Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum and the Suppression of its Changing Nature

Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum and the Suppression of its Changing Nature

by Swami Sivananda

Mind is ever changing. You feel happy now. In the next second you feel miserable. The mind is active now. The next moment, it becomes dull and inactive. It is pure now. The next second it is filled with anger and lust. The mind undergoes various transformations. There must be a basis or substratum which does not undergo any change. Just as there is substratum rope for all the changing, illusory appearances as snake, garland, stick, etc., so there is the changeless Atman or Brahman, for this everchanging mental phenomena. This changeless, continuous Atman connects all the states of the mind, all the changes in the body, the three Avasthas or states. Then alone memory is possible. Atman is a great synthetic Unifier.

I. ATMAN IS THE WITNESS

Annihilate such ideas, – This is mine, – That is mine, which spring from the identification of the Self with the body, mind, etc., and which cause bondage and attachment. Identify yourself with the non-dual Brahman, which will relieve you of the fear of death and which will bestow Immortal Bliss. Know the Self as the witness of the mind and the three states: waking, dreaming and deep sleep.

II. MIND ALONE SEES AND HEARS

Mind alone sees, hears and tastes. I had my mind engaged elsewhere; so I did not see. I had my mind engaged elsewhere; so I did not hear. This is the experience of all. Wherever there is the mind, there is the sense. Wherever there is no mind, there is no functioning of the mind. If the mind is not linked to the ear, you cannot hear the recitation of the Gita. If the mind is not linked to the eye, you cannot see an object. Hence mind exists. If anybody touches your back, you feel particularly the touch of the hand and fingers. The eye does not see the spot. The skin can only feel the hardness or softness of the touch. The mind alone is the cause of this knowledge. Mind alone really feels the touch.

III. MIND, THE SYNTHETIC ORGAN

Eye can only see colours. Ear can only hear sounds. Eye cannot do the function of ear, but the mind hears, sees, etc. It can do the functions of all the senses. It is a synthetic organ. It unifies, collects and synthesises. It is a great unifier. It is like the administrator or office-superintendent. It supervises the functions of the ten organs. Body is made of several parts viz., hands, fingers, legs, toes, chest, hip, etc. It is the mind that connects itself with all the parts of the body. If there is a pinprick in the inert body, at once it feels.

Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum – Awareness, Witness, and Inner Reality

Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum is a deep spiritual subject that helps the seeker understand the difference between changing mental movements and the steady awareness behind them. Thoughts rise and fall, emotions appear and disappear, desires come and go, but something remains present through all these changes. That silent presence is the witness, the inner light by which every movement of the mind is known.

The mind is never the same for long. In one moment it may be joyful, in another moment sad. Sometimes it is calm, sometimes restless. It remembers the past, imagines the future, plans, doubts, fears, desires, compares, and judges. Because of this constant movement, most people identify with passing thoughts and forget the deeper reality that observes them.

Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum teaches that the mind cannot exist or function independently. Every thought is known because awareness is present. Anger is known, fear is known, joy is known, confusion is known, and even the absence of thought is known. The changing mind is like waves on the ocean, while awareness is like the depth of the water that remains steady beneath the surface.

Vedanta asks the seeker to examine experience carefully. If thoughts change, they cannot be the final self. If emotions change, they cannot be the final self. If memories change, they also cannot be the final self. The true self must be that which knows all change without itself becoming a passing object. This is the witnessing consciousness.

Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum can be understood through the example of a cinema screen. Many pictures appear on the screen: joy, sorrow, war, love, light, darkness, movement, and stillness. The pictures change continuously, but the screen remains unaffected. Similarly, mental states arise and pass away, but the witnessing awareness remains untouched.

Another example is the sky and clouds. Clouds may be dark, bright, heavy, or scattered. They may cover the sky for some time, but they do not stain the sky. In the same way, thoughts and emotions may cover inner peace temporarily, but they do not affect the real nature of awareness. The seeker should learn to rest in the sky-like witness rather than become lost in every cloud of thought.

Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum also explains why self-observation is so powerful. When anger arises, instead of saying, “I am anger,” observe that anger is appearing in the mind. When fear comes, observe that fear is known. When desire pulls strongly, observe its movement. This simple shift from identification to observation creates inner freedom.

The ordinary person becomes bound because they take every thought personally. A painful thought arises, and they feel wounded. A proud thought arises, and they feel superior. A fearful thought arises, and they become anxious. But the wise seeker sees thoughts as passing waves. This does not make life dull; it makes life clearer and more peaceful.

Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum is not a theory for discussion only. It should become a living practice. During meditation, sit quietly and watch the body, breath, thoughts, emotions, and ego. Notice that all of them are objects of awareness. They change, but the knowing presence remains. Rest again and again in that silent witnessing consciousness.

This understanding also helps in daily life. Praise and blame come and go. Success and failure come and go. Pleasure and pain come and go. If the seeker identifies only with these changing experiences, life becomes unstable. But when one remembers the inner witness, balance becomes possible even in difficult conditions.

Purity of mind is necessary to recognize this truth clearly. A mind filled with greed, hatred, pride, jealousy, fear, and selfish desire remains disturbed. Truthfulness, compassion, humility, moderation, devotion, selfless service, and meditation make the mind calm and transparent. A pure mind reflects the light of awareness more clearly.

Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum also supports detachment. Detachment does not mean rejecting life. It means knowing that thoughts, roles, situations, and experiences are passing. The seeker can perform duties, love others, serve society, and face challenges, but inwardly remain rooted in the witnessing self. This is spiritual maturity.

The highest wisdom is to know that the witness is not created by the mind. The mind appears in awareness; awareness does not appear in the mind. Thoughts depend on consciousness to be known, but consciousness does not depend on any single thought. This insight removes fear and gives deep inner strength.

Devotion also helps the seeker approach this truth. Prayer, mantra repetition, surrender, and remembrance of the Divine soften the heart and reduce ego. When the ego becomes humble, the mind becomes quieter. In that quietness, the unchanging presence is felt more naturally.

In the end, Mind – Its Unchanging Substratum reveals that behind all thoughts, emotions, desires, doubts, and memories there is a steady witnessing awareness. The mind changes, but the witness remains. Through discrimination, meditation, purity, devotion, self-observation, and self-knowledge, the seeker rises above mental bondage and discovers peace, clarity, and inner freedom.

Mind – Its Functions, Its Force, Its Facts