Caturthopadeśaḥ (Samādhi) · Verse 3
राज-योगः समाधिश्च उन्मनी च मनोन्मनी | अमरत्वं लयस्तत्त्वं शून्याशून्यं परं पदम्
rāja-yogaḥ samādhiś ca unmanī ca manonmanī | amaratvaṃ layas tattvaṃ śūnyāśūnyaṃ paraṃ padam
Rāja yoga, samādhi, unmanī, manonmanī, immortality, laya, tattva, void-not-void, supreme state…
This verse and the next list the many names for the same state of realization:
- Rāja yoga — Royal yoga, culmination of all practices
- Samādhi — Absorption, unification of the mind
- Unmanī — Beyond the mind, trans-mental
- Manonmanī — Mind without mind
- Amaratva — Immortality
- Laya — Dissolution, merging
- Tattva — Reality, essential truth
- Śūnyāśūnya — Void-not-void, neither empty nor full
- Paraṃ padam — The supreme state
Each term illuminates a different aspect:
- Unmanī emphasizes transcending the ordinary mind
- Laya emphasizes the dissolution of dualities
- Śūnyāśūnya describes a reality that is neither existence nor non-existence
The multiplicity of names suggests that the final state transcends any single description. Different traditions and temperaments emphasize different aspects of the ineffable.