चित्त
Citta
CHIT-tah (ch as in 'church', short 'i' as in 'bit', doubled 't', short 'a')
Level 3Etymology
Root: Derived from the Sanskrit root √cit (चित्) meaning 'to perceive, to be conscious, to know.' The past participle form citta conveys 'that which has been perceived' or 'the field in which perception occurs.'
Literal meaning: The perceiving substance; mind-stuff; the accumulated field of consciousness.
Definition
Chitta is the storehouse of all mental impressions, memories, and subconscious patterns. It functions as the reservoir where every experience, thought, and emotion leaves a trace (samskara), shaping our habits, reactions, and personality. In daily life, chitta is what makes us recall the past and project into the future.
In Yoga philosophy, chitta is the total field of consciousness comprising intellect (buddhi), ego-sense (ahamkara), and sensory mind (manas). Patanjali defines yoga itself as the stilling of chitta's fluctuations (citta-vritti-nirodhah). When chitta becomes perfectly still, the seer rests in its own true nature.
At the highest level of understanding, chitta is recognized as a superimposition upon pure Consciousness (Chit). It is the reflecting medium through which the formless Atman appears to take on individual experience. When all vrittis cease and samskaras are dissolved, chitta resolves back into its source, revealing the unchanging awareness that was never truly modified.
Appears In
Common Misconception
Chitta is often confused with manas (the sensory-processing mind) or buddhi (the discriminative intellect). In reality, chitta encompasses both of these and more — it is the entire field of consciousness including the subconscious layer of stored impressions (samskaras). Manas and buddhi are functions within chitta, not synonyms for it.
Modern Application
Chitta is directly relevant to modern psychology's understanding of the subconscious mind. Cognitive behavioral therapy, for instance, works on modifying deep-seated mental patterns — what yogic tradition calls chitta-samskaras. Mindfulness and meditation practices are essentially techniques for observing and calming chitta-vrittis, the mental fluctuations that cause stress, anxiety, and reactive behavior. Understanding chitta helps explain why we repeat habits unconsciously, why trauma resurfaces, and why sustained contemplative practice can restructure our default mental responses. The concept bridges ancient inner science and contemporary neuroscience's study of neuroplasticity.
Quick Quiz
According to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, what is the definition of Yoga in relation to chitta?