Wednesday, 5 November 2025

AHAM VRITTI EB

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“Aham Vritti” (अहं-वृत्ति) is a Sanskrit term from Advaita Vedānta and yogic philosophy. Let’s break it down:

  • Aham (अहं) = “I” or “ego-sense”

  • Vritti (वृत्ति) = “modification,” “fluctuation,” or “movement of the mind”

So, Aham Vritti literally means “the I-thought” or “the mental modification in the form of ‘I’.”


🕉️ Philosophical Meaning

In Advaita Vedānta—especially as taught by Sri Ramana MaharshiAham Vritti refers to the primordial thought of ‘I’ that arises in the mind and becomes the basis for all other thoughts and identifications.

According to Ramana:

“Of all the thoughts that arise in the mind, the ‘I’-thought is the first.”

This “I”-thought (Aham Vritti) identifies with the body and mind and says, “I am so-and-so,” “I am happy,” “I am sad,” etc. When one inquires into this ‘I’-thought deeply through Self-enquiry (Ātma-vichāra)—asking “Who am I?”—the false identification dissolves, and what remains is Aham Sphurana or pure awareness (‘I-I’), the Self (Ātman) beyond all vrittis.


🧘 Summary

Term Meaning Role
Aham Vritti “I”-thought, the ego-consciousness The first movement of the mind
Aham Sphurana The intuitive shining of pure “I” Awareness before thought
Atman / Brahman The true Self, pure consciousness The substratum of all experience

Would you like me to explain how Aham Vritti relates to Self-enquiry (Who am I?) practice or how it differs from Ahamkāra (ego)?

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