Dharma-Megha-Samadhi
Sanskrit: धर्ममेघसमाधिTransliteration: Dharma-Megha-Samādhi (IAST)
Translation: “the final state of one-pointedness”
A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Translation: "the final state of one-pointedness"
Definition: "When an individual becomes disinterested even in omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence."
The Yoga Darśana (Gangānātha Jhā)
From the PREFACE: "Atikrāntabhavanīya – one who has passed beyond all that has to be experienced—is one who has reached the aforesaid ‘self-conscious’ meditation. The highest stage of this has been called ‘Dharma-Megha-Samādhi’ ‘Cloud of Virtue’—which is thus described: —All desire for occult powers having been renounced, there immediately follows the discernment of the Self from Nature; and thus all Ignorance and consequent evils having disappeared, there appears in the mind of the aspirant a feeling of satiety, a sense of ‘enough’, with regard to all external things, gross and subtle alike; this is the step that leads to the highest unconscious meditation and hence has been called ‘Dharma-Megha’—that which showers Dharma i.e., such virtue as omniscience and the like; when arrived at this stage, the aspirant becomes a Jīvanmukta, a Living Adept."
The Science of Yoga (I.K. Taimni)
Commentary: "Part 4, Sutras 26-29 give some indication of the struggle in the last stages before full Self-realization is attained. This struggle culminates ultimately in Dharma-Megha-Samādhi which opens the door to the Reality within him." (p. 334)
"When the realization of the inadequacy of Ātma-Bhava dawns upon the Yogi, he determines to break this last fetter by renouncing the bliss and knowledge of the Atmic plane. Thenceforward, all his efforts are directed towards the attainment of Kaivalya by the constant exercise of that intense and penetrating discrimination which alone can pierce through the last veil of Illusion. This and the next three Sutras throw some light on this last struggle of the soul to free itself completely from the bondage of matter before attaining Kaivalya.
It should be noted that the word used in this Sutra for the agent who carries on this struggle is Citta. ‘The Citta is gravitating towards Kaivalya’. But how can Citta, which is sought to be transcended in the process, struggle to attain liberation from itself? It would be like a person trying to lift himself up by his bootstraps. The resolution of this paradox lies in the fact that it is not the mind really which is struggling to free the consciousness from the limitations in which it has got involved. Hidden behind the mind is the Puruṣa, who all along in the entire cycle of evolution is the real driving force behind the struggle to attain Self-realization. When the iron filings are attracted by a magnet, it is the filings which appear to move, but in reality it is the magnet which has induced magnetism in the filings and is the cause of the movement.
The weapons used in this last stage of the struggle for Liberation are Viveka and Vairagya. The Yogi has obtained a glimpse of the Reality within him. He has to try and gain the awareness of Reality, again and again, through Viveka so that this awareness can be maintained without interruption (Part 2, Sutra 26). And, at the same time, he has to intensify his Vairagya to such an extent that he passes into Dharma-Megha-Samādhi (Part 4, Sutra 29). It is interesting to note that the weapons used in the last stage are the same as those used in the first stage. The Yogi enters the path of Yoga through Viveka and Vairagya and he also leaves this path through Viveka and Vairagya." (p. 376)
"This Sutra describes the swaying, to and from of consciousness, in the borderland which separates the Real from the unreal. The Yogi is trying to maintain his foothold in the world of Reality, but he is thrown back again and again into the realm of Illusion, though this Illusion is of the subtlest kind. He cannot maintain steadily that condition of consciousness which is indicated by Viveka Khyāti and each relaxation in effort is followed instantly by the appearance of a Pratyaya which characterizes the functioning of consciousness through the medium of Citta. Pratyaya, as we have seen already, is a word used generally for the content of consciousness when it is functioning normally through a vehicle of any degree of subtlety. Emergence of a Pratyaya, therefore, means that the consciousness has temporarily receded from the Reality realized in Nirbīja Samādhi and is functioning at one or another level of Citta. It may be worthwhile pointing out here again that the word Pratyaya like Citta or Vāsanā is of universal import and is co-extensive with them. Wherever consciousness is functioning normally through any level of Citta in a vehicle, there must be a content of consciousness which is called Pratyaya in Yogic terminology. It is only in Asamprajñāta Samādhi that there is no Pratyaya but this is so because consciousness is passing through a critical phase and is really hovering between two vehicles. Even on the highest level of Citta corresponding to the Atmic plane there is a Pratyaya although it is impossible for us to visualize what it is like. When consciousness is thrown back into the Atmic or any other lower vehicle owing to the relaxation of Viveka, Pratyaya of the corresponding plane emerges at once into the field of consciousness.
