From Root to Fruit The Intelligence Behind the Vrittis

“to understand consciousness, we must begin at the root of all existence” (trip aum shanti)

Yoga Sutra 1.5

वृत्तयः पञ्चतय्यः क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाःvṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ

vṛttayaḥ: fluctuations of the mind, misconceptions

pañcatayyaḥ: fivefold, five types

kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ: afflicting or non-afflicting, painful or not painful, harmful or not harmful

This sutra offers a kind of map for what is to come. It points to the base of who we are. It teaches that the vrittis, or fluctuations of the mind, are fivefold, and they can either afflict the person or be harmless. If we do not understand the root, we cannot understand the fruit. When we recognize that all states arise from the same source, our response can become steadier and more aligned. They are two sides of the same coin, both pointing us toward the witness.

This understanding extends into the external world as well. Nothing need be overly bothersome, since reactions rooted in affliction are simply that: reactions. And nothing should lead us into overexcitement either, for that is just an unafflicted or harmless response to stimuli. Fruit falls from the tree constantly. Whether it is rotting or ripe does not change the fact that the tree continues to produce. What matters is our recognition of this and how we choose to respond. Here the sutra invites discernment.

The human condition is born with any combination of these five afflictive and non-afflictive states. This verse does not explore those states yet, but it prompts contemplation about the root itself and where these movements of mind arise from. Even the capacity to produce these states is incredibly sophisticated and intelligent. All of it points to an intentional and intelligent design.