Samadhi
Samādhi (IAST)
Translation: "
Complete Absorption"
A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: समाधि
Transliteration:
Samādhi
Translation: "one-pointedness; concentration; absorption; union; a calm desire-less fixity; a unifying concentration; “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)"
Definition:
- It is a deep spiritual meditation or a meditative union with the Absolute.
- A superconscious state where there is complete absorption of the intellect into the object of meditation.
- A state beyond expression and above all thought. Here, speech and mind cannot reach. It is a state of utter calmness in which consciousness is unwavering.
- It is a limb of Patañjali’s Rāja-Yoga.
- According to Yoga, it has four aspects: Vitarka, Vicāra, Ānanda, and Asmitā. These are called Samādhi with knowledge of objects (Samprajñāta). There is also a Samādhi without any knowledge of objects (Asamprajñāta).
- According to Buddhism, it is of three types: Upacāra or preliminary; Jhāna or fixed and steady; and Appanā or achieved meditation.
- It has also been divided into Samādhi with the mind (Savikalpa) and Samādhi without any mental modifications (Nirvikalpa).
The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
Transliteration:
Sāṃādhi
Definition: "Sanskrit term meaning ‘concentration’, ‘absorption’, ‘superconscious state’, ‘altered state of consciousness’. In India’s philosophical tradition, this term was made famous by its use in the Yoga system of Patañjali (second century B.C.). In this system, the goal was to attain the self’s freedom, so that the self, conceived as pure consciousness in its true nature, would not be limited by the material modes of existence. It was believed that through a series of Yogic techniques, the self is freed from its karmic fetters and liberated to its original state of self-luminous consciousness, known as Samādhi. The Indian philosophical systems had raised and debated many epistemological and metaphysical questions regarding the nature of consciousness, the concept of mind, and the idea of the self. They also wondered whether a Yogi who has attained Samādhi is within the confines of the conventional moral realm. This issue is similar to Nietzsche’s idea of the transvaluation of values."
Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo)
Transliteration:
Samādhi
Definition: "concentration; trance; the last member of the
Vijñāna Catuṣṭaya: the placing of the consciousness in particular conditions that give it access to larger fields of experience, so that “one can become aware of things in this world outside our ordinary range or go into other worlds or other planes of existence.” The term
Samādhi includes three principal states corresponding to those of waking (
Jāgrat), dream (
Svapna) and deep sleep (
Suṣupti), but it is applied especially to states of consciousness “in which the mind is withdrawn from outward things” and is often equivalent to
Svapnasamādhi."
Samādhi in the Yoga-Sūtras of Patañjali
The three stages of meditation leading up to Samādhi
देशबन्धश्चित्तस्यधारणा ॥ १ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 1
Deśa-Bandhaś Cittasya Dhāraṇā
Concentration (
Dhāraṇā) is the binding of the mind in one place.
देश – Deśa – place, space location, position; locality
बन्धः – Bandhaḥ – bond, bondage, binding; control; determination; confining; fixing; lock (from the verb root bandh – “to bind”)
चित्तस्य – Cittasya – of the mind
धारणा – Dhāraṇā – concentration; support; single-mindedness; “holding, bearing”; “to keep in remembrance”; steadiness; “holding on to one idea or object in the mind or by the mind”
तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम् ॥ २ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 2
Tatra Pratyayaika-Tānatā Dhyānam
Contemplation (
Dhyāna) is stretching in that one condition.
तत्र – Tatra – in that place, there, in it, thither, to that place, in that, in that case, on that occasion, under those circumstances; then, therefore; of those, of them
प्रत्यय – Pratyaya – condition, perception, thought, intention, representation; content of the mind; suffix (from the verb root i – “to go” + prati – “against, back”)
एक – Eka – one, unique; Reality, the One, the sole Reality
तानता – Tānatā – stretching or streaming unbrokenly; extension
ध्यानम् – Dhyānam – contemplation
तदेवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यमिव समाधिः ॥ ३ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 3
Tad Evārtha-Mātra-Nirbhāsaṃ Svarūpa-Śūnyam Iva Samādhiḥ
That is complete absorption (Samādhi) when the meaning of the object alone is shining as if empty of its own form.
