27 the person in the ordinary conditional existence
samsāra living with a mistaken identity. These kleśa are the root of the residue of karma, the karma-asaya action-deposit in the subconscious
mind. The effects of this deposit are not only felt in this life but also in the future lives. As long as the actions are rooted in the ignorance of one’s true nature, they are considered as afflicted actions
which cause repeated consequences in situations or births. When the actions carried out are meritorious
puņya, they produce joyful results, otherwise unmeritorious apuņya actions result in painful or distressing experiences. Every action leaves an impression or
samskāra in the deeper layer of the mind where it awaits expression in more volitional activity.
b. Samskāra
The root word kr which gives rise to the stem kara when prefixed with sam- gives the meaning of
‘ritual action, training, embellishment’ to the word samskāra. In the Yoga literature and elsewhere it
is translated as ‘impression’. Feuerstein translates it as ‘subliminal-activator’ thus ‘stressing its dynamic nature’
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The samskāra-s are continuously formed as a result of the mental activities and transactions of the
individual with the external world. Every mental activity including thought, feeling and intention could be considered as an expression of the subconscious pool of
samskāra-s. This conception of a pool of subconscious impressions which are dynamically involved in the phenomenal experiences of
the individual is another key term in Pātānjali’s Science of Mind as it not only explains the underlying
causes of the modifications in the mind, but asserts the continuity of this pool of impressions from one life to the next in the wheel of
samsāra. .
In YS III.9, Pātanjali states that ‘Regarding the impressions of emergence and cessation, when that
of emergence i.e. extrinsic self-identity is overpowered, there follows a moment of the condition of cessation of mind. This is the transformation termed cessation’
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64
G.Feuerstein, The Philosophy of Yoga, p 68
. Also in the next verse,
65
I Whicher, The Integrity of Yoga Darsana, translation, YS I.2, p 100
28 Pātānjali says: ‘From the impression samskāra of this moment of cessation there is a calm flow
in the mind’
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When there is a repeated practice of certain actions and by creation of like-impressions, they create propensities and inclinations in a certain direction. In other words the accumulations of related
similar impressions create a flow of volitional and intentional activity in a certain direction and there is propensity towards a particular type of experience. The
samskāra-s thus become organised into various configurations which are known as
vāsanā -s or ‘traits’. . Thus
samskāra not only is of psychological significance but also play a role in liberation from the limited phenomenal ego and the cycle of birth and death.
c. Vāsanā