Why is the Yogi’s consciousness thrown back into the vehicles which he has transcended and why do these Pratyaya appear, again and again, in this stage of his progress towards Self-realization? Because the Saṃskāra which he has brought over from his past are still present in his vehicles in a dormant condition and emerge into his consciousness as soon as there is relaxation of effort or a temporary interruption of Viveka Khyāti. As long as these ‘seeds’ are present merely in a dormant condition and have not been ‘burnt’ or rendered quite harmless by Dharma-Megha-Samādhi they must sprout into his consciousness as soon as a suitable opportunity presents itself." (p. 377-378)
"The problem before the Yogi therefore is: How to prevent the emergence of these Pratyaya which have their source in the Saṃskāra brought over from the past?
The activation of the Saṃskāra is to be prevented by the method which has been prescribed for the removal of Kleśa in Section II (Sutras 10, 11 and 26). The reason for this should be obvious to the student if he has understood the nature of Kleśa, their relation to Karma and the method of their removal as outlined in Section II. The Karma or Saṃskāra which are reposed in Kleśa cannot become active if the Kleśa are quiescent. The Kleśa must remain quiescent in the absence of Avidyā from which they are all derived (Part 2, Sutra 4). Avidyā cannot manifest as long as the Yogi is able to keep undimmed his discriminative faculty and to maintain that awareness of Reality which is known as Viveka Khyāti (Part 2, Sutra 26). It follows logically, therefore, that the only way to prevent the dormant Saṃskāra from becoming active is to maintain undimmed Viveka Khyāti as indicated in Part 2, Sutra 26. The moment this is interrupted, the door opens for the emergence of Pratyaya which are sought to be excluded completely at this stage. The chief effort of the Yogi in this last stage of his struggle to attain Kaivalya is thus to acquire the capacity to maintain undimmed and unbroken this high and penetrating state of discrimination which keeps the force of Avidyā in abeyance. Upon his capacity to maintain this condition indefinitely depends the possibility of his entering Dharma-Megha-Samādhi which burns the seeds of Saṃskāra and makes their re-activation impossible." (p. 378)
"By the uninterrupted practice of Viveka Khyāti, the Yogi keeps Avidyā at bay and prevents the emergence of Pratyaya in his exalted consciousness. To this is added the practice of that highest kind of mental renunciation which is known as Para-Vairagya.
In spite of the overpowering attraction of the high state of illumination and bliss which he has attained, he renounces completely his attachment to it and maintains uninterruptedly this attitude of supreme non-attachment towards it. In fact, Para-Vairagya which he is now practicing is nothing new but is merely the culmination of the renunciation which he has been practicing since his entry into the path of Yoga. Just as Viveka Khyāti has its beginnings in very simple forms of Viveka and is developed by prolonged and intensive practice during his progress, in the same way, Para-Vairagya develops from simple acts of renunciation and reaches its culmination in the renunciation of the bliss and illumination of the Atmic plane. It should also be borne in mind that Viveka and Vairagya are very closely related to each other and are really like two sides of the same coin. Viveka, by opening the eyes of the soul, brings about non-attachment to the objects which keep it in bondage and the non-attachment thus developed, in its turn, further clarifies the vision of the soul and enables it to see more deeply into the illusion of life. Viveka and Vairagya thus strengthen and reinforce each other and form a kind of ‘virtuous circle’ which accelerates in an ever-increasing degree the progress of the Yogi towards Self-realization.
