Patanjali Yoga Sutras
During the giving of Vazhipaadu, Sage Agastya said, “No
matter who teaches meditation or with what method, the foundation of all types
of meditation is the one developed by Maharishi Patanjali.”
So what are these? They are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama,
Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. There are a plethora of articles
online and in the form of books and one may peruse them if they feel they need
additional information. However, here is a brief explanation.
Yama and Niyama are how one applies righteousness behavior
in one’s life. It is about discipline and restraint in curbing unrighteous
thoughts and actions and practicing right behavior. We know this is the basis of Vazhipaadu. Sage Agastya repeatedly urges
us to walk on the path of righteousness in
Vazhipaadu.
Asana and pranayama are connected to posture and breathing
techniques. Sage Agastya explained pratyahara beautifully.
“Pratyahara/Withdrawal of Senses means
getting disconnected with the external and internal environment. Body
consciousness and sense consciousness must be cut off. It is just like turning
off the lights, so you can have a calm place to go to sleep. The only difference
here is that, instead of sleeping, you are disassociating yourself from the
outer world.
The
action of letting go of outside disturbances is called the withdrawal of the
senses. It is that action that comes from withdrawal of the mind from such
external stimuli like light, noise, touch and promotes inner consciousness.
When
the mind achieves complete withdrawal from the senses including touch, when one
reaches a stage where they are no longer aware of the outside world, then the
state of concentration is reached.
Dharana
is the next step of concentrating which leads to Dhyana where one begins the
practice of meditation. Sage Agastya says, “When we attain the state of
dharana (state of immersion) while meditating, the awareness of our mind and
body is removed step by step and vanishes. “
I am taking Sage Agastya’s words directly from
Vazhipaadu to explain these: “After pratyahara, you get into the next
stage known as dharana. It is the state of being, during which your mind is
fixed on just one thing.
Each
teacher uses a different idea for the student to focus on. Some use colors,
others syllables or a mantra like aum and still others light or a flower.
Having
disassociated yourself from the surroundings including light, sound and other
things that affect your sense organs, you can then focus on your heart or your Ajna[1] chakra. When your mind is fixed on
just one thing, you enter the stage of dharana.
After
withdrawing oneself from all the outer senses, it is important to withdraw all
thoughts from one’s mind. It is a state which occurs when one lets go of
thoughts that emerge from the depth of the mind like little snowflakes without
getting entangled in them.”
Then
comes meditation or dhyana. Sage Agastya says, “During meditation, you
are trying to contact your inner self. It is when you contact your inner self
that you go into nothingness. So, from mantra you have gone to dhyana and from
dhyana to samadhi. Once you go into samadhi, nothing exists.
It
is not an easy task to pull the mind and tie it up in one place. To aid you
with this, you can either chant the name of a deity that you like, or the
mantra given by the Guru.
This
then leads to Samadhi, where one after regular practice of meditation, reaches
of state of complete awareness and God contact. It is in this stage that one
experiences bliss or the inexplicable joy that wells up from within. Sage Agastya says:
Samadhi/State
of Intense Concentration: When a person in meditation forgets himself and the
outside world and has no consciousness of his own self and becomes engrossed in
the joyous state, that state is called samadhi or state of intense
concentration. There are two types in this Savikalpa Samadhi and Nirvikalpa
Samadhi.
Meditation
includes both thought and thoughtlessness. In the preparatory state, you train
your thoughts to develop focus. Once you reach that spot, you stop chanting the
mantra. You do not have to chant anymore because you become merged with the
atman. Such a samadhi is called Savikalpa samadhi[2].
In this case you are temporarily linked to the Supreme Consciousness.
If
you can remain in that state all the time, it is called Nirvikalpa samadhi[3]. That is what many of the great Gurus
and Paramahamsa’s enjoy. They are in a perpetual state of oneness with God.
In
modern society, when you are expected to fulfill your responsibilities in
samsara, it is difficult to do all this.”
On
another occasion, Sage Agastya gave a specific information about this state:
On a question about attaining Nirvikalpa samadhi[4], Sage Agastya said: When you are able
to sit for five hours and 24 minutes in meditation, that is the Nirvikalpa
samadhi state. It is very rare. Not everyone can ordinarily do that.”
So, Sage Agastya said, each must follow the path to which
they are drawn. From the simple Vipasana method to the more complex methods
like Kriya Yoga.
[1] Ajna
chakra: The spiritual energy center between the eyebrows.
[2]
Savikalpa samadhi: When one loses consciousness of the external world and
consciousness is focused fully on the bliss within.
[3]
Nirvikalpa Samadhi: A perpetual state of divine consciousness when one is
completely untouched by worldly stimulus.
[4] Nirvikalpa Samadhi: A
higher state of consciousness where only consciousness remains, ego disappears.
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