Raga-Dvesha, likes or dislikes, love or hatred, attraction or repulsion. Tamas is that binding force with a tendency to lethargy, sloth and foolish actions. It causes delusion or non-discrimination.
When Sattva is predominant, it overpowers Rajas and Tamas. When Rajas is dominant, it overpowers Sattva and Tamas. When Tamas is predominant, it overpowers Rajas and Sattva.

How Man is Affected by the Three Gunas

There are three Gunas in every man. Sometimes, Sattva prevails in him. Then he is calm and tranquil. He reflects and meditates. At other times, Rajas prevails in him and he does various sorts of worldly activities. He is passionate and active. Sometimes, Tamas prevails. He becomes lazy, dull, inactive and careless. Tamas generates delusion.
Again, one of these Gunas is generally predominant in different men. A Sattvic man is virtuous. He leads a pure and pious life. A Rajasic man is passionate and active. A Tamasic man is dull and inactive.
Sattva makes a man divine and noble, Rajas makes him thoroughly human and selfish, and Tamas makes him bestial and ignorant. There is much Sattva in a sage or saint and there is much Rajas in a soldier, politician and businessman.
adhyatma prasara (Sanskrit: "evolution of the Self") — the Self's evolution is a progressive unfoldment, growth and maturing toward its inherent, divine destiny, which is complete merger with Brahman. In its essence, the Self is ever perfect. But as an individual soul body emanated by Brahman, it is like a small seed yet to develop. As an acorn needs to be planted in the dark underground to grow into a mighty oak tree, so must the Self unfold out of the darkness of the malas to full maturity and realization of its innate oneness with Brahman. The Self evolves by taking on denser and denser sheaths — cognitive, instinctive-intellectual and pranic — until finally it takes birth in physical form in the bhuloka. Then it experiences many lives, maturing through the samsara (reincarnation process). Thus, from birth to birth, the Self learn and mature. See: mala, moksha, samsara, vishvagrasa.

Description

Evolution is the result of experience and the lessons derived from it. There are young atma (Self) just beginning to evolve, and old atma nearing the end of their earthly sojourn. In Saiva Siddhanta, evolution is understood as the removal of fetters which comes as a natural unfoldment, realization and expression of one's true, self-effulgent nature. This ripening or dropping away of the mala (soul's bonds) is called malaparipaka. The realization of the Self nature is termed svanubhuti (experience of the Self).
Self Realization leads to moksha, liberation from the three malas and the reincarnation cycles. Then evolution continues in the celestial worlds until the soul finally merges fully and indistinguishably into Supreme Brahman, the Primal Self, Parameshvara. In his Tirumantiram, Rishi Tirumular calls this merger vishvagrasa, "total absorption. The evolution of the Self is not a linear progression, but an intricate, circular, many-faceted mystery. Nor is it at all encompassed in the Darwinian theory of evolution, which explains the origins of the human form as descended from earlier primates.

atma anubhavam



Om Tat Sat
                                                        
(Continued...) 



_{(My humble salutations to  Veda wicki dot and Philosophers, Historians for the collection)}