The combined practice of Viveka Khyāti and Para-Vairagya, when continued for a long time reaches, by a process of mutual reinforcement, a tremendous degree of intensity and culminates ultimately in Dharma-Megha-Samādhi, the highest kind of Samādhi which burns up the ‘seeds’ of Saṃskāra and unlocks the gates of the World of Reality in which the Puruṣa lives eternally. Why this Samādhi is called Dharma-Megha-Samādhi is not generally understood and the statements usually made are forced explanations which do not make sense. In most of these explanations the word Dharma is interpreted as virtue or merit and Dharma-Megha is taken to mean ‘a cloud which showers virtues or merit’ which, of course, explains nothing. The significance of the phrase Dharma-Megha will become clear if we assign to the word Dharma the meaning which it has in Part 4, Sutra 12, namely that of property, characteristic or function. Megha, of course, is a technical term used in Yogic literature for the cloudy or misty condition through which consciousness passes in the critical state of Asamprajñāta Samādhi when there is nothing in the field of consciousness.
Now, Nirbīja Samādhi, which is practised in this last stage which we are considering, is a kind of Asamprajñāta Samādhi in which the consciousness of the Yogi is trying to free itself from the last veil of illusion to emerge into the Light of Reality itself. When this effort succeeds, the consciousness of the Yogi leaves the world of manifestation in which Guṇa and their peculiar combinations, namely, Dharma, operate and emerges into the world of Reality in which they no longer exist. His condition may be compared to the condition of a pilot in an aeroplane who comes out of a cloud bank into bright sunlight and begins to see everything clearly. Dharma-Megha-Samādhi, therefore, means the final Samādhi in which the Yogi shakes himself free from the world of Dharma which obscure Reality like a cloud.
The passage through Dharma-Megha-Samādhi completes the evolutionary cycle of the Individual and by destroying Avidyā, completely and forever, brings about the end of Saṃyoga of Puruṣa and Prakṛti referred to in Part 2, Sutra 23. No more can Avidyā again obscure the vision of the Puruṣa who has attained full Self-realization. This process is irreversible and after reaching this stage it is not possible for the Puruṣa to fall again into the realm of Māyā from which he has obtained Liberation. Before this final goal was reached, it was possible for the Yogi to fall even from a very high stage of enlightenment, but not after he has passed through Dharma-Megha-Samādhi and attained the Enlightenment of Kaivalya." (p. 379-380)
References:
Translation: "the final state of one-pointedness"
Definition: "When an individual becomes disinterested even in omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence."
The Yoga Darśana (Gangānātha Jhā)
From the PREFACE: "Atikrāntabhavanīya – one who has passed beyond all that has to be experienced—is one who has reached the aforesaid ‘self-conscious’ meditation. The highest stage of this has been called ‘Dharma-Megha-Samādhi’ ‘Cloud of Virtue’—which is thus described: —All desire for occult powers having been renounced, there immediately follows the discernment of the Self from Nature; and thus all Ignorance and consequent evils having disappeared, there appears in the mind of the aspirant a feeling of satiety, a sense of ‘enough’, with regard to all external things, gross and subtle alike; this is the step that leads to the highest unconscious meditation and hence has been called ‘Dharma-Megha’—that which showers Dharma i.e., such virtue as omniscience and the like; when arrived at this stage, the aspirant becomes a Jīvanmukta, a Living Adept."
The Science of Yoga (I.K. Taimni)
Commentary: "Part 4, Sutras 26-29 give some indication of the struggle in the last stages before full Self-realization is attained. This struggle culminates ultimately in Dharma-Megha-Samādhi which opens the door to the Reality within him." (p. 334)
तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्यप्राग्भारं चित्तम् ॥ २६ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 26
Tadā Viveka-Nimnaṃ Kaivalya-Prāg-Bhāraṃ Cittam
Then the mind is inclined towards discrimination (Viveka) and gravitating towards isolation (Kaivalya).
