From thoughts to thoughtlessness
Patanjali Yoga Sutra Knowledge Sheet 43
Contd. from knowledge sheet 42
“Tatra shabdhartha jnana vikapaihi Sankerna savitarka samapattihi’’
Tatra = there; shabda = words; artha = meaning; jnana = ideas, knowledge; vikalpaihi = subtle modification of the senses; sankërna = mixed up; savitarka = undisturbing thoughts; samapattihi = samadhi
“In savitarkasamadhi, the samadhi in which undisturbing thoughts arise, there exists words, with their meaning intermixed with ideas, all of which are subtle modifications of the senses.”
Here there is a little debate - a few thoughts are going on here, yet, those thoughts are not disturbing the harmony. certain thoughts which throw you off the balance. There are certain thoughts that help you to come to a steady, calm state of awareness. So Patanjali says that this is Savitarkasamadhi. There are also some thoughts, some discussions or arguments. It is not an argument, it is a discussion.
“Smruti parishuddhau swarupa shunya varthamatranirbhasa nirvitarka’’
Smruti = memory; swarupa = nature; shunya = void; iva = like; artha = object; matra = alone; abhasa = nothing at all; nirvitarka = wordless, without any debate; parishuddhau = cessation or purified
“Nirvitarkasamadhi, or the samadhi in which no debate exists, is that in which the memory is purified (ceases to exist), and is a state which is pure void alone, and in which there is a feeling of nothingness.”
In another type of samadhi, you are not aware of anything. You just know that you are - that is it. This is meditation with eyes closed. When your eyes are closed, you simply know that you are, but you do not know where you are, what you are, who you are, as though you are not there at all! There is just an aabhas, a feeling that you are nothing more than this feeling that “I am”. This is known as Nirvichara Samadhi, Nirvitarka Samadhi.
<< Steadiness, in spite of being in any sensory activity, is Samadhi Experiencing Thoughtlessness >>
(This is part of a series of knowledge sheets based on Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's commentaries on Patanjali Yoga Sutras.)