तद् – Tad – that, its
एव – Eva – thus, therefore, only; in fact; without limitation; even; alone; itself; as if; verily
अर्थ – Artha – meaning; meaning of a word; real meaning; “true knowledge of the object which the Yogi wants”; “the “object” being meditated upon”; object, thing, purpose, aim, approach; wealth (from the verb root arth – “to request the sense, to point out”)
मात्र – Mātra – only
निर्भासं – Nirbhāsaṃ – shining; shining (with); appearing (as); “shining or appearing therein”
स्व – Sva – own
रूप – Rūpa – form, aggregate, body, matter, sight, color, image
शून्यम् – Śūnyam – empty, the void, non-being, non-existence, negation, emptiness, zero (from the verb root śū, śvā, śvi – “to swell”)
इव – Iva – like, thus, as it were, as if
समाधिः – Samādhiḥ – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desireless fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)
त्रयमेकत्र संयमः ॥ ४ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 4
Trayam Ekatra Saṃyamaḥ
These three taken as one constitute combined practice (
Saṃyama).
त्रयम् – Trayam – these three; the three; triad, trinity
एकत्र – Ekatra – in one, as one, in one place, jointly
संयमः – Saṃyamaḥ – combined practice, self-control, constraint, perfect discipline; concentration; identification; “a technical word meaning Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, and Samādhi taken together”
Samprajñāta and Asamprajñāta Samādhi
वितर्कविचारानन्दास्मितारूपानुगमात् सम्प्रज्ञातः ॥ १७ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 17
Vitarka-Vicārānandāsmitā-Rūpānugamāt Samprajñātaḥ
Reasoning (
Vitarka), enquiry (
Vicāra), bliss (
Ānanda), and the sense of ‘I’ (
Asmitā) are the accompanying forms of
Samprajñāta (“
Samādhi with
Prajñā”).
वितर्क – Vitarka – reasoning, debate, logical argument, analytical thinking, argumentation; a state of Samādhi
विचार – Vicāra – enquiry, reflection, introspection, investigation, insight, intellectual reflection, judgment, deliberation
आनन्द – Ānanda – bliss, delight, joy, ecstasy, beatitude; “a type of Samādhi in which the mind concentrates on the intellect” (from the verb root nand – “to rejoice”)
अस्मिता – Asmitā – the sense of ‘I’; egoism; I-am-ness; sense of individuality; sense of pure being
रूप – Rūpa – form, aggregate, body, matter, sight, color, image
अनुगमात् – Anugamāt – accompanying, going with, following; by accompaniment; with association
सम्प्रज्ञातः – Samprajñātaḥ – “Samādhi with Prajñā”; “a stage in Samādhi wherein one is conscious of an object”; cognitive; “Conscious Meditation”
विरामप्रत्ययाभ्यासपूर्वः संस्कारशेषोऽन्यः ॥ १८ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 18
Virāma-Pratyayābhyāsa-Pūrvaḥ Saṃskāra-Śeṣo’nyaḥ
On the cessation of the condition from the preceding practice, the residual impression is the other [
Asamprajñāta].
विराम – Virāma – cessation, dropping
प्रत्यय – Pratyaya – condition, suffix, perception, thought, intention, representation; content of the mind (from the verb root i – “to go” + prati – “against, back”)
अभ्यास – Abhyāsa – practice, continuous endeavor, constant practice, persistent practice, intense application; repetition; exercise, exertion; action; method, discipline (from the verb root as – “to throw” + abhi – “toward”)
पूर्वः – Pūrvaḥ – preceding, earlier, previous; preceded by
संस्कार – Saṃskāra – impression, latent impression, predisposition, consecration, imprint, innate tendency, innate potency, mold, inborn nature, residual impression, mental formation, “habitual reaction formed by one’s past”, “stamping with a tendency”; purificatory rite, rite of passage (from sam + kṛ – “to fashion or to do together”)
शेषः – Śeṣaḥ – residual, remnant, “part that is left over”; accessory, dependent, the endless, infinite; store; residuum
अन्यः – Anyaḥ – the other, other (i.e., Asamprajñāta – not the Samādhi with Prajñā)
The essential process involved in Sabīja Samādhi
क्षीणवृत्तेरभिजातस्येव मणेर्ग्रहीतृग्रहणग्राह्येषु तत्स्थतदञ्जनता समापत्तिः ॥ ४१ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 41
Kṣīṇa-Vṛtter Abhijātasyeva Maṇer Grahītṛ-Grahaṇa-Grāhyeṣu Tat-Stha-Tad-Añjanatā Samāpattiḥ
Fusion (
Samāpatti) [occurs when] modifications decrease; the perceiver, perception, and object of perception are like a transparent jewel that is saturated by that which it rests on.
