anyathā vṛtti

 Anyathā‑vṛtti means a changed, altered, or disturbed state, literally “having a different (anyathā) condition or mode (vṛtti).”

The phrase “anyathā vṛtti” is written in Devanagari as अन्यथा वृत्ति.

Bold answer: The correct Devanagari spelling is अन्यथा वृत्ति.

✅ Exact Devanagari Rendering

• anyathā → अन्यथा
  • अन्य (anya, “other”) + था (thā, adverbial ending) → “otherwise,” “in another way,” “incorrectly,” “differently.”
• vṛtti → वृत्ति
  • From √वृत् (vṛt, “to turn, to occur, to function”), meaning “state,” “mode,” “operation,” “function,” “behavior,” or “mental modification.”

Together: अन्यथा वृत्ति means “a wrong mode,” “incorrect functioning,” “misapprehension,” or “operating otherwise than intended,” depending on context.

📘 Meaning and Usage in Sanskrit Contexts

Although the phrase is not tied to a single canonical text, it appears in several traditional domains:

• Philosophical Sanskrit (Nyāya, Vedānta, Yoga):
  Used to describe a misdirected mental modification or incorrect cognition.
  Example sense: a vṛtti (mental fluctuation) that arises “otherwise” than the true object.
• Vyākaraṇa (Sanskrit grammar):
  Can describe a grammatical form or semantic interpretation that deviates from the expected rule—“an alternative or incorrect usage.”
• Commentarial literature:
  Often used to contrast yathā-vṛtti (“proper functioning”) with anyathā-vṛtti (“improper functioning”).

📝 Notes on Transliteration

• The ṛ in vṛtti corresponds to the Devanagari vowel ऋ, giving वृत्ति.
• The double t (tt) is represented by the conjunct त्त.
• The long ā in anyathā is written with the ā sign (ा) → था.

🔄 Possible Variants

Depending on sandhi or compound formation, you may also see:

• अन्यथावृत्ति (combined as a compound)
• अन्यथा-वृत्ति (hyphenated in modern transliteration)

But the separated form अन्यथा वृत्ति is the standard and clearest.

📚 If you need related terms

I can also provide:

• yathā vṛtti (यथा वृत्ति)
• anyathā jñāna (अन्यथा ज्ञान)
• vṛtti classifications in Yoga philosophy (e.g., प्रमाण, विपर्यय, विकल्प, निद्रा, स्मृति)

Components of the compound

• anyathā — “otherwise, in another way, differently; wrongly; untruly”

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  Sanskrit dictionaries consistently gloss it as an adverb meaning a departure from the expected or normal state.
• vṛtti — “state, condition, activity, function, mode of being”

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  Outside Yoga philosophy, vṛtti broadly refers to a manner of functioning or a state of mind or behavior.
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Lexical definition of anyathā‑vṛtti

The supplied Sanskrit dictionary explicitly lists:

• anyathā‑vṛtti — “changed, altered; affected, perturbed; disturbed by strong emotions”

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This is the most direct and authoritative definition in the results. It describes a mind or condition that has shifted from its usual state—emotionally unsettled, altered in behavior, or otherwise deviating from the norm.

How the meaning is formed

Putting the parts together:

• anyathā (“otherwise, differently”)
• vṛtti (“state, condition, activity”)

→ anyathā‑vṛtti = “one whose state is otherwise,” i.e., altered, disturbed, emotionally unsettled, or behaving differently.

Distinction from Yoga terminology

Although vṛtti in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras refers to “modifications of the mind”

Wikipedia

, the compound anyathā‑vṛtti in classical lexicons is not a technical Yoga term. It is a general descriptive adjective for a changed or disturbed condition.

Summary

anyathā‑vṛtti in Sanskrit means:

• changed, altered
• disturbed or perturbed in mind
• in a different or abnormal state