Samādhi

Meaning

Samādhi (समाधि) is the eighth and final limb of Patañjali’s aṣṭāṅga yoga. The word derives from sam (completely) + ā (toward) + dhā (to place) = to place completely together, or total union. It is the state where the meditator, the meditation and the object meditated upon merge into a single experience.

Patañjali defines (YS 3.3):

“Tad evārtha-mātra-nirbhāsaṃ svarūpa-śūnyam iva samādhiḥ” “When only the object [of meditation] shines forth, as if [the mind] were empty of its own form, that is samādhi.”

Samādhi is not an achievement to attain but the dissolution of the one seeking to attain.

Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, Samādhi

Patañjali presents a continuum (YS 3.1-3):

Dhāraṇā (concentration): fixing the mind on a point
Dhyāna (meditation): continuous flow of attention toward that point
Samādhi (absorption): disappearance of subject-object distinction

The process is:

In dhāraṇā there is effort; the mind escapes and is brought back
In dhyāna effort diminishes; attention flows naturally
In samādhi there is no effort nor meditator; only unitary experience

Together, these three form saṃyama (YS 3.4) — the yogī’s tool for accessing extraordinary knowledge.

Types of samādhi according to Patañjali

The Yoga Sūtras distinguish multiple levels:

Samprajñāta samādhi (with cognition)

Also called sabīja (with seed). The mind is absorbed in an object, but a residue of cognitive consciousness remains. Patañjali describes four stages (YS 1.17):

Savitarka — absorption in gross object with its name and form
Nirvitarka — absorption in gross object without name/form
Savicāra — absorption in subtle object (tattvas, time, space)
Nirvicāra — absorption in subtle object without conceptualization

And beyond:

Sānanda — absorption in bliss itself (pure sattva)
Sāsmitā — absorption in pure sense of “I am”

Asamprajñāta samādhi (without cognition)

Also called nirbīja (without seed). There is no object, no mental content, no seed of future thoughts. YS 1.18:

“The other [samādhi] is preceded by practice of cessation [of mental activity] and has as residue only saṃskāras [latent impressions].”

This is the state prior to final liberation.

Dharma-megha samādhi

The “cloud of dharma samādhi” (YS 4.29). It arises spontaneously when the yogī no longer has attachment even to siddhis (powers). It is the antechamber of kaivalya — absolute liberation.

Haṭha yoga and samādhi

The Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā addresses samādhi in its fourth chapter:

HYP 4.3-4:

“Rāja yoga, samādhi, unmanī, manonmanī, amaratva, laya, tattva, śūnyāśūnya, paramapada… all these are synonyms of the same state.”

Haṭha yoga offers physical and prāṇic methods to induce samādhi:

Śāmbhavī mudrā — fixing gaze at inner eyebrow center
Khecarī mudrā — tongue turned backward
Nāda yoga — absorption in inner sound
Kuṇḍalinī — ascent of energy through suṣumṇā

HYP 4.7:

“When prāṇa flows in suṣumṇā and mind dissolves in void (śūnya), then the knower of yoga destroys all karmas.”

Signs of samādhi

The texts describe external indicators:

Body completely motionless
Breathing extremely subtle or apparently stopped
Insensitivity to external stimuli
Upon emerging: deep peace, clarity, detachment

But true samādhi is an internal experience, verifiable only by the practitioner.

What samādhi is NOT

Not passive trance — It is extremely alert consciousness, not unconsciousness.

Not escape — It is not flight from the world but understanding of its nature.

Not ego achievement — Paradoxically, it occurs when ego dissolves.

Not initially permanent state — Early samādhis are temporary; stability comes with practice.

Not the final goal for everyone — Patañjali presents kaivalya (YS 4.34), but other traditions have different formulations of liberation.

The path toward samādhi

No guaranteed technique exists. The texts offer:

Ethical preparation — yama, niyama as foundation
Physical preparation — āsana, prāṇāyāma to purify body
Interiorization — pratyāhāra, withdrawal of senses
Concentration — dhāraṇā, focusing mind
Sustained meditation — dhyāna, continuous flow
Grace — unpredictable factor; samādhi cannot be forced

The Bhagavad Gītā (6.20-23) describes:

“Where the mind, restrained by yoga practice, rests still; where the Self sees the Self and is satisfied in the Self; where one experiences that infinite bliss beyond the senses… established there, one does not move from reality.”

Final note

This page presents the theoretical framework. Samādhi is not information but direct experience. Texts are maps; the territory is discovered by walking.

Haṭha yoga is preparation of the vehicle (body-mind). Samādhi is what may occur when the vehicle is clean, stable and available — but it is not something the practitioner “does”. It is, rather, what remains when all other doing ceases.

“Samādhi is the natural state of the Self when the disturbances of mind cease.”