क्षीण – Kṣīṇa – decreased, dwindled, “have been almost annihilated”
वृत्तेः – Vṛtteḥ – modification, mental mode; “a modification of the mind whose function is to manifest objects”; being, condition, fluctuation, activity, turnings, movements (from the verb root vṛt – “to turn, revolve, roll, move”)
अभिजातस्य – Abhijātasya – transparent; faultless; of transparent; well-polished
इव – Iva – like, thus, as it were
मणेः – Maṇeḥ – jewel or crystal
ग्रहीतृ – Grahītṛ – perceiver, receiver; recipient, cognizer, subject; “one who apprehends or understands”; “one who grasps”
ग्रहण – Grahaṇa – perception, apprehension, cognition; to grasp, grasping, perceiving; “the relation between the subject and object”; power of cognition
ग्राह्येषु – Grāhyeṣu – “object of perception”, cognized objects; grasped
तद् – Tad – that, its
स्थ – Stha – rest, abide
तद् – Tad – that, its
अञ्जनता – Añjanatā – saturation; “taking the form of something else”, “the taking of the form or color”
समापत्तिः – Samāpattiḥ – fusion, coalescence; coincidence; unified contemplation, engrossment, “state of becoming one”; attainment, achievement, consummation; outcome
The different phases of Sabīja Samādhi
तत्र शब्दार्थज्ञानविकल्पैः सङकीर्णा सवितर्का समापत्तिः ॥ ४१ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 42
Tatra Śabdārtha-Jñāna-Vikalpaiḥ Saṅkīrṇā Savitarkā Samāpattiḥ
In that case, when sound (
Śabda), meaning (
Artha), and knowledge [of facts] (
Jñāna) in the imagination are mixed up, fusion (
Samāpattiḥ) is with reasoning (
Savitarkā).
तत्र – Tatra – in that place, there, in it, thither, to that place, in that, in that case, on that occasion, under those circumstances; then, therefore; of those, of them
शब्द – Śabda – sound, word, verbal, verbal testimony, verbal knowledge, linguistic, scriptural authority (from the verb root śabd – “sound”)
अर्थ – Artha – meaning; meaning of a word; real meaning; “true knowledge of the object which the Yogi wants”; “the “object” being meditated upon”; object, thing, purpose, aim, approach; wealth (from the verb root arth – “to request the sense, to point out”)
ज्ञान – Jñāna – knowledge, wisdom, insight, comprehension, conception (from the verb root jñā– “to know”)
विकल्पैः – Vikalpaiḥ – imagination; mental construct; abstraction; conceptualization; hallucination; distinction; experience; thought; “oscillation of the mind”; variation; variety; distinction (from the verb root klp – “to correspond, in accordance with, suitable to,” + vi – “asunder or away”)
सङकीर्णा – Saṅkīrṇā – intermingled, mixed up; confused; unresolved; involved
सवितर्का – Savitarkā – with reasoning, thought, reasoning; “one of the two types of Vitarka concentration”; “a type of Samādhi in which the mind is withdrawn into itself, but goes on thinking and reasoning”
समापत्तिः – Samāpattiḥ – fusion, coalescence; coincidence; unified contemplation, engrossment, “state of becoming one”; attainment, achievement, consummation; outcome
स्मृतिपरिशुद्धौ स्वरूपशून्येवार्थमात्रनिर्भासा निर्वितर्का ॥ ४३ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 43
Smṛti-Pariśuddhau Svarūpa-Śunyevārtha-Mātra-Nirbhāsā Nirvitarkā
The clarification of memory (
Smṛti) is without reasoning (
Nirvitarkā) when only the meaning is shining as if empty of its own form.
