2025, Vol. 11, Issue 4, Part C

author(s)
Neelam Kumari

abstract
Human cognition is characterized by a dynamic movement from doubt and possibility to resolute judgment and action. This paper investigates the classical Sāṃkhya-Yoga model of the Antaḥkaraṇa (internal organ) as a sophisticated framework for understanding this decision-making process. It focuses on the precise functional interplay between manas, the faculty of ideation and doubt (ṣaṁkalpa-vikalpa), and buddhi, the faculty of determination and conviction (niścaya or adhyavasāya). Drawing from key verses of Īśvarakṛṣṇa's Sāṃkhyakārikā and Vyāsa's commentary on the Yoga Sūtras, this study deconstructs the cognitive sequence of a typical decision. It argues that this model presents a psychologically astute, two-stage process: first, manas generates a field of potential actions and interpretations, and second, buddhi analyzes this field and renders a definitive judgment. This analysis reveals a nuanced cognitive psychology that is distinct from monolithic conceptions of 'mind,' offering a structured explanation for both normative decision-making and the internal conflict that arises when these faculties are not in harmony.