Beyond Western Psychology
Modern Western psychology, born in the 19th century, focuses primarily on observable behaviour and conscious mental processes. Indian psychology, by contrast, is over 3,000 years old and centres on consciousness itself — its layers, modifications, and ultimate nature.
The Layered Model of the Mind
Indian psychology distinguishes four functions of the inner instrument (Antahkarana):
┌────────────────────────────────┐
│ ANTAHKARANA │
│ (Inner Instrument) │
├────────────┬───────────────────┤
│ Manas │ Mind — sensory │
│ │ processing │
├────────────┼───────────────────┤
│ Buddhi │ Intellect — │
│ │ decision-making │
├────────────┼───────────────────┤
│ Ahamkara │ Ego — sense of │
│ │ "I" │
├────────────┼───────────────────┤
│ Chitta │ Memory store / │
│ │ consciousness │
└────────────┴───────────────────┘| Faculty | Function | Modern Analogue |
|---|---|---|
| Manas | Receives sense input, doubts, deliberates | Sensory processing |
| Buddhi | Discriminates, decides, holds wisdom | Executive function, judgement |
| Ahamkara | Generates identification with body/role | Ego, self-concept |
| Chitta | Storehouse of impressions (samskaras) | Memory + unconscious |
Pancha Kosha — The Five Sheaths
The Taittiriya Upanishad describes the human personality as five concentric sheaths:
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Annamaya Kosha — Food / Physical Body │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Pranamaya Kosha — Vital Energy │ │
│ │ ┌────────────────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Manomaya Kosha — Mind │ │ │
│ │ │ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ Vijnanamaya — Intel. │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ ┌────────────────┐ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ Anandamaya — │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ Bliss │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ (ATMAN) │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └────────────────┘ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ └──────────────────────┘ │ │ │
│ │ └────────────────────────────┘ │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────┘ │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘Theory of Consciousness — Four States
The Mandukya Upanishad describes four states of consciousness:
| State | Sanskrit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Waking | Jagrat | Active engagement with external world |
| Dream | Swapna | Internal world of subtle impressions |
| Deep Sleep | Sushupti | Undifferentiated awareness, no objects |
| Turiya | Fourth | Pure consciousness, witness of the other three |
Klesha — The Five Afflictions
Patanjali identifies five mental afflictions that bind the soul:
- Avidya — Ignorance of the true Self
- Asmita — Egoism / identification with body-mind
- Raga — Attachment to pleasure
- Dvesha — Aversion to pain
- Abhinivesha — Clinging to life / fear of death
All other psychological suffering stems from these five roots.
Practical Applications Today
- Mindfulness research validates the meditation techniques described in Yoga Sutras.
- Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) mirrors Vedanta's emphasis on questioning thoughts.
- Positive Psychology rediscovers concepts like flow (samadhi), virtue (dharma), and contentment (santosha).
Key Terms — Lesson 2.1 (Indian Psychology)
The four-fold Antahkarana, the five koshas and the five kleshas are the three lists examiners most often ask you to enumerate.
Antahkarana — The "inner instrument"; the mind in its four functions. Manas — The sensory-processing mind that receives input, doubts and deliberates. Buddhi — The intellect that discriminates, decides and holds wisdom. Ahamkara — The ego; the faculty that generates the sense of "I". Chitta — The storehouse of impressions (samskaras); memory and the unconscious. Pancha Kosha — The five sheaths of personality (Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya, Anandamaya) from the Taittiriya Upanishad. Turiya — The "fourth", pure consciousness that witnesses waking, dream and deep sleep (Mandukya Upanishad). Samskara — A latent mental impression stored in the chitta. Klesha — A mental affliction; Patanjali lists five. Avidya — Ignorance of the true Self; the root klesha from which the others spring.
Exam Pointers
- "Explain the Antahkarana / four-fold mind" (5 marks) → define Manas, Buddhi, Ahamkara, Chitta with one modern analogue each.
- "Describe the Pancha Kosha" (5 marks) → list the five sheaths from gross to subtle, ending at Anandamaya/Atman.
- "What are the five kleshas?" (3 marks) → Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dvesha, Abhinivesha; note Avidya is the root.