Chapter 4.8b - Samādhi (supreme meditation)

Haribhadrasūri says that the beholder of parā dṛṣṭi always remains engaged in the supreme meditation (samādhi)^[1] . It is the eighth limb in the Pātañjala Yogadarśana.

The supreme meditation is defined [as following in the Pātañjala Yogasūtra]:

“tadevā'rthamātranirbhāsaṃsvarūpaśūnyamiva samādhiḥ”.^[2]

Moreover other Yogācāryas considers it to be an outcome of the highest meditation^[3] .

Upādhyāya Yaśovijaya defines it as,

“svarūpamātra nirbhāsaṃ samādhirdhyānameva hi”^[4]

In the parā dṛṣṭi its beholder has spiritually obtained the highest position. Therefore he does not have attachment for any of the spiritual practices. He is so much detached that in him there is no feeling of attachment even towards the supreme meditation^[5] . Even though he always remains involved in the practice of supreme meditation [i.e., samādhi], he is free from the attachment towards it.

The parā dṛṣṭi beholder’s satpravṛtti, which is here designated as detached performance of actions (asaṅgānuṣṭhāna), has blended with his soul in the manner the smell mixes with the sandal wood^[6] . The Nayalatā commentator says following lines in the present context.

The lines are^[7] :

... | parāyāmavasthitasya yogina īryādisamitibhikṣāṭacanādilakṣaṇā bāhayapravṛttiḥ kṣamādyabhyantarapravṛttiśca candanasyeva śarīrasyaccheda-dāhadiṣu saurabhādisvadharmakalpā paropakāriṇī na vikriyate kintu sahajabhāvamanuvidhatte |

Even though the subject in question very obviously practices the afore-mentioned activities, his practice of them has crossed the purpose of practicing any more^[8] . In other words we may say that even while practicing the activities he does not determine to undertake them again and again. It is so because his soul has obtained highly purified state by achieving omniscience knowledge. Since he has destroyed all four destructive karmans, none of his activity is undertaken with an intention to destroy karmans. His mind has become free from alternatives (vikalpa) pertaining to activities viz. let me perform this activity first, this activity is more beneficial than the other and so on. Hence, his such mind produces no impressions conducive to further performance of actions. The parā dṛṣṭi beholder has obtained the complete annihilation of attachment as well as a version due to omniscience. At this stage he is endowed with the results of all superattainments (labdhi) in spite of his total indifference for them. Moreover, he does spiritual good of others at this stage. This is how he spends the rest of his life-span (āyuṣya) and reaches culminating point of yoga^[9] . At the end of his life span he resorts to the highest type of yoga that consists in the cessation of all bodily, mental and vocal operations, soon puts an end to the ailment called worldly existence and attains liberation in a true sense of the term^[10] . Here the parā dṛṣṭi beholder is said to attain the fourteenth stage of spiritual elevation (guṇasthāna).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

samādhiniṣṭhā tu parā'ṣṭamī dṛṣṭiḥ |... || 178 ||
   –ibid.

[2]:

See, 3.3

[3]:

| samādhistudhyānaviśeṣaḥ phalamityanye |... || 178 ||
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[4]:

24.27, Dvātriṃśad-dvātriṃśikā, vol: 6, Pg: 1684

[5]:

| tadāsaṅgavivarjitā-samādhyāsaṅgavivarjitā,... || 178 ||
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[6]:

| sātmībhūtapravṛttiścaiṣā candanagandhanyāyena |... || 178 ||
   –ibid.

[7]:

See, 24.26, part-6, Pg: 1682, line: 3-5, Dvātriṃśad-dvātriṃśikā.

[8]:

tadatु tīrṇāśayeti cā'saccittābhāvena |... || 178 ||
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[9]:

kṣīṇadoṣo'tha sarvajñaḥ, sarvalabdhiphalānvitaḥ ____________ |
paraṃ parārthaṃ sampādya, tato yogāntamaśnute || 185 ||
   -Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya (2010)

[10]:

tatra drāgeva bhagavā-nayogād yogasattamāt |
bhavavyādhikṣayaṃ kṛtvā, nirvāṇaṃ labhate param || 186 ||

tatra-yogānte śaileśyavasthāyāṃ drāgeva-śīghrameva hrasvapañcākṣarodgiraṇamātraṇe kālena, bhagavānasau, ayogād-avyāpārāt yogasattamād-yogapradhānāt śaileśīyogādityarthaḥ,... nirvāṇaṃ labhate paraṃ, bhāvanirvāṇamityarthaḥ || 186 ||

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