Chapter 134 - Samadhi

Eight signs of Samadhi: 

1. Tears: Continuous flow of tears because of Bliss. Sadhak (devotee) started to cry, not because of pain or sorrow, but business. He feel so happy that tears begin to roll down on their own. 

2. Shivering: Sadhak's (devotee) body starts to shiver all of a sudden while worshipping his favourite deity or meditating.

3. Goosebumps: Sadhak gets goosebumps while praying. 

4. Heart Palpitation: Sadhak's heart begins to run fast while praying or meditating. 

5. Sweating: Sadhak starts sweating though it is not so hot in his chamber. 

6. Singing: Due to blissness, Sadhak starts to sing 

7. Crying:  Sadhak starts to weep for no reason. 

8. Dancing: Sadhak starts to dance. 

These are signs which appear in the early state of Samadhi, especially during idol worshipping. 

State of Samadhi: 

When Sadhak gains full control over breathing and his mind stops, this state is called samadhi. Holding your breath for 12 seconds is called Dharana  (concentration of the mind). Focusing your total awareness on a single object for 144 seconds in such a way that you forgets about time, surroundings, and your body is called Dhyan (meditation). 

And when we continue practising Dhyan, one-day samadhi happens on its own, just like sleep comes on its own. You can't force it to happen. 

Stages of Samadhi: 

Samprajnata Samadhi 

The first level of samadhi is where you are peaceful, quiet, in meditation, but you are available to the outside world. In this state, you are sitting quietly, consciously getting rid of disturbances of your mind and meditating. If some stimulus happens, you use your knowledge to respond; that is the Samprajnata Samadhi.

(Savikalpa)

nature.

However, this is not yet a permanent state, and everybody has to return to ordinary consciousness. Patanjali describes the four stages of Savikalpa Samadhi are possible.

1. Savitarka Samadhi

This means "thought transformation on an object with the help of words." Perhaps it is because so te of Savitarka Samadhi, the mind weigh things with awareness and decide whether they are helpful to discuss or not.

2. Sa-Asmita Samadhi

This is the final stage of Savitarka Samadhi. When the yogi becomes established in the one-pointed state of consciousness achieved in Sananda Samadhi, the mind becomes even more purified and is able to penetrate deeper. Even the ahankara, or ego-sense—despite its power, its pervasive nature, and its seeming solidity—is only a vritti, a single thought of individualized existence. This vritti too can be suppressed, and when this happens, the yogi can directly perceive the source of the ahankara: the mahat. (cosmic mind)

3. Savichara Samadhi

Vichara samadhi (savichara and nirvichara) is described by Patanjali in sutras 1:44 and 45. "The state of samadhi concerned with subtle objects extends up to Prakriti (the source of all manifestation.) As savichara samadhi deepens, the yogi may begin to develop an understanding of the true nature of 

After some practice, the yogi will be able to fully transfer consciousness from the vitarka to the vicara level. Savichara Samadhi is a state of silence in which thinking is available, but the mind is quiet.

4. Sa-Ananda Samadhi

Here the mind is devoid of the objective world; you move beyond the intellect. There is no reasoning or reflection, just the tranquillity of the settled mind. The sattvic (pure) mind is only aware of its own joy. The focus is on the inner powers of perception and within the mind itself. It's known as a "blissful" Samadhi filled with joyful peace.

Asamprajnata Samadhi (Nirvikalpa)

The second level of Samadhi is when you go deeper into yourself, away from the world outside, and if some stimulus happens, it won't affect you. This is Asamprajnata Samadhi. In Mahabharata, Arjuna is supposed to have practised his archery with such a concentration.

At this stage, the only thing present is pure, empty consciousness: only a self-aware being. This is Nirvikalpa or Nirbija samadhi. The yogi's mind attains to take on some of the omniscient and omnipotent qualities of the cosmic. The yogi who is able to navigate this stage eventually attains discriminative wisdom and perfect purity of mind and surrenders all attachments.

The Nirbija samadhi is also referred to as Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Yukteswar Giri, and Swami Vivekananda are said to have experienced the state of Nirvikalpa and reached Nirbija Samadhi.

It's what Ishit is experiencing right now. 

