Understanding the Architecture of Thought

"The five types of thoughts are true, mistaken, imagined, unconsciousness, and remembered perception" (trip aum shanti)

Yoga Sutra 1.6

प्रमाणविपर्ययविकल्पनिद्रास्मृतयः

pramāṇa viparya yavikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ

pramāṇa: Real knowledge; true perception

viparyaya: False knowledge; misconception

vikalpa: Imagination

nidrā: Deep unconscious sleep; absence of mind

smṛtayaḥ: Memory

When we think about the mind and the process of moving closer to meditation, we must first understand the different ways thought enters the mind. If we do not learn to work with and guide these forms of thought, they blend together and become tangled. This is when we see people living in constant chaos, reacting to everything with no clarity, no evidence, and no inner direction. A mind that is not studied becomes a mind that is not known. We have to be willing to examine our thought patterns, layer by layer, to discover what is actually real, and eventually even to see that “real” itself is a construct. The purpose of thought is to lead us toward source, to move through illusion until enlightenment becomes tangible. There is a stage where the mind becomes silent and you enter pure experience, moment by moment, with no attachment and no commentary. It simply is. Introspection is essential on this path.

So let’s look deeper at each vritti. Pramāṇa, in its simplest sense, is true cognition or correct knowing. It is not the knowledge itself but the instrument through which valid knowing becomes possible. Some thoughts naturally lead us toward truth, but they must pass through many layers. In Indian philosophical systems, three classic pramāṇas are recognized: perception, inference, and authoritative testimony such as the Yoga Sūtras. Advaita Vedānta expanded this to include analogy, presumption, and non perception or proof from absence. This alone shows the depth required to arrive at truth without error. Modern culture has drifted from this. People jump to conclusions constantly without ever doing the work. For something to be genuinely true, it must be a valid, reliable, non erroneous pathway to reality. The true takeaway here is that we must do the work to know Truth. Without it, we remain ignorant.

Viparyaya, by contrast, is the very reason pramāṇa is so important. Viparyaya is misperception or incorrect cognition, seeing what is not there as if it were real. It is the mental mirage when we turn something into what it is not. The classic example is mistaking a rope for a snake. Both objects exist, but only one matches the perception. The mind fools itself until it recognizes what is real.

Vikalpa is imagination, the world built from words and concepts with no actual object behind them. It is the stories we tell ourselves even when there is no evidence. A clear example is the belief that we need external approval for our worth. This is simply a story, felt as truth but not grounded in reality. Vikalpa arises from language and inner narrative alone. The mind strings together ideas that feel meaningful, but they point to nothing real. Like anticipating something that never happens, it is a thought pattern with no anchor.

Nidrā is more nuanced than simple sleep. Patañjali is very specific that even in deep sleep, the mind is doing something. Nidrā is a state where the mind takes “absence” as its object. It is the experience of non presence. You wake and say “I slept well but remember nothing.” How do you know that? Something remained aware. There is still a form of cognition, a subtle awareness that the mind presented nothing. It is awareness of non awareness.

Smṛtayaḥ is memory, the stored impression of something once experienced. Understanding memory is vital so that past behaviors in need of refinement are not repeated. We do not bury the past and pretend it does not exist. Events happen, and we must learn from them. Memory must be purified and understood so it does not unconsciously shape the future. Although the past no longer exists, its impressions do, and these require clarity and attention.

These are the five vritti, the movements of the mind. It is fascinating to view the mind in this way because it reveals an organic organization within consciousness. Thought does not simply “happen”; it moves through these patterns. Knowing how the mind operates is essential to discerning what is real and what is not. Ultimately, we want to arrive at the truth of our existence, for that is genuine freedom.

Know your mind. Know its patterns. Know its movements. Become still.