“Where does Śraddhā sit in a human being?
Is it a part of the mind?
No. It is beyond the mind.
It is Śraddhā which instructs the mind.
It comes from the hidden depths of the Saṃskāra and Vāsana
to influence one’s actions.”
– TKV Desikachar on Śraddhā in the Yoga Sūtra
I can really appreciate that the source of sraddha is beyond the mind. But the idea of it being colored by Saṃskāras and Vasanas is an interesting one. I was conceiving sraddha as a more universal feeling but, according to this thought by Desikachar, Sraddha then takes a different form of expression for every one…it does make sense…
I don’t think Desikachar is saying that Śraddhā is coloured but more that it ‘functions’ ‘from the hidden depths of the Saṃskāra and Vāsana’ in the same way that the Cit ‘sees’ through the colours of the Citta, in both senses.
http://www.yogastudies.org/sutra/yoga-sutra-chapter-2-verse-20/
Our work is to ‘see’ from the viewpoint of Vidyā rather than the more usual viewpoint of Avidyā.
http://www.yogastudies.org/2014/12/see-illusion-life/
Thank you, Paul. Just went back to the maya bird model and since sraddha and mahat are part of the same maya, I can see better the meaning of Desikachar’s words. I very much appreciate reading your quotes and, since it is Thanksgiving here in the US, want to express my gratitude for your generous offerings.
Martine, student of Mary-Louise Skelton, Sonia Nelson and Claude Marechal