45– Patanjali here talks of the range of subtle experiences,
Sukshmavishyatvam chaalingparyavasaanam
Sukshma: Subtle
Vishyatvam: Subject
Cha: And
Alinga: Having no characteristic or sign, said of Supreme Being
Paryavasaanam: Conclusion, end / determination / ascertainment
And the subtleness of subject can tend towards a point of indefinability.
There is a shloka in the Ishopanishad, ‘purnamadah purnamidam purnaata purnam uddachyate, punasya purnamaadayah purnamevavashishyate’. That is, everything has emerged from the infinite or purna and will return back to the infinite, and in being a part of the infinite, it too is infinite. There is no upper limit to gyan, it cannot be defined for what can be defined cannot be infinite. The subtleness of the subject can be explored to the point of infinity, to indefinability…
46 – Patanjali puts the various states of samadhis described earlier under one name,
Taa eva sabeejah samadhih
Ta: All those
Eva: Too
Sabeejah: Sabeej, with seed
Samadhih: Samadhi
All these too are sabeej samadhi, the state where the object of focus remains, has not dissolved.
Samadhi is equivalent to yog and yog in itself is complete. Patanjali does not give types or levels of Samadhi, he gives states of Samadhi.
Samadhi literally translates as being near to Divine, not being Divine. It is not possible to achieve Divine because moksha is limited, Divinity is unlimited. What Yogsutras prescribe are ways to reach the closest to Divinity…whatever the rishis have explored, wherever they have reached, you can reach beyond that too. Whatever the description of Samadhi, you can reach beyond that state too.
Vedas too are not unlimited…anything that is defined, bound by words and descriptions is limited, and can in no way be equivalent to Divinity which is unlimited. Shunya too is limited. It is defined. How can you define the universe which has no beginning or end?
There is a merger with Creation, but at levels…it is a constant endeavour. Never think that you have reached the finality, even kaivalya is not finality, because there still exists something beyond…there is no finality to infinity. Always remember, this is not it…there is something beyond, which you cannot see since you are limited, your guru can. Don’t limit yourself. There is no limit to your thought or capacity and what or where you can reach…
47 – Patanjali now details the effect of nirvichar samadhi,
Nirvichaar vaishardyei aadhyaatma prasaadah
Nirvichaar: Thoughtlessness
Vaishardyei: Proficiency
Aadhyaatma: Spiritual, etheric
Prasaadah: Calmness, purity
Proficiency in nirvichar samadhi, the state of being thoughtless, leads to etheric purification.
Of the five elements, agni is the one that cannot be contaminated and has the power to purify others. Pollution of earth, water, air we are all aware of, space or ether is contaminated by thoughts.
The thoughts are not created by us, they come from outside. The kind of thoughts we catch from the environment depends on our level of evolution. Grosser thoughts pertain to self, subtler thoughts pertain to creation.
But all the thoughts are foreign, they contaminate us in the sense of tying us to the physical creation. When one is able to still oneself such that no thought enters, it cleanses the body – physical as well as subtle.