स्मृति – Smṛti – memory, recollection, remembering, depth memory; mindfulness; “that which is remembered” (from the verb root smṛ – “to remember”)
परिशुद्धौ – Pariśuddhau – clarification, wiping clean, purification
स्वरूप – Svarūpa – own form
शुन्य – Śunya – empty, the void, non-being, non-existence, negation, emptiness, zero (from the verb root śū, śvā, śvi – “to swell”)
इव – Iva – like, thus, as it were, as if
अर्थ – Artha – meaning; meaning of a word; real meaning; “true knowledge of the object which the Yogi wants”; “the “object” being meditated upon”; object, thing, purpose, aim, approach; wealth (from the verb root arth – “to request the sense, to point out”)
मात्र – Mātra – only
निर्भासा – Nirbhāsā – shining; shining (with); appearing (as); “shining or appearing therein”
निर्वितर्का – Nirvitarkā – without reasoning
एतयैव सविचारा निर्विचारा च सूक्ष्मविषया व्याख्याता ॥ ४४ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 44
Etayaiva Savicārā Nirvicārā Ca Sūkṣma-Viṣayā Vyākhyātā
In the same way [as in Part 1, Sutra 41-43], [the process of]
Savicārā (with enquiry) and
Nirvicārā (without enquiry) on subtle objects are explained.
एतय –
Etaya – by this
इव –
Iva – like, thus, as it were
सविचारा –
Savicārā – with enquiry, reflecting, reflection, with judgment; “a stage in
Samādhi wherein the mind (
Citta) is identified with some subtle object and assumes its form”; “a type of
Samādhi “in which the mind does not reason logically but judges and perceives”
निर्वचारा –
Nirvicārā – without enquiry; not reflecting
च –
Ca – and
सूक्ष्म –
Sūkṣma – subtle; non-material, unmanifest; attenuated; fine; “not belonging to the physical world perceived by the outer mind and senses”; “(relating to) the subliminal parts of our being or the supraphysical planes of existence (
Lokas) between the
Sthūla and the
Kāraṇa”
विषया –
Viṣayā – object, object (of experience), subject matter, content; “an object of sensory or other experience”
व्याख्याता –
Vyākhyātā – explained, described
सूक्ष्मविषयत्वं चालिङगपर्यवसानम् ॥ ४५ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 45
Sūkṣma-Viṣayatvaṃ Cāliṅga-Paryavasānam
[...] and extends to subtle objects without any characteristic (
Aliṅga).
सूक्ष्म –
Sūkṣma – subtle; non-material, unmanifest; attenuated; fine; “not belonging to the physical world perceived by the outer mind and senses”; “(relating to) the subliminal parts of our being or the supraphysical planes of existence (
Lokas) between the
Sthūla and the
Kāraṇa”
विषयत्वं –
Viṣayatvaṃ – object; “the thing itself”, “thus-ness of an object”
च –
Ca – and
अलिङग –
Aliṅga – “without any characteristic, mark, or differentiating characteristic”; “the last stage of the
Guṇa”; without form
पर्यवसानम् –
Paryavasānam – extending, terminating, extending (up to)
ता एव सबीजः समाधिः ॥ ४६ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 46
Tā Eva Sabījaḥ Samādhiḥ
These [Part 1 Sutra 41-45], therefore, constitute complete absorption (
Samādhi) with seed (
Sabīja).
ताः – Tāḥ – these, those
एव – Eva – thus, therefore, only; in fact; without limitation; even; alone; itself; as if; verily
सबीजः – Sabījaḥ – with seed, with attributes; having an object; objective
समाधि – Samādhi – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desireless fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)
निर्विचारवैशारद्येऽध्यात्मप्रसादः ॥ ४७ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 47
Nirvicāra-Vaiśāradye’dhyātma-Prasādaḥ
In the purity of (the process without enquiry) Nirvicārā, clarification of the supreme Self.