Part 4 Sutra 26
Tadā Viveka-Nimnaṃ Kaivalya-Prāg-Bhāraṃ Cittam
Then the mind is inclined towards discrimination (Viveka) and gravitating towards isolation (Kaivalya).
"When the realization of the inadequacy of Ātma-Bhava dawns upon the Yogi, he determines to break this last fetter by renouncing the bliss and knowledge of the Atmic plane. Thenceforward, all his efforts are directed towards the attainment of Kaivalya by the constant exercise of that intense and penetrating discrimination which alone can pierce through the last veil of Illusion. This and the next three Sutras throw some light on this last struggle of the soul to free itself completely from the bondage of matter before attaining Kaivalya.
It should be noted that the word used in this Sutra for the agent who carries on this struggle is Citta. ‘The Citta is gravitating towards Kaivalya’. But how can Citta, which is sought to be transcended in the process, struggle to attain liberation from itself? It would be like a person trying to lift himself up by his bootstraps. The resolution of this paradox lies in the fact that it is not the mind really which is struggling to free the consciousness from the limitations in which it has got involved. Hidden behind the mind is the Puruṣa, who all along in the entire cycle of evolution is the real driving force behind the struggle to attain Self-realization. When the iron filings are attracted by a magnet, it is the filings which appear to move, but in reality it is the magnet which has induced magnetism in the filings and is the cause of the movement.
The weapons used in this last stage of the struggle for Liberation are Viveka and Vairagya. The Yogi has obtained a glimpse of the Reality within him. He has to try and gain the awareness of Reality, again and again, through Viveka so that this awareness can be maintained without interruption (Part 2, Sutra 26). And, at the same time, he has to intensify his Vairagya to such an extent that he passes into Dharma-Megha-Samādhi (Part 4, Sutra 29). It is interesting to note that the weapons used in the last stage are the same as those used in the first stage. The Yogi enters the path of Yoga through Viveka and Vairagya and he also leaves this path through Viveka and Vairagya." (p. 376)
तच्छिद्रेषु प्रत्ययान्तराणि संस्कारेभ्यः ॥ २७ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 27
Tac-Chidreṣu Pratyayāntarāṇi Saṃskārebhyaḥ
Thoughts (Pratyaya) [arise] in the intervals from the force of impressions (Saṃskāra).
Part 4 Sutra 27
Tac-Chidreṣu Pratyayāntarāṇi Saṃskārebhyaḥ
Thoughts (Pratyaya) [arise] in the intervals from the force of impressions (Saṃskāra).
"This Sutra describes the swaying, to and from of consciousness, in the borderland which separates the Real from the unreal. The Yogi is trying to maintain his foothold in the world of Reality, but he is thrown back again and again into the realm of Illusion, though this Illusion is of the subtlest kind. He cannot maintain steadily that condition of consciousness which is indicated by Viveka Khyāti and each relaxation in effort is followed instantly by the appearance of a Pratyaya which characterizes the functioning of consciousness through the medium of Citta. Pratyaya, as we have seen already, is a word used generally for the content of consciousness when it is functioning normally through a vehicle of any degree of subtlety. Emergence of a Pratyaya, therefore, means that the consciousness has temporarily receded from the Reality realized in Nirbīja Samādhi and is functioning at one or another level of Citta. It may be worthwhile pointing out here again that the word Pratyaya like Citta or Vāsanā is of universal import and is co-extensive with them. Wherever consciousness is functioning normally through any level of Citta in a vehicle, there must be a content of consciousness which is called Pratyaya in Yogic terminology. It is only in Asamprajñāta Samādhi that there is no Pratyaya but this is so because consciousness is passing through a critical phase and is really hovering between two vehicles. Even on the highest level of Citta corresponding to the Atmic plane there is a Pratyaya although it is impossible for us to visualize what it is like. When consciousness is thrown back into the Atmic or any other lower vehicle owing to the relaxation of Viveka, Pratyaya of the corresponding plane emerges at once into the field of consciousness.
