SAMADHI is the highest state of consciousness that a person can achieve in life, and it is the goal of our spiritual journey on this earth.

Samadhi is a happy homecoming, a return to man's divine origin. When the thousand-petaled lotus of the sahasrara opens and contains the jivatma, man has finally reached the goal of his long, arduous, adventurous journey and can quench his eternal thirst with the nectar of immortality, amrta. As soon as consciousness comes into contact with the element of sahasrara, that is with ÁDI-TATTVA (or also amara-tattva), it immediately transforms it into SAT-CHIT-ÁNANDA - true being - perfect consciousness - joy.

How to describe consciousness in samadhi?

In the state of samadhi, the individual form ceases to exist. Consciousness and "self-awareness" continue, but freed from the dualistic dimension "it's mine - it's yours". Man lives on, but his inner self rests in the Supreme Self. This ends all his problems, pains, difficulties, this ends rebirth and death. The liberated one lives on earth in eternal joy, and after laying aside the body, his consciousness dissolves in the Divine Self.

We encountered different forms of consciousness: unconsciousness as in deep sleep, subconsciousness as in a dream, waking consciousness, supreme consciousness and cosmic consciousness.

At the lower end of the scale in deep sleep we experience a state of spiritual unconsciousness. The mind, free from restlessness and worries, relaxes and rests. After waking up, however, he finds himself in the same state as before falling asleep. All problems, worries and restless thoughts will return. Neither our situation nor ourselves have changed.

At the other end of the scale, we enter the highest consciousness in samadhi. The state of samadhi is mostly unrecognizable from the outside. A person in samadhi can appear as if he is sleeping, meditating, or even as if he has passed out. Similar to sleep, physical sensations of heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc. are reduced in samadhi. The state of samadhi does not harm the body in any way. Atma remains connected to the body and is aware of everything that happens. A person can return to a normal state at any time, just as we can return to a waking state from a dream if someone touches us or speaks loudly to us.

From the outside, therefore, there is no difference between samadhi and sleep, but the internal difference is absolute. A person returns from samadhi completely changed. Even an uneducated, limited person returns from samadhi - after experiencing unity with the Supreme Consciousness - as a sage.

But even in samadhi we do not yet achieve complete unity with the universe. The last level of consciousness, cosmic consciousness, can only be reached after death. The state of cosmic consciousness means being identical with the universe, with every atom of it, and this is not possible on the physical level. As soon as the highest consciousness expands to the cosmic consciousness, the earthly being is on the verge of extinction. The body is laid aside like a piece of clothing. He can pass away in a sound sleep, or become a victim of illness.

In his Yogasutras, Patanjali describes three techniques that will lead a person to the highest consciousness if he practices them and masters them perfectly:

DHARANÁ, DHJÁNA, SAMÁDHI.

DHARANA is concentration. During concentration, we consciously focus on one object (for example, the bija-mantra) and detach ourselves from everything else. It is important that we focus our attention on only one single point.

DHJANA is meditation, the next step after concentration. The self begins to dissolve in the object on which it concentrates. We are on the threshold of samadhi. One cannot "learn" meditation. Only if the body and mind are properly attuned, calmed, and clean, meditation occurs by itself, just as sleep occurs by itself when we lie down in bed in the evening.

SAMADHI is the state of the highest consciousness, in which the knower unites with the process of knowledge and with the object of knowledge. I - recognize - that. This three turns into an integral experience of SÓ HAM – I am He.

Because in reality we ourselves are what we are looking for.

The moment when our self unites in this knowledge with the Divine Self is like a dawn after a long dark night. The drop merged with the ocean, the ray with the sun. All suffering, pain, fear and anxiety (duhkha) ends. Duhkha lasts as long as the karmas last and passes away when the karmas are burnt in the fire of divine knowledge. We find ourselves at the crossroads of MOKSHA - liberation. And that is the goal of yoga.

But development does not end there either, because knowledge has no end. A new stage of spiritual evolution begins. Only now are we actually embarking on the path of yoga in the true sense of the word. We no longer grope like blind men, but continue forward with clear vision without doubt or uncertainty.

The consciousness of the one who has known and realized is so clear and pure that he perceives the vibration of the Self as light and tone. This unforgettable experience changes his life permanently and fundamentally. It is no longer identified with the body, mind, senses, feelings and emotions, properties, worldly states and relationships. Nothing can shake his inner bliss. The karma chain dissolved and stopped binding everything it had previously bound. The Atma-jnani is aware of his divine being – limitless, unchanging, eternal. He discovers the entire universe in himself and is identified with it.