निर्विचार – Nirvicārā – without enquiry; not reflecting
वैशारद्ये – Vaiśāradye – purity, lucidity; “on the refinement”; “on attaining the utmost purity”
अध्यात्म – Adhyātma – of the supreme Self
प्रसादः – Prasādaḥ – clarification, grace (from the verb root sad – “to sit” + the prefix pra – “to settle down, grace, favor”); “a gift from God”; “an offering made to God which is then distributed to devotees with His blessings”; clarity; tranquillity; serenity, calming, tranquilizing, clearness; contentment; “an illumined ease and clarity”, purification; lucidity
ऋतम्भरा तत्र प्रज्ञा ॥ ४८ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 48
Ṛtambharā Tatra Prajñā
In that, the wisdom (
Prajñā) is truth-bearing.
ऋतम् – Ṛtam – truth, law, right, order, “the course of things” (from the root ṛ - “to rise, tend upward”)
भरा – Bharā – bearing
तत्र – Tatra – in that place, there, in it, thither, to that place, in that, in that case, on that occasion, under those
circumstances; then, therefore; of those, of them
प्रज्ञा – Prajñā – wisdom; intuitive wisdom; gnosis
श्रुतानुमानप्रज्ञाभ्यामन्यविषया विशेषार्थत्वात् ॥ ४९ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 49
Śrutānumāna-Prajñābhyām Anya-Viṣayā Viśeṣārthatvāt
Revealed scripture (
Śruti) and inference (
Anumāna) are different from wisdom (
Prajñā) because its object has a particular meaning.
श्रुति –
Śruti – revealed scripture,
Veda, what is heard; direct assertion; teachings; inspiration; “(based on) revelation or testimony”
अनुमान –
Anumāna – inference; syllogism; instrument of inference (from the verb root
mā – “to measure, prepare, display” +
anu – “along, after”)
प्रज्ञाभ्याम् –
Prajñābhyām – wisdom
अन्यः –
Anyaḥ – other
विषया –
Viṣayā – object, object (of experience), subject matter, content; “an object of sensory or other experience”
विशेष –
Viśeṣa – particular, particularity, the qualified; propriety, distinction; distinct, gradation; differentiation; special
अर्थत्वात् –
Arthatvāt – meaning, function, role
तज्जः संस्कारोऽन्यसंस्कारप्रतिबन्धी ॥ ५० ॥
Part 1 Sutra 50
Taj-jaḥ Saṃskāro’nya-Saṃskāra-Pratibandhī
The impression born of that [wisdom] obstructs other impressions.
तद् – Tad – that, its
जः – Jaḥ – “born of”; “are the result of”
सम्स्कार – Saṃskāra – impression
अन्यः – Anyaḥ – other
सम्स्कार – Saṃskāra – impression, latent impression, predisposition, consecration, imprint, innate tendency, innate potency, mold, inborn nature, residual impression, mental formation, “habitual reaction formed by one’s past”, “stamping with a tendency”; purificatory rite, rite of passage (from sam + kṛ – “to fashion or to do together”)
प्रतिबन्धी – Pratibandhī – obstructs, prevents, preventer; “that which stands in the way of”
The technique of Nirbīja Samādhi
तस्यापि निरोधे सर्वनिरोधान्निर्बीजः समाधिः ॥ ५१ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 51
Tasyāpi Nirodhe Sarva-Nirodhān Nirbījaḥ Samādhiḥ
On its cessation and by the cessation of all, complete absorption (
Samādhi) without seed (
Nirbīja).
तस्य – Tasya – its, of it, of this, that
अपि – Api – also; even
निरोधे – Nirodhe – on cessation
सर्व – Sarva – all; complete; the All
निरोधात् – Nirodhāt – by cessation
निर्बीजः – Nirbījaḥ – without seed, seedless; attributeless; subjective
समाधिः – Samādhiḥ – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desireless fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)
तदपि बहिरङग निर्बीजस्य ॥ ८ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 8
Tad Api Bahir-Aṅgam Nirbījasya
Even that [Sabīja Samādhi] is external to the seedless (Nirbīja Samādhi).
