Last Updated on October 30, 2024 by Tejaswini

All of us, all humans have a Mind, Manas. And the Manas is just like any other organ of the body. It has certain abilities and it is required to perform certain functions. Just like the eyes can see and the legs can walk, the Mind is also required to perform a job. And just like the hands have the potential to write, draw, craft, play music, drive, type, archery, sew, cook, etc (if only we knew their potential and actually worked on developing it). The Manas also has certain potential abilities which can be developed by first becoming aware of them and then consciously working to improve them. 

Most of us are not aware of the stupendous potential of the Mind. Generally we do not even register that the Mind is a organ just like the rest. And in our ignorance, we are not able to use this organ – Manas, effectively.

The extensive potential of the mind is detailed in the Vedant -Aitareya Upanishad. (Do try to learn your real mother tongue, Sanskrit, so that you can read your own books written in your own mother tongue). Humans use all of these powers of the Mind but unconsciously, the trick is to become conscious of these. Only then can we develop them and use them effectively to gain in life. 

Let’s list these 16 abilities in this post.

1. Sanjnyan – सञ्ज्ञान – means the right conception, harmony, perception, awareness, consciousness. You are aware of so many things around you and also within you. When you say ‘I am… ‘this is self awareness, Sanjnyan. The awareness of the world, your emotions, your intelligence, etc. This correct awareness of everything around you as objects of experience is called Sanjnyan. The Mind exercises this ability during the awake – Jagrut and dream – Swapna states. This ability is dormant during deep sleep – Sushupti.

2. Aajnyan – आज्ञान – means comprehension. First you perceive an object (sanjnyan), then you comprehend what this object really is all about. This knowledge ‘comes in’ from the object into you. This power of the Mind is called Aajnyan. (Not अज्ञान ajnyan, this word means ignorance.)

• Eg Your eyes see some thing. And the Mind first recognises that there is an object of experience in front of you (sanjnyan). The mind then notes that this object is red in color, is moving etc. The information ‘comes in’ and gets registered in your Mind (aajnyan). 
• Eg. Your Mind is very focussed, you are driving your car. The phone rings, you faintly register the sound (sanjnyan), but as your Mind is completely focussed on driving it does not allow Aajnyan of the ringing phone. So you do not register the sound as a ringing phone. 

3. Vijnyan – विज्ञान – means understanding, or specific knowledge or special knowledge. The Mind explores the opportunities presented by the object of experience in front of it, explores the various choices presented by the presence of this object. Vijnyan is the power of the Mind to discriminate between several options. To differentiate between two, to choose between options is vijnyan.

• Eg there are two pieces of furniture before you. Your Mind knows that one is a chair and you go sit on it. And it knows that the other is table and you write on it. This is the knowledge of special differences, vijnyan.
• Eg. There is a muddy ditch in the road. Your Mind supplies the information that if you walk normally your clothes will get wet and muddy. But if you jump across the clothes will not get dirty. So it is preferable to jump. This is vijnyan. 

4. Prajnyan – प्रज्ञान – means knowledge or wisdom. The Mind uses this ability to identify some distinctive features of the object of experience like – warmth, color, sound, shape etc.

• Eg. an object of experience which is reddish in color, has flames, can burn, makes popping sounds, etc. The Mind now knows the object of experience to be ‘fire’. When this happens instantly, it is a function of Prajnya.

5. Medha – मेधा – This power of the Mind allows it to retain information. It lets you remember, recollect and correlate. It can be called ‘mental vigour’. It is how fast your Mind can classify or make sense of an object of experience. 

• So continuing our fire example – the next time you see a fire or just hear a crackling sound of fire, your Mind will call on the past memory of ‘fire’ and correlate. Then confirm that this new object of experience near you is also ‘fire’ because it matched the information it had gained previously regarding ‘fire’.

6. Drushti – दृष्टि – means sensory perception, insight, attitude, point of view or opinion. The Mind can also form opinions based on the data it has. Drushti is the ability of the Mind to come to form an opinion regarding an object of experience. 

• In our example of a blazing fire – if it were winter, then you would want to warm your hands on the fire. But if it is a burning house, then you would want to immediately call the fire brigade. This is Drushti, your point of view or your opinion, which depends on your circumstance.

7. Dhruti – धृति – The capacity to control your mind, to command it, to channelise it is called Dhruti. The Mind can strongly resolve to do some thing or to avoid doing something. The courage necessary to hold on to an idea. धृति is the ability of the Mind to constantly hold on to a thought firmly inside it. To persevere.

• Suppose your boy/girl friend has ditched you and you are feeling miserable. You resolve to hit the gym so that you can use the time to build a healthier body. Here the Mind has used its power of Dhruti, commanded itself to stop wallowing in despair and channelize its power into a more useful route. 

8. Mati – मति – in simple words means – opinion, intuition, intention. The Mind has the capacity to think things through. The logical thought process which can be utilised productively to choose an appropriate course of action.

• Example, – again suppose your boy/girl friend has ditched you and you are miserable. But you think it through and decide that being miserable is a waste of your time. This ‘thinking it through’ is Mati, the pure intellect. You come to a firm conviction that being miserable is not what you want to do. The Mind has decided to move on from this experience of boy/girl friend using Mati.

