🔹 The Confusion Between Vāsanā and Saṁskāra
In many modern and traditional discourses, the terms vāsanā and saṁskāra are often used interchangeably. This has led to considerable confusion, because although they are deeply related, they are not the same.
Saṁskāra is the mental-layer expression of vāsanā — like a ripple on the surface of a deeper undercurrent. To clearly grasp this distinction, we must understand the structure of the jīva (individual self) as laid out in Vedāntic and Yogic traditions.
🔹 The Structure of the Jīva
According to Vedānta, the jīva is composed of:
1. Ātma (Self) — the unchanging witness
2. Anātma (Non-self) — the composite of body, mind, energy, and impressions
Anātma is further divided into three bodies:
Sthūla śarīra — Gross body
Sūkṣma śarīra — Subtle body
Kāraṇa śarīra — Causal body
These map to five kośas (sheaths):
Annamaya kośa — physical body (food sheath)
Prāṇamaya kośa — energy/life force sheath
Manomaya kośa — emotional mind sheath
Vijñānamaya kośa — intellect/discriminative sheath
Ānandamaya kośa — bliss sheath, causal layer
It is said in traditional commentaries that the Ātman resides in the ānandamaya kośa, the innermost layer.
🔹 Understanding Puruṣārthas — Desires of the Soul
The soul (puruṣa) is said to carry puruṣārthas — a compound of puruṣa (soul/self) and artha (meaning, object, acquisition). So puruṣārtha means “that which is sought by the soul.”
Rather than treating puruṣārtha merely as external “goals,” it's more helpful to see them as deep existential desires that guide human life:
Dharma — Desire to be right or feel righteous (regardless of correctness)
Artha — Desire to acquire, accumulate, or possess
Kāma — Desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment
Mokṣa — Desire for liberation, transcendence, or cessation of bondage
These puruṣārthas are not merely abstract values — they are vāsanās at the soul level.
🔹 What is Vāsanā?
Vāsanā means tendency — the latent momentum or predisposition that pushes a system toward a specific state.
In Vedānta and Yoga, every layer of our existence — from body to mind to soul — has its own inherent vāsanā. Left alone, each layer will gradually return to its default or imprinted state, much like how a river finds its path to the ocean.
🔹 Mapping Vāsanās Across the Kośas
| Kośa | Vāsanā Type | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Annamaya | DNA structure | Our physical makeup, inherited traits, and genetic blueprint shape our bodily tendencies. |
| Prāṇamaya | Doṣic balance (vāta, pitta, kapha) | The Ayurvedic constitution governs reflexes, metabolism, and vitality. |
| Manomaya | Rāga–dveṣa (likes and dislikes) | Emotional biases, attachments, and aversions that drive behavior. |
| Vijñānamaya | Saṁskāra (mental imprints) | Cognitive memories and impressions formed by repeated thoughts/actions. |
| Ānandamaya | Karma-vāsanā (causal karma) | Residual karmic seeds that shape destiny and rebirth. |
| Beyond (Ātma) | Puruṣārtha-vāsanā (desire for dharma, etc.) | Aspirations seeded in the soul’s core seeking righteousness, experience, and freedom. |
🔹 Textual Support from Yoga Vāsiṣṭha
The following verse from Yoga Vāsiṣṭha beautifully explains that different vāsanās operate at different levels, and mokṣa requires giving up even the desire for mokṣa:
बद्धो हि वासनाबद्धो मोक्षः स्याद्वासनाक्षयः ।
वासनां संपरित्यज्य मोक्षार्थित्वमपि त्यज ॥
मानसीर्वासनाः पूर्वं त्यक्त्वा विषयवासनाः ।
मैत्र्यादिवासनानाम्नीर्गृहाणामलवासनाः ॥
ता अप्यतः परित्यज्य ताभिर्व्यवहरन्नपि ।
अन्तःशान्तः समस्नेहो भव चिन्मात्रवासनः ॥
Translation: Bondage is caused by vāsanā, and liberation is its destruction. Renounce even the desire for mokṣa, which is itself a vāsanā. First give up mental vāsanās, then sensory ones, then even virtuous ones like friendliness. Eventually, act in the world while remaining inwardly silent and established in pure consciousness-tendency alone.
🔹 Final Insight
Understanding vāsanā as the structural tendency of each layer, and saṁskāra as its mental-layer reflection, allows us to:
Avoid the common mistake of treating them as synonyms
Build a clearer bridge between Yogic psychology and Vedāntic cosmology
Map our inner architecture in a way that is both scripturally supported and logically rigorous
Letting each layer be understood by its own default drift (vāsanā), and understanding mokṣa as a process of progressive vāsanā-kṣaya (burning of tendencies), brings us closer to self-mastery and inner peace.
🙏 If this clarified a long-standing confusion for you, share it or discuss with others. Truth is revealed more clearly through collective inquiry.
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