What Is the Antaḥkaraṇa?
Antaḥkaraṇa (from antaḥ = inner + karaṇa = instrument) refers to the fourfold internal instrument through which the jīvātman (individual soul) relates to the world:
- Manas (mind) — the deliberating faculty; the organ of doubt and consideration (saṃkalpā-vikalpa)
- Buddhi (intellect) — the faculty of determination and decision; the organ of judgment
- Ahaṅkāra (ego/I-maker) — the faculty that identifies the self with the body and its attributes; source of the false sense of separate independent selfhood
- Citta (memory/subconscious) — the store of impressions (vāsanās) from past experiences and actions
The Antaḥkaraṇa and Karma
All karma — sanchita (accumulated), prārabdha (ripening), and āgāmī (being created) — operates through and is stored in the antaḥkaraṇa. The antaḥkaraṇa is the seat of avidyā (ignorance) and the arena of spiritual practice (sādhana).
Karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga purify the antaḥkaraṇa — particularly the ahaṅkāra — making it fit for bhakti-yoga and the contemplation of Brahman.
Antaḥkaraṇa and Prapatti
The moment of prapatti (surrender) involves the antaḥkaraṇa in all its dimensions: the manas resolves to surrender, the buddhi recognizes the Lord as the only upāya, the ahaṅkāra releases its claim to self-ownership, and the citta stores the impression of surrender as the deepest saṃskāra.