My body is the whole earth. My consciousness extends to all corners of the world. My prana is the energy that flows through every atom of the universe. All elements of the universe are my elements. I am infinite space. My knowledge chidákásha, embraces the entire cosmos.

The intellect does not lead to this experience, but only the unity between the knower, the process of knowledge and the object of knowledge, the realization of SÓ HAM – He is me, I am He. All questions are answered, all wishes fulfilled. He is not the one who wants to know, he is not what he wants to know, the desire to know has passed away, in complete and perfect being all "I want" disappears.

To live this experience means to realize the true reality, to realize yourself and to realize God. Realize yourself in God and realize God in yourself. Sri Shankaracharya sings of the liberated realized Divine Consciousness in the famous bhajan

I am not mind, intellect, ego or consciousness,

I am not hearing, taste, smell or sight, I am not the five senses,

I am neither heaven nor earth, fire nor air, I am not the five elements,

I am Shiva who is pure consciousness and bliss.

I am not the breath of life nor the five pranas, I am not the seven dhatus,

I'm not five baskets, I'm not five authorities,

I am Shiva who is pure consciousness and bliss.

I am not attachment or duality,

I am not lust nor envy nor hatred nor anger

I am not dharma, artha, kama, moksha,

I am Shiva who is pure consciousness and bliss.

I am neither sin nor virtue nor pain nor happiness

mantra, holy places of pilgrimage, vedas or sacrifices,

I am neither the food nor the one who eats the food,

I am Shiva who is pure consciousness and bliss.

I have no fear of death, I stand outside caste,

I have no father or mother, no relatives or friends,

I am neither a teacher nor a student

I am Shiva who is pure consciousness and bliss.

I am without desire and without form,

I am contained in everything, lord of all senses,

I am changeless, beyond attachment and liberation,

I am Shiva who is pure consciousness and bliss.

What is the consciousness that has grounded its Self in True Reality and Truth? How does he see others? How does he see his surroundings? What thoughts and feelings does he have who has realized his True Essence? How does he live in this world?

We can see a self-realized person only through the eyes of the soul. On the outside, he looks pretty much the same as anyone else. He eats, drinks, sleeps, talks, laughs and performs his daily duties like other people. However, if we notice it more carefully, we will see the difference. It radiates peace and well-being, understanding, purity, calm dignity.

Samadhi and moksha (liberation) come through sahasrara, the tenth gate. It opens to those who follow one of the yoga paths with perseverance and dedication. It can be the path of raja-yoga, which requires discipline and demanding exercises, or the path of karma-yoga - selfless service to others, the path of bhakti-yoga - devotion to God, or the path of jnana-yoga - study and renunciation. But the last step to moksha cannot be done without guru-krpa - the guru's grace and help.

A folk saying says: "Don't change your inner image." It also refers to the spiritual path that a person embarks on and on which he is accompanied by the image of Ištadéva - the Master. Reaching the goal means not changing it, having it always in front of you and, of course, not changing the path either. How would we reach the top of the mountain if instead of climbing we walked around in a circle?

However, do not misunderstand the words "I am Atma". To think, "I am God, I do not need any Master," is misguided. Similar thoughts spring from the ego and from the selfish intellect. It is a kind of flawed theory that has nothing to do with reality.

Ego, selfish self-centeredness, is nourished by six factors. They are: youth, beauty, money, education, belonging to a race or nation and social status. Let us guard against conceit based on external values. If we are lucky enough to be healthy, handsome, rich, let's thank God for that and not exalt ourselves above others.

Let's not forget that beauty lies in inner values. The body is transient - strong and healthy today, weak and sick tomorrow. Let's be happy if God gives us enough means to support the family, if he gives us the skills and talent to achieve social status and recognition. Let's not throw away gifts from God, let's accept them, use them and be grateful to him for them.

Surrender your life to God and believe that He has given you what is best for you.

We can think about moksha only when we process our karmas and purify the ego, so that all five koshas can dissolve, which surround the atma and prevent it from flying. At the same time, the jjivatma has a temporarily unpleasant feeling of lability - about like when the snake sheds its skin. When the snake sheds its old skin, it can't see, barely moves and can't eat. However, as soon as he gets rid of the old cover, he sees himself and regains his vitality and strength. Similarly, when the atma freed from bonds reaches the sahasrara-chakra, it sees and sees the light of truth. What came first, the seed or the tree? Karmas or their fruits? From time immemorial, the seed comes from the fruit of the plant and the plant grows from the seed. Similarly, a karmic action brings a karmic reaction, which in turn arouses another karmic action. Karmas and sanskaras (karmic traces) are inextricably linked from the beginning. However, with the help of yoga, we can get out of this cycle:

YOGA-AGNIH KARMA DAHATI – The fire of yoga burns karma.

