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:
Salokya samadhi, in which the
kundalini has
crossed the svadhisthana
(second) chakra. The Omkara is heard as the
sound of crickets (a type of buzzing sound). The
sadhaka has the feeling that the Supreme is with
him or her.
Samiipya samadhi, in which the
kundalini has
crossed the manipura
(third) chakra. The Omkara is heard as the
sound of ankle bells (a "jhumjhum" sound). The
sadhaka has the feeling of close contact with the
Supreme.
Sayujja samadhi, in which the
kundalini has
crossed the anahata
(forth) chakra. The Omkara is heard as the sound
of sweet flute. The sadhaka has the feeling that the
Supreme is very near by.
Sarupya samadhi, in which the
kundalini has
crossed the vishudha
(fifth) chakra. The Omkara is heard as the sound
of a ringing-bell. The sadhaka has the feeling that
`I am one with the Supreme'.
Sarsthi samadhi, in which the
kundalini has
crossed the ajina
(sixth) chakra. The Omkara is heard as the
sound of conch shell which becomes the ocean or
thunder and finally the ohm sound is heard faintly.
The sadhaka has the feeling that s/he is the Supreme.
This is full savikalpa samadhi.
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.
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]
