Antaḥkaraṇa (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

: अन्तःकरण) is a concept in

Hindu philosophy Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India which include six systems ('' shad-darśana'') – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.Andrew Nicholson ...

, referring to the totality of the mind, including the thinking faculty, the sense of I-ness, and the discriminating faculty. Antaḥ means 'inner' and karaṇa means 'instrument', or, 'function'. Therefore, the word ''Antaḥkaraṇa'' can be understood as 'inner organ', 'inner functions', or, 'inner instrument'. It also refers to the four functions of the mind, namely the

manas Manas may refer to: Philosophy and mythology *Manas, the Pali and Sanskrit term for "mind"; see ** Manas (early Buddhism) ** Manas-vijnana, one of the eight consciousnesses taught in Yogacara Buddhism *''Ramcharitmanas'', a retelling of the Ramay ...

(the mind or lower mind),

buddhi :''In Hindu mythology, Buddhi is one of the wives of Ganesha.'' Buddhi (Sanskrit: बुद्धि) refers to the intellectual faculty and the power to "form and retain concepts, reason, discern, judge, comprehend, understand". Etymology ''Bud ...

(the intellect or higher mind),

chitta Chitta is one of the 32 villages located in the Soon Sakesar Valley in Khushab District of Pakistan. The population is around 4000. It is located 220 km south-west of Islamabad. The village sits on footsteps of the highest peak of Soon ...

(memory, or, consciousness), and

ahamkara Ahaṁkāra (Sanskrit: अहंकार), 'I-making' is a Sanskrit term in Saṃkhyā philosophy that refers to the identification of Self or Being with 'Nature' or any impermanent 'thing'. Reference in Bhagavad Gita Ahaṁkāra is one of ...

(ego, or, I-maker). ''Antaḥkaraṇa'' has also been called the link between the middle and higher mind, the reincarnating part of the mind. Antahkarana

In Vedāntic literature, this (''internal organ'') is organised into four parts: # ahaṃkāra (''ego'')—identifies the

Atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Film * ''Ātman'' (1975 film), a Japanese experimental short film directed by Toshio Matsumoto * ''Atman'' (1997 film), a documentary film directed by Pirjo Honkasalo People * Pavel Atman (born 1987), Russian hand ...

(''self'') with the body as 'I'. The attachment or identification of the ego, also known as the 'I-maker'. #

(''intellect'')—the decision-making part of the mind. The part that is able to discern truth from falsehood and thereby to make wisdom possible. #

(''mind'')—the lower, rational part of the mind that connects with the external world, and controls ''sankalpa'' (will or resolution). It is also the faculty of doubt and volition; seat of desire and governor of sensory and motor organs. #

(''memory'')—the consciousness where impressions, memories and experiences are stored; the part that deals with remembering and forgetting. There are three states of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

: # jāgrat— waking state # svapna—

dream state Dream State are a Welsh rock band from South Wales formed in 2014. They signed to Australian record label UNFD in 2017 and have released two EPs (their debut ''Consequences'' in 2015 and ''Recovery'' in 2018) as well as a studio album ''Primro ...

# suśupti— deep sleep state The ''antaḥkaraṇa'' is actively functioning in the first two states and dormant in the third state. Another description says that antaḥkaraṇa refers to the entire psychological process, including mind and emotions, are composing the mind levels, as described above, which are mentioned as a unit that functions with all parts working together as a whole. Furthermore, when considering that mind levels are bodies, they are: '' manomayakośa'' - related to manas - the part of mind related to five senses, and also craving for new and pleasant sensations and emotions, while

(intellect, intelligence, capacity to reason), is related to vijñānamayakośa - the body of consciousness, knowledge, intuition and experience. Antahkarana can also refer to a symbol used in the

Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called ''palm healing'' or ''hands-on healing'' through which a " universal energy" is said to be transferred through the palms of the p ...

healing method.

References

{{reflist Hindu philosophical concepts

See also

References