The seeds of all karmas and vasanas (desires) lose their ability to germinate only when they are "roasted" in the fire of yoga. Then the path to moksha opens for the aspirant. Because from now on, new sanskaras will not sprout from his actions and no more lives will be needed for him to deal with them. Once the ego - the distinction between "my self" and "your self" - dissolves, the sanchita-karma, or karma accumulated from past lives, also dissolves.

Of course, it is different with prarabdha-karma – karma that matured in this life and began to work. It continues to be fulfilled. Let's imagine that we spin the wheel and let them go. Before it stops, it will spin for a while due to inertia. It is the same with karma. We have destroyed ignorance - the root of rebirth, but the plant, namely the current life, still lasts a while.

Moksha, however, is not the final state, but a life-giving beginning. If God endows a person with wealth, He does not do it so that the person can spend it himself, but so that he can use it to serve others. Those who have developed knowledge and experience use their knowledge for the good of others. And so it is with a person who has attained moksha.

Some yogis withdraw from society into solitude and live as hermits far from civilization. But they also meditate for the good of the world. Their mere existence is a blessing to the world. It is said that the wind that touches the Jivanmukta spreads peace, harmony and happiness wherever it flies.

Other self-realized beings, on the other hand, go among people to teach them the truth. They renounce the bliss of vaikuntha (heaven) and return to the naraka (hell) world to help sentient beings. Helping others on the spiritual path is a wonderful task, but at the same time a great art that requires insight and all-encompassing knowledge. If we want to help others spiritually without having lived the experience of self-realization, let's be careful not to fall into the snares of maya again.

Mahaprabhuji says in one bhajan:

You are chained by karma and fate, but he who knew

and realized, is nirbandhana – unbound by anything.

Freedom walks in this world.

An illustrative comparison is connected to this:

Convicts who have committed a crime and must serve it here live in prison. Of course, there are also employees who came to the prison to work voluntarily. So they and you are in prison, and yet there is a vast difference between them. The employees did not commit any offense for which they would be locked up in prison as a punishment. They can come and go. The convicts are locked up here and will be released only after they have served their punishment for their crimes.

Nirbandhana, freed from bonds, lives in the world among beings who are bound by karmas, and most people do not recognize him from them. He has the ability to freely enter all levels of consciousness and exit them again at will. For him, the material world is only one space among many others, to whose doors he has the keys. The self of a liberated person remains constantly in union with the Supreme Self.

Samadhi in full consciousness is of two types: SAVIKALPA; NIRVIKALPA.

SAVIKALPA means "with movement (of mind)". Savikalpa-samadhi is also called "sabija" (with seed) or "savichara" (with meditation). Savikalpa-samadhi is still accompanied by feelings, thoughts and wishes, partly conscious, partly unconscious or subconscious. They are the remains of karmic seeds. On the other hand, nirvikalpa- (nirbidja or nirvichara) samadhi is free of all thoughts and feelings. Not even a single "karmic seed" has a place in it.

Imagine a lake whose surface is mirrored motionless in front of you. If you throw a pebble into the water, the surface ripples in concentric, widening circles. A similar "ripple" is evoked in the human mind by the impact of every perception, every situation. Every word, every thought behaves in consciousness like a pebble thrown into water. And who is there to calculate how much gravel lies in the depths of our consciousness? That's why it takes so long to clear the "gravel" of all disturbing factors (klésh and vikshep) from the bottom of consciousness. Only when we have an undisturbed and calm mind can the consciousness freed from impurities rise to its highest state.

Savikalpa-samadhi is related to the alternation of sankalpa and vikalpa, with the changeability of wishes and resolutions. Sankalpa is a decision, resolution, focus on a goal. On the contrary, vikalpa is a change, a reversal of ideas and resolutions. One who is torn between sankalpa and vikalpa is like a child who builds a castle out of sand, barely builds it, demolishes it and starts building a new one. So often we build whole worlds in our imaginations, identify with them, tear them down in an instant and build new worlds.

Watching a child playing on the sand is fun. Similarly, the one who knows and knows has fun watching how worldly people build and tear down "castles of sand".