9. Smruti – स्मृति – means memory. This is all the data which is present in the ocean of your Manas. This is all the experiences which you have gone through. All the physical, emotional and intellectual learnings which you have gained. All that you have lived through, is your memory. The database of all the objects of experience which your Mind has processed till now. Some memories may not be easily available as they are in the sub-conscious part of the Mind but may be available in dream states or instinctively. And some memories may be continuously available in the conscious mind. These are all Smruti.

10. Manisha – मनीषा – means reflection. Your mind is able to observe an object, relive an experience through various angles, think through various perspectives, review a situation, replay an event, etc. This ability to relive the experiences, look at them from a different perspective inside the Mind is called Manisha. The Mind thus can entertain various types of perceptions which vary with circumstances /level of thinking at the same time. 

• Eg – A ‘mirror’ (Arsha in Marathi and Sanskrit) can mean an actual mirror, or your soul mate, or the 7^th house of your chart, or the Ved, or the Devi or the creation itself, depending on the level of your Mind’s Manisha. 
• Eg – Your boss tells you to complete two projects. You complete one, are satisfied and go home. When you replay the day on the way home you realise that you have forgotten the second one. You gained a new understanding when you replayed the earlier experience. This function of the Mind is called Manisha.

11. Juti – जूति – indicates the power of your Mind to become active. Is your mind sluggish or are your mental processes quick? The speed with which your Mind can process the information it receives or the experience it goes through is called Juti. 

• Eg. you see a window of opportunity opening up. Can your Mind come up with a strategy to capitalise on it and implement this strategy before this window closes? This function of the Manas is Juti.
• Eg. If you study in the morning you understand the lesson instantly. And if you study at night you need to re- read it. Your Mind has a faster Juti in the morning than at night. 

12. Samkalp – सङ्कल्प – This word means the right conception, the ability to visualise, to articulate. Every action has a purpose. So, what is the purpose behind your action? Only your Mind is capable of answering this question. Your Mind chooses a course of action because it itself has decided to do it, and for a reason. You expect certain gains from an action and that is why you decide to do it. This determination, this thought which has been converted into an intention, this drive is called Sankalp. Sankalp is the power of purpose, it is the reason for your actions. The Mind is not random, and everything has a purpose, this is Sankalp.

• Eg. your Mind decides to shift from Kolkata to New Delhi. Perhaps the Mind has a vision of a better job, more opportunities, or your friends live there. It has changed its reality and for this to happen the Mind has first used its power of Sankalp, visualisation.

13. Kratu – क्रतु – The Mind needs a plan for the actions it performs. You are sacrificing some power of your body / mind, using it up for performing some action. This action has to serve some purpose and your Mind plans the best way to go about it. And this step wise process is called Kratu. How should you perform an action? What is the most effective or efficient or sensible way? Kratu is your strategy, your plan of action. The thought process which made you come up with this plan. 

• Eg. you have to go from Delhi to Mumbai. So how would you travel? You can walk, drive, hitchhike, take a train, a flight etc. You might think of 10 different ways but you finally choose to act on one of these options. You act in way which best suits your purpose.

14. Asu – असु- is the life energy or vigor. The Mind is capable of producing energy independently. Like sometimes, when you are physically tired but the Mind is fully charged and then you do something productive, like reading or writing. Or the Mind may be so energised that despite feeling physically tired you go out and do some physical work. This potential of the Manas to generate strength is called Asu. This vigour can be on the physical, emotional or intellectual planes. You see some people breaking down at the least stress and you see some others continuing strongly despite severe hardships. The energy of the Mind is Asu.

15. Kaam – काम – This word means desire, or more correctly it is the desire and the power to create, to experience, to know. The Mind desires experiences of various types and it also has the power to create those types of experiences. eg your Mind wants to taste a particular dish, so you go to a restaurant. Or the Mind wants to experience an emotion, so you go watch a movie. Or the Mind wants intellectual happiness so you read the Bhagwat Gita. Or you want some impossible fantasy, so you day-dream and the Mind gets that fantasy experience. Or you think of something with such intensity that you dream of it as you sleep. The Mind always has the potential to desire and also fulfill its desires. And this is the infinite Kaam.

16. Vasha – वश – means the Will of the Mind. The freedom of the Mind. The Mind is essentially free, wilful and cannot be controlled. It can only be channelled and that too with conscious effort. You might think that you have the Will and you do something because it is your own Will. But in fact it is the Will of your Mind. We live our lives inside our Minds. As long as the Mind controls you, evolution is not possible. But the day you realise that the Mind can be consciously worked upon, that it is just one of the many organs that you have, then your real evolution begins.

In Sanatan Dharma, every concept has a practical value. We do not sit and randomly ‘philosophise’. Every single word in the Ved/ Tantra is to be utilised in this real world. Dharma has to be lived, not just kept inside the books. So use the concepts of Hinduism to live your life mindfully, with intelligence. Delve deeper into your your Mind. Introspect.This Mind, Manas, is your most powerful weapon. You must learn to use it. It must be honed, practised and only then will it work at its full potential. Use your Minds to the fullest and actualise your real potential.

Dr. Tejaswini Arvind Patil