तद् – Tad – that, its
अपि – Api – also; even
बहिः – Bahiḥ – external, outside; external world
अङगम् – Aṅgam – “limb”; individual part; accessory; member; technique; a scripture (from the verb root ang – “to move”)
निर्बीजस्य – Nirbījasya – to the seedless
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).
तदा – Tadā – then
विवेक – Viveka – discrimination, intuitive discrimination
निम्नं – Nimnaṃ – bent, inclined, inclined toward
कैवल्य – Kaivalya – isolation, aloofness, aloneness; emancipation, “isolation of pure awareness”; “separation from everything”
प्राग् – Prāg – before, towards
भारं – Bhāraṃ – load
चित्तम् – Cittam – mind; consciousness; thought; apperception (from the verb root cit – “to perceive, observe, know”)
तच्छिद्रेषु प्रत्ययान्तराणि संस्कारेभ्यः ॥ २७ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 27
Tac-Chidreṣu Pratyayāntarāṇi Saṃskārebhyaḥ
Thoughts (
Pratyaya) [arise] in the intervals from the force of impressions (
Saṃskāra).
तद् – Tad – that, its
छिद्रेषु – Chidreṣu – interval, gap
प्रत्यय – Pratyaya – condition, suffix, perception, thought, intention, representation (from the verb root i – “to go” + prati – “against, back”); content of the mind
अन्तराणि – Antarāṇi – other; the other
संस्कारेभ्यः – Saṃskārebhyaḥ – from the force of impressions
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.
हानं – Hānaṃ – relinquishing; liberation; detachment; cessation; avoidance; remedy; abolition; dispersion; removal
एषां – Eṣāṃ – of these
क्लेशवत् – Kleśavat – “like the causes of suffering”; “like that of the Kleśa or afflictions”
उक्तम् – Uktam – described, explained; “has been said, declared, or described”
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).
प्रसङख्याने – Prasaṅkhyāne – continued meditation, elevation, summit, “in the knowledge of the highest meditation”
अपि – Api – also; even
अकुसिदस्य – Akusīdasya – “of one who has no interest left”; “one without greed”
सर्वथा – Sarvathā – “in all circumstances”; past, present, and future; “in all time and space”
विवेक – Viveka – discrimination, intuitive discrimination
ख्यतेः – Khyateḥ – awareness, apprehension, discernment, knowledge, vision, seeing
धर्म – Dharma – property, visible form, constituent substance, attributes; functions; righteousness; merit; religious duty; religion; law (from the verb root dhṛ – “to uphold, to establish, to support”)
मेघः – Meghaḥ – cloud, rain showers, shower
समाधिः – Samādhiḥ – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desireless fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)
The three kinds of transformations involved in Samādhi
Pariṇāma (Transformation)
व्युत्थाननिरोधसंस्कारयोरभिभवप्रादुर्भावौ निरोधक्षणचित्तान्वयो निरोधपरिणामः ॥ ९ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 9
Vyutthāna-Nirodha-Saṃskārayor Abhibhava-Prādur-Bhāvau Nirodha-Kṣaṇa-Cittānvayo Nirodha-Pariṇāmaḥ
The cessation of the impressions (
Saṃskāra) that are rising up, the suppression of manifest states of being, and the moments of stillness that permeate the mind [define]
Nirodha-Pariṇāmaḥ.