Types of savikalpa-samadhi

Enlightenment

The first stage of savikalpa-samadhi comes unnoticed, just as waking turns into sleep and sleep into a dream.

Light appears to us. Enlightenment. The light appears already in the ajna-chakra and in the bindu-chakra. The closer we get to the sahasrara-chakra, the brighter the light. All shapes dissolve in it and the inner space is filled with the glitter of thousands of suns. We perceive a wonderful all-pervading tone, as if OM comes from a thousand throats. The gate to infinity opens before the inner vision. A completely new, miraculous, fascinating world lies before us, the mystery of which exceeds all our previous ideas.

We all long for miraculous spiritual experiences. However, when the gate of sahasrara opens, it can happen that we are like a bird in a cage, which suddenly opens the door to free space. He sits in the open door and considers whether he should venture into the unknown or rather stay in the cage. Just like that, the brahmarandhra, the tenth gate, is open to man at the threshold. We longed for this very moment, but when we reached the goal - we hesitated. We are worried about the next step.

It is up to us if we decide to continue, or if we return to a state of ordinary consciousness. The seeker, whose heart is burning with the desire to see God, will not stop the meditation and will continue. However, if we are overcome by anxiety, doubts and uncertainty, let's stop the exercise and consult with our Master on how to proceed further.

Astral travel

The next step in savikalpa-samadhi is astral travel. In this plane we can see Mahaprabhuji and all divine incarnations, Masters and saints. Here we get the first initiation. During the cleansing process, the atma experiences the dissolution of koshas. It is filled with all-pervading divine light.

In savikalpa-samādhi, visions appear to everyone according to his faith and according to the image of Ish

tādeva that he carries in his heart. However, everyone without distinction will be welcomed in the paradise world. This is the divine maya in which we experience miraculous experiences. After the meeting with the divine Masters, we return back to the "normal" world, but enriched with knowledge.

In savikalpa-samadhi, although one experiences wonderful experiences, he longs to experience them again and again, but he gradually realizes that even in these astral planes there will be no final liberation yet. And he strives further to finally reach nirvikalpa-samadhi.

NIRVIKALPA-samadhi

Nirvikalpa-samadhi is a state of pure happiness and absolute peace. In nirvikalpa-samādhi, the jivatma quenches its eternal thirst for fulfillment and experiences boundless, unchanging divine bliss. It emerges from the enclosure of its individuality and dissolves in the Divine Self, in the Supreme Consciousness. He experiences himself as the universe, as Atma, as God.

In the divine consciousness there is no suffering, no pain, no problems. Divine consciousness is full - complete, perfect, whole, entire, absolute. There are no wishes and desires, there is no knower, no process, no object of knowledge, no time or space. There is only integral, non-dual being. Any identification with a separate person, with an individual being, disappeared. Everything individual flows into the all-embracing Cosmic Self.

In nirvikalpa-samadhi we get mokshi - liberation. However, this last step cannot be practiced with any technique. Only God's grace can lead us to the final goal.

Everyone will reach moksha, whether in this life or in some other life. We are all on a journey, we are all going through development. But everything takes its time. An apple tree blooms in the spring and bears fruit in the fall, a similar ripening process must go through the jivatma. Much time and many experiences are needed before moksha occurs.

One may come across the opinion that those who have experienced nirvikalpa-samadhi and attained moksha will not live on. There are two types of jivanmuktas - those who have achieved God-realization within themselves and moksha. Some stay in the world to pass on their knowledge to others. Others usually experience moksha only when they leave the earthly body. There is no qualitative difference between them.

Nirvikalpa-samadhi is a state of indescribable bliss from which we do not want to return. We have no reason to return, we have nowhere to return, we have nowhere to return from, because we are everywhere, we are everything. Nevertheless, some jivanmuktas decide to withdraw the liberated unlimited consciousness back into the limited body. He does so out of compassion. They will deny themselves the state of absolute bliss in order to help countless other souls from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge.

Jivanmukta, a liberated soul, is forever freed from the bonds of karma, and therefore also freed from the cycle of rebirth. And yet many jivanmuktas remain on earth because they want to provide knowledge and guidance to other living beings. Only one who is himself liberated can lead to complete liberation.

The teaching of the enlightened and liberated, GURU-VAKYA, is contained in all holy writings. Whoever follows it will wake up one day from the dream of worldly existence and will know the true God's Reality and Truth in absolute brightness.