Why is the Yogi’s consciousness thrown back into the vehicles which he has transcended and why do these Pratyaya appear, again and again, in this stage of his progress towards Self-realization? Because the Saṃskāra which he has brought over from his past are still present in his vehicles in a dormant condition and emerge into his consciousness as soon as there is relaxation of effort or a temporary interruption of Viveka Khyāti. As long as these ‘seeds’ are present merely in a dormant condition and have not been ‘burnt’ or rendered quite harmless by Dharma-Megha-Samādhi they must sprout into his consciousness as soon as a suitable opportunity presents itself." (p. 377-378)
हानमेषां क्लेशवदुक्तम् ॥ २८ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 28
Hānaṃ Eṣāṃ Kleśavad Uktam
The removal of these [Saṃskāra], like that of the afflictions (Kleśa), has been described.
Part 4 Sutra 28
Hānaṃ Eṣāṃ Kleśavad Uktam
The removal of these [Saṃskāra], like that of the afflictions (Kleśa), has been described.
"The problem before the Yogi therefore is: How to prevent the emergence of these Pratyaya which have their source in the Saṃskāra brought over from the past?
The activation of the Saṃskāra is to be prevented by the method which has been prescribed for the removal of Kleśa in Section II (Sutras 10, 11 and 26). The reason for this should be obvious to the student if he has understood the nature of Kleśa, their relation to Karma and the method of their removal as outlined in Section II. The Karma or Saṃskāra which are reposed in Kleśa cannot become active if the Kleśa are quiescent. The Kleśa must remain quiescent in the absence of Avidyā from which they are all derived (Part 2, Sutra 4). Avidyā cannot manifest as long as the Yogi is able to keep undimmed his discriminative faculty and to maintain that awareness of Reality which is known as Viveka Khyāti (Part 2, Sutra 26). It follows logically, therefore, that the only way to prevent the dormant Saṃskāra from becoming active is to maintain undimmed Viveka Khyāti as indicated in Part 2, Sutra 26. The moment this is interrupted, the door opens for the emergence of Pratyaya which are sought to be excluded completely at this stage. The chief effort of the Yogi in this last stage of his struggle to attain Kaivalya is thus to acquire the capacity to maintain undimmed and unbroken this high and penetrating state of discrimination which keeps the force of Avidyā in abeyance. Upon his capacity to maintain this condition indefinitely depends the possibility of his entering Dharma-Megha-Samādhi which burns the seeds of Saṃskāra and makes their re-activation impossible." (p. 378)
प्रसङख्यानेऽप्यकुसिदस्य सर्वथा विवेकख्यातेर्धर्ममेघः समाधिः ॥ २९ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 29
Prasaṅkhyāne’pyakusīdasya Sarvathā Viveka-Khyater Dharma-Meghaḥ Samādhiḥ
One who has no interest left even in the knowledge of the highest meditation, maintaining discriminative awareness in all circumstances, enters the final state of one-pointedness (Dharma-Megha-Samādhi).
Part 4 Sutra 29
Prasaṅkhyāne’pyakusīdasya Sarvathā Viveka-Khyater Dharma-Meghaḥ Samādhiḥ
One who has no interest left even in the knowledge of the highest meditation, maintaining discriminative awareness in all circumstances, enters the final state of one-pointedness (Dharma-Megha-Samādhi).
"By the uninterrupted practice of Viveka Khyāti, the Yogi keeps Avidyā at bay and prevents the emergence of Pratyaya in his exalted consciousness. To this is added the practice of that highest kind of mental renunciation which is known as Para-Vairagya.
