The five ingredients of chitta vritti are as follows:

1. Smriti (Rememberance):

Reminiscences of the past form the greater part of human memory.

2. Nidra (Sleep):

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It is also a stage of subconsciousness.

3. Vikalpa (Imaginary, Alternative):

A thing without existence in gross form persists in human mind and memory.

4. Viparyaya (Illusion):

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Knowledge eclipsed by illusion and guided by ignorance. A good example is mistaking a rope for a serpent when there is insufficient light.

5. Pramana (Testimony):

It is exercised through three different media- direct, hypothesis and hearsay. What is visible, touchable and can be experienced may be known as direct testimony, while that, which is ascertained by wisdom, is hypothesis. The preachings of the seers are related to hearsay.