Shines, Speaks and chit, vriti

This usage positions us to make a direct connection to modern western sciences, such as psychoanalysis and others more. In concern to the principles of Patanjali Yoga mentioned above, ‘chit’ would be best translated as: SHINES, and ‘vriti’ as SPEAKS. ‘Vriti’ arises from the root “vrt” and means: to exist, but also to transform, to change.

Taimni is of the same opinion. Changing or modifying something means as much as to appeal to something.1 ‘To exist’ sounds passive, but ‘to transform’ sounds active and symbolic.

In any case - as is often translated – ‘vibration’ is not sufficient. It is rather: vibrations of sound, word-sound characteristics, a SPEAKS. The terms SPEAKS / SHINES also fit nicely in psychoanalysis, namely for Freud’s ‘drives’. They improve description of the above mentioned primary process. It becomes clear once again, that drive has nothing to do with a direct carnal desire.

Though it does have properties of an urge, it does not refer to genital sex drive. The drive to look (the lust of looking), for instance, is to be understood as an ‘unconscious seeing’, though with that it is also not properly described. It rather has to do with a SHINES, with the look-fascination of this unconscious process of sight2. Lacan speaks of an “ultra subjective shining”, of an “objectality”, or of a psychic object in form of a fascination of the gaze3. The same is valid for the SPEAKS, which is not only an unconscious speaking, but a self-contained rhetoric, a striving to verbally relinquish.

 

1 Taimni, I. K., The science of Yoga USA (1961)

2 With that, we have now also found short and suitable terms for what is the same in the end, namely, SHINES for the ‘light’, or mirroring – scenery and SPEAKS for the ‘sound’, or echo – rhetoric. Looking unconsciously is a looking of the brain, of the unconscious, not of the eye. However, I will mainly be using the terms SHINES / SPEAKS.

3 Lacan, J., Seminaire X, Mitschrift S. 262

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Joseph P. Kennedy

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