Human Spiritual Structure: Samadhi
Notes in progress © 1998-2002 Alan McAllister  


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Samadhi is one of the six states of the mind. In yoga there are two classes of Samadhi, Savikalpa samadhi and Nirvikalpa samadhi. In the former the citta and aham of the unit have merged into its mahat, and its mahat has expanded to become one with the Cosmic Mahat. There is still one thought, that of unity with the supreme.

There are six stages of Savikalpa samadhi, corresponding to the passage of the kundalini through the various chakras. These are as follows:

In Nirvikalpa samadhi the mahat merges into the Cosmic Atman and the mind ceases to exist, this state is beyond thought and incomprehensible to the mind. This is reached when the kundalini reaches the sahasrara chakra, and can only come about by the grace of the Supreme. This the Buddhist nirvana.

In more mundane terms it is said that when the kundalini reaches the sahasrara chakra it drinks the "wine" of amrta and becomes completely intoxicated. This is what is meant by spiritual wine.

In terms of the kosas the sound of the Omkara is given as: ankle bells when the mind is in kamamaya kosa; a sweet flute when the mind is in manomaya kosa; a long bell when the mind is in atimanas kosa; the buzzing of a bee or the sound of the sea when the mind is in vijinanamaya kosa; finally when the mind is in hiranmaya kosa a weak ohm sound is heard.

If one compares this list with that given above and uses the similarities to associate kosas with chakras one has: the mind in kamamaya kosa and the kundalini past the manipura chakra; the mind in manomaya kosa and the kundalini past the anahata chakra; the mind in atimanas kosa and the kundalini past the vishudha chakra; the mind in vijinanamaya kosa and the kundalini past the ajina chakra; and the omn sound being heard in hiranmaya kosa with the kundalini in, or beyond,(?) the saharara chakra.

One interesting result of this exercise is that we have the mind seated in the atimanas kosa with the kundalini in the ajina chakra, which is the focus for psychic reading.

Note: that these associations are quite different from the list of kosas that control each of the chakras. This control is of the aspect of the chakras that control prana in the body.

Anindyananda Samadhi

The sahasrara chakra gradually collects the pineal hormone, amrta. Twice a month, between ekadashii (11 days after the full or new moon) and the new or full moon several drops of amrta fall down to the ajina chakra. If when this occurs the aparavrtti is dominant (the right nostril is open) and the mind is in a cruder state, focused on mundane pleasures, the amrta is `burnt' in a cavity below the ajina chakra, and the sadhaka feels nothing. However, when paravrtti is dominant (the left nostril is open) and the mind is in a concentrated state the amrta will stimulate the other 48 vrttis and there will be a bright light around the ahanatta chakra and the feeling of bathing in Divine Light. This state is called anindyananda samadhi and state can only be obtained by the Grace of the guru. The observance of fasting on ekadashii is in part related to the attainment of this samadhi. [CAS]

Satyananda describes something similar. He says that ambrosia is formed at the sahasrara (the moon) and is consumed at the manipura (the sun), where it is the food which sustains life. This nectar is formed into drops at the bindu visargha, drips down to a minor chakra (Lalana) at the base of the nasal orifice. This serves as a reservoir. It is secreted from here due to certain mudras (e.g. the tongue lock) and flows to the vishuddha chakra. If this has awakened the nectar is purified and rejuvenates the body. It the vishuddha is not active the nectar becomes toxic and leads slowly to the decay of the body and death. [TC]

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Page Created, February, 1998. AHM.
Last updated December 2, 1998. AHM.
© Alan McAllister

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