Yoga Sutras, Further Explanation of Samadhi

Sutra 1.42:Tatra sabda artha jnana vikalpaih samkirna savitarka, The samadhi in which an object, its name, and conceptual knowledge of it are mixed is called savitarka samadhi, the samadhi with examination.

Sutra 1.43:Smriti parisuddhau svarupa sunya iva artha matra nirbhasa nirvitarka, When the subconscious is well purified of memories (regarding the object of contemplation), the mind appears to lose its own identity, and the object alone shines forth. This is nirvitarka samadhi, the samadhi beyond examination.

In sutra 1.17, Patanjali(the author of the Yoga Sutras) first described four types of samprajnata samadhi (sam=union, prajna=knowledge). Vitarka, with examination, is the first type. This is samadhi at the lower level of the mind (manomaya kosha). This is using the metaphor of the onion layers or sheaths of the body/mind/spirit. This level of the mind has to do with the senses and emotions. Please see the post from 6-27-07 titled Yoga Sutras on Samadhi for more on sutra 1.17. In the above two sutras (1.42&1.43), Patanjali further divides vitarka samadhi into two more types, savitarka (sa=with, vitarka=examination, observation) and nirvitarka (nir=without, vitarka=examination). The distinction is: in savitarka samadhi the sabda (sound, word, or name), artha (object, form), and jnana (knowledge) are intermixed and in
nirvitarka samadhi, a more advanced version, the mind is further purified to the point that any past impression of the object contemplated is left behind. The awareness is still at the level of the manomaya kosha.

Sutra 1.44:Etaya eva savichara nirvichara cha sukshma vishaya vyakhyata, In the same way, savichara (with insight) and nirvichara (beyond insight) samadhis, which are practiced upon subtle objects, are explained.

Vichara samadhi, the second samprajnata samadhi, takes place when the awareness reaches the next level, the vijnanamaya kosha (intellectual sheath). Vichara is divided in the same manner as vitarka was in 1.42 & 1.43. Savichara (sa=with, vichara=insight) samadhi is a mixing of object, name, and subtle knowledge. Nirvichara also takes place at the vijnanamaya kosha but further purification of the mind allows the meditator to move beyond past impressions of the object contemplated to merge directly with it.

1.45:Sukshma vishayatvam cha alinga paryavasanam, The subtlety of possible objects of concentration ends only at the undifferentiated.

The ability to focus extends all the way up to and stops at the level of unmanifest prakriti (nature, creation). This is the level of prakriti that is without form. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi describes this concept with a metaphor. Holding a flower he would say the unmanifest is similar to the sap in the rose. There is potential for the sap to become a leaf or stem or petal, it is undifferentiated at that level. Likewise undifferentiated prakriti is not yet a person, tree, rock or an ocean, but the potential is there. In meditation the awareness deepens into the degrees of subtlety of an object (breath, mantra, candle etc.) until it moves beyond the object and merges with the colorless sap of creation.

1.46:Ta eva sabijah samadhih, All these samadhis are sabija (sa=with, bija=seed).

Here Patanjali groups the samprajnata samadhis together as sabija. Hari Das explains in his commentary on this sutra, "The repeated practice of samadhi at any level gives perfect knowledge of the object of absorption. From this perfection, the subltler object, which is the cause or seed within that object, is revealed." Therefore from savitarka samadhi the next level of subltety is revealed in nirvitarka. With more practice of nirvitarka one continues deeper to the level of savichara, then nirvichara, then sananda and finally sasmita. Each progression is to a more subtle level of knowledge. These six samprajnata samadhis still involve knowledge of an object so are therefore sabija samadhis. The next level is nirbija (nir=without, bija=seed) samadhi which will be discussed in sutra 1.51.

This is tough stuff but for the serious student of yoga!