In spite of the overpowering attraction of the high state of illumination and bliss which he has attained, he renounces completely his attachment to it and maintains uninterruptedly this attitude of supreme non-attachment towards it. In fact, Para-Vairagya which he is now practicing is nothing new but is merely the culmination of the renunciation which he has been practicing since his entry into the path of Yoga. Just as Viveka Khyāti has its beginnings in very simple forms of Viveka and is developed by prolonged and intensive practice during his progress, in the same way, Para-Vairagya develops from simple acts of renunciation and reaches its culmination in the renunciation of the bliss and illumination of the Atmic plane. It should also be borne in mind that Viveka and Vairagya are very closely related to each other and are really like two sides of the same coin. Viveka, by opening the eyes of the soul, brings about non-attachment to the objects which keep it in bondage and the non-attachment thus developed, in its turn, further clarifies the vision of the soul and enables it to see more deeply into the illusion of life. Viveka and Vairagya thus strengthen and reinforce each other and form a kind of ‘virtuous circle’ which accelerates in an ever-increasing degree the progress of the Yogi towards Self-realization.
The combined practice of Viveka Khyāti and Para-Vairagya, when continued for a long time reaches, by a process of mutual reinforcement, a tremendous degree of intensity and culminates ultimately in Dharma-Megha-Samādhi, the highest kind of Samādhi which burns up the ‘seeds’ of Saṃskāra and unlocks the gates of the World of Reality in which the Puruṣa lives eternally. Why this Samādhi is called Dharma-Megha-Samādhi is not generally understood and the statements usually made are forced explanations which do not make sense. In most of these explanations the word Dharma is interpreted as virtue or merit and Dharma-Megha is taken to mean ‘a cloud which showers virtues or merit’ which, of course, explains nothing. The significance of the phrase Dharma-Megha will become clear if we assign to the word Dharma the meaning which it has in Part 4, Sutra 12, namely that of property, characteristic or function. Megha, of course, is a technical term used in Yogic literature for the cloudy or misty condition through which consciousness passes in the critical state of Asamprajñāta Samādhi when there is nothing in the field of consciousness.
Now, Nirbīja Samādhi, which is practised in this last stage which we are considering, is a kind of Asamprajñāta Samādhi in which the consciousness of the Yogi is trying to free itself from the last veil of illusion to emerge into the Light of Reality itself. When this effort succeeds, the consciousness of the Yogi leaves the world of manifestation in which Guṇa and their peculiar combinations, namely, Dharma, operate and emerges into the world of Reality in which they no longer exist. His condition may be compared to the condition of a pilot in an aeroplane who comes out of a cloud bank into bright sunlight and begins to see everything clearly. Dharma-Megha-Samādhi, therefore, means the final Samādhi in which the Yogi shakes himself free from the world of Dharma which obscure Reality like a cloud.
The passage through Dharma-Megha-Samādhi completes the evolutionary cycle of the Individual and by destroying Avidyā, completely and forever, brings about the end of Saṃyoga of Puruṣa and Prakṛti referred to in Part 2, Sutra 23. No more can Avidyā again obscure the vision of the Puruṣa who has attained full Self-realization. This process is irreversible and after reaching this stage it is not possible for the Puruṣa to fall again into the realm of Māyā from which he has obtained Liberation. Before this final goal was reached, it was possible for the Yogi to fall even from a very high stage of enlightenment, but not after he has passed through Dharma-Megha-Samādhi and attained the Enlightenment of Kaivalya." (p. 379-380)
References:
- Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
- Jhā, Gangānātha (1907). The Yoga Darśana: The Sūtra of Patañjali with the Bhāṣya of Vyasa. Bombay: Rajaram Tukaram Tatya
- Taimni, I. K. (1975). The Science of Yoga: The Yoga-Sūtras of Patañjali in Sanskrit with Transliteration in Roman, Translation in English and Commentary: Theosophical Publishing House. p. 334, 376-380.