व्युत्थान – Vyutthāna – rising up, emergence, awakening; “the state of out-turned-ness”; a stage in Yoga
निरोध – Nirodha – negation; cessation; restriction; stilling; inhibition; suppression; stoppage; restraint; control (from the verb root rudh – “to obstruct, arrest, avert,” + ni – “down or into”)
संस्कारयोः – Saṃskārayoḥ – of the impressions
अभिभव – Abhibhava – suppression, subjugation; submergence; becoming latent
प्रादुर् – Prādur – outside, manifest
भावौ – Bhāvau – “state of being”; existence; emotion; feeling; attitude; condition; becoming; state (from the verb root bhū – “to become, exist”)
निरोध – Nirodha – negation; cessation; restriction; stilling; inhibition; suppression; stoppage; restraint; control (from the verb root rudh – “to obstruct, arrest, avert,” + ni – “down or into”)
क्षण – Kṣaṇa – moment, “an extremely small portion of time”, movement
चित्त – Citta – mind; consciousness; thought; apperception (from the verb root cit – “to perceive, observe, know”)
अन्वयः – Anvayaḥ – pervasiveness; relation, connected to; permeated; all-pervading (state); all-pervasiveness; permeation; pervasion; positive; affirmative; nexus
निरोध – Nirodha – negation; cessation; restriction; stilling; inhibition; suppression; stoppage; restraint; control (from the verb root rudh – “to obstruct, arrest, avert,” + ni – “down or into”)
परिणामः – Pariṇāmaḥ – transformation, change, modification, evolution, development, ripening, changing
तस्य प्रशान्तवाहिता संस्कारात् ॥ १० ॥
Part 3 Sutra 10
Tasya Praśānta-Vāhitā Saṃskārāt
Its flow becomes tranquil by repeated impression.
तस्य – Tasya – its, of it, of this, that
प्रशान्त – Praśānta – peaceful, tranquil, undisturbed
वाहिता – Vāhitā – flow, progression
संस्कारात् – Saṃskārāt – by (repeated) impression
सर्वर्थतैकाग्रतयोः क्षयोदयौ चित्तस्य समाधिपरिणामः ॥ ११ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 11
Sarvārthataikāgratayoḥ Kṣayodayau Cittasya Samādhi-Pariṇāmaḥ
Complete one-pointedness (
Ekāgrata) on the meaning and the destruction of appearances of the mind [define]
Samādhi-Pariṇāma.
सर्व – Sarva – all; complete; the All
अर्थत – Arthata – “regarding the meaning of something”
एकाग्रतयोः – Ekāgratayoḥ – one-pointedness, close attention, focus, fixity of attention, concentratedness
क्षय – Kṣaya – disappearance, loss, diminution, destruction; decay; dwelling, residence, habitation; “abode of the Lord of Death”
उदयौ – Udayau – arising, appearance, rise
चित्तस्य – Cittasya – “of the mind”
समाधि – Samādhi – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desire-less fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)
परिणामः – Pariṇāmaḥ – transformation, change, modification, evolution, development, ripening, changing
ततः पुनः शान्तोदितौ तुल्यप्रत्ययौ चित्तस्यैकाग्रतापरिणामः ॥ १२ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 12
Tataḥ Punaḥ Śāntoditau Tulya-Pratyayau Cittasyaikāgratā-Pariṇāmaḥ
Ekāgratā Pariṇāma, then, again, is when the latent and arisen contents of the mind are exactly similar.
ततः – Tataḥ – from that, from these, from it; after that, then, thence, therefore
पुनः – Punaḥ – again
शान्त – Śānta – peaceful, peace, quiescent, calm, subsided, contentment, latent (from the verb root śam – “to be at peace”)
उदितौ – Uditau – arisen, uprisen
तुल्य – Tulya – similar, exactly similar, equal
प्रत्ययौ – Pratyayau – condition, suffix, perception, thought, intention, representation (from the verb root i – “to go” + prati – “against, back”); content of the mind
चित्तस्य – Cittasya – “of the mind”
एकाग्रता – Ekāgratā – one-pointedness, close attention, focus, fixity of attention, concentratedness
परिणामः – Pariṇāmaḥ – transformation, change, modification, evolution, development, ripening, changing
References:
- Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
- Audi, Robert (1999). The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Second Edition. New York: Cambridge University Press
- Hartz, Richard. Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo). Retrieved from http://wiki.auroville.org.in/wiki/Glossary_to_the_Record_of_Yoga
- Jhā, Gangānātha (1907). The Yoga Darśana: The Sūtra of Patañjali with the Bhāṣya of Vyasa. Bombay: Rajaram Tukaram Tatya
- Krishna, Gopi (1972). Kundalini - The Secret of Yoga. Ontario, Canada: F.I.N.D. Research Trust
- 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