1. Nirvitarka Samadhi

It refers to the state in which the mental alternations of shabda (sound, name), artha (essence, goal), and jñana (knowledge) are suspended. The less-real components, shabda and jñana, fall away entirely, while the mind is absorbed in only artha, or form, and loses its awareness of being the knower. It's where we have greater control over the mind, ideas, intellect, and dialogues. The memory about the nature of the object (its identifying sound and the accumulated knowledge) are temporarily transcended during Nirvitarka samadhi.

2. Nirvichara Samadhi

For the first time, true one-pointed concentration becomes possible. Even subtle thoughts do not occur. The perceptual limitations of time and space are transcended; this state is called Nirvichara Samadhi.

3. Kaivalya Samadhi

The final stage is to reach Kaivalya Samadhi: complete, final, and eternal union with the real, eternal form.

In this samadhi, you become one with Vishnu, Shiva, Adi Sakhit or Brahman, the creator, who is omnipresent. 

Step by Step process into Samadhi

The first step, Dharana, is loosely translated as "concentration." The Yoga Sutra gives a specific definition of this word: "to confine the mind or fix it in a well-defined space."

Space is infinite. Identifying space is very difficult because it does not have shape, colour, or form. Therefore, to confine the mind to space, you must first separate it from the rest of infinite space by putting a border around it.

Vyasa, the foremost commentator on the Yoga Sutras, advises bringing the mind to a space that is well defined, such as the area around your navel centre, the heart centre, the centre between the eyebrows, or to a particular external point, such as a flame or a specific image.

You must then select an object to occupy that space, be it an image of Ganesha, a yantra, or a mantra.

Distraction is the mind's tendency to contact various objects at a fast speed and forget both the main object it was supposed to be aware of and the space in which it was supposed to be confined. Rather than giving in to the habit of distraction, bring your mind back to the chosen object and allow your mind to focus on that repeatedly.

Concentration and distraction flow side by side. The only difference is that one stream of concentration is more substantial, heavier, and fuller than the other.

As concentration matures, it turns into meditation or dhyana. This is the second step. So dhyana is a continuation of Dharana; your meditation is a more mature state of your concentration.

Many saints and yogis say that if your mind remains concentrated on one object for at least 12 breaths, you have achieved a state of meditation. If, within that 12-breath period, your mind shifts from one object to another object, you are still at the stage of concentration.

Samadhi dawns when your mind becomes completely absorbed in the object occupying the space to which you have confined it. In samadhi, the process of concentration, the object of concentration, and the mind that is trying to concentrate or meditate all have become one. In samadhi, you are aware only of the essence and not of the details.

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Now we will cover the topic of bodies, as it will make you understand clearly what is Onish is suffering from. 

Jiva: 

An individual is called a "Jiva" in Vedanta. According to Vedanta a Jiva is composed of 3 bodies.

These 3 bodies are:

1. Gross Body (Sthula Sharira)

2. Subtle Body (Sukshma Sharira)

3. Causal Body (Karana Sharira)

The Gross Body

Material:

The scriptures say that the Gross Body is made out of gross matter, which in turn is in the form of 5 gross elements. Gross Matter is composed of 5 gross elements:

Space

Air

Fire

Water

Earth

That a human body is composed of these 5 elements can easily be proved by analysis. A human body occupies space, has fire element in the form of body temperature, has air element in the form of life-breath, has a significant amount of water (liquid) within it, and has 'earth' element to give it a solid form.

Function:

The scriptures say that the gross body is a temporary residence used by an individual (Jiva). It is like a house taken on rent.

The rent payment is in the form of Karma; both good Karma (Punya) & bad Karma (Papa). As long as there is Karma waiting to fructify, the body is available.

If there is no more Karma, then there is no reason for the Jiva to keep occupying a body. The reason some people die younger. 

II. The Subtle Body

Scriptures say that Subtle Body is born out of subtle Matter, which in turn is composed of 5 subtle elements. Just as there are 5 gross elements, there are corresponding 5 subtle elements: 

Subtle Space

Subtle Air

Subtle Fire

Subtle Water

Subtle Earth

So even though the elements are subtle, the subtle body is material in nature.

Continue ......