Meditation is a word that has numerous meanings for different people. It is interesting to know some conversations related with meditation that happen at social gatherings. People come up with references to creative visualization and processes of self actualization and consider them as meditation. This is however not the complete truth. In part it is true, but eventually this is not the whole truth. If we try to explore what meditation means in Sanskrit, the reality appears to be a concoction of three processes Dhyana, Samapatti and Samadhi.We shall hereby try to explore the exact meaning of the art and science of meditation in terms of these three processes.

The word Dhyana has its roots in the word dhyai which means to ponder, to contemplate and to simply call on the mind to aid and abet a situation. Dhyana in yoga is a process where the mind is flooded with the flow of a single thought. It is an undisturbed process of continuous flow of concentrated thought. This is a state of intense concentration also referred to as Ekagrata in Sanskrit. Ekagrata means intense and complete concentration. It is a state of complete absorption of all the senses in a particular thought. This state of the mind is achieved after a lot of practice and patience. This is not a usual state the mind is in. Usually the mind is in a situation that is called Sarvarthata, which means everywhere. This implies that the mind is almost in all the places at the same time. It is in a situation where it tries to grab as much as possible for it to do at the same time. It is always trying to grasp and absorb everything all at the same time. As against this usual state, the mind is deliberately brought in the state of ekagrata where it is concentrated on one thought only at a point in time. This is a state which brings about evenness, stability and intense calming effect on the whole mind.

The word Samapatti comes from the root word Samapad, which means to attain or get something. Here it also means to chance upon. Samapatti also means accomplishing something or conclusion of a certain thing. It is a state where the mind falls upon something and then synchronizes with it in such a way that it becomes one with the thing. There is no longer anything that can distract it from this thing that has absorbed the thought. This is the state of complete oneness with the object. This object can be just about anything that has been chosen to concentrate upon by the practitioner. This is a process that is similar to the one described earlier. In Samapatti also the mind comes in a state similar to that of ekagrata, which is attained at the time of Dhyana. In Samapatti also the mind becomes gets so attached to an object that the subject does not remain different from the object in any way. It is a process that is in theory at least, concerned with just pure concentration of thought. The technical terminology that is used in yoga for this is called tadanjanata, which means uniting the mind completely with the object. The flow of thought is not controlled by pure effort, but by the power of concentration the thought process is directed towards an object of one’s choice and then the entire thought process is thoroughly absorbed into it.

The word Samadhi comes from the word Samadha which means to put together or to unite intensely. The most important root of the entire word lies in dha which means to place in one point. This means to completely take hold of. This is considered to be the supreme form of meditation where the mind completely takes over the being and there is no difference between the mind and the supreme consciousness. This is the ultimate goal searched for by all meditators and practitioners of other yogic practices. This is also called the state of enlightenment where the seeker becomes aware of the ephemeral nature of his self and comes to the realization that the final goal of his self is to merge in the divine and Samadhi is the medium by which this is achieved.

Samadhi is of two types. These are different grades of Samadhi. These are:

• There is an object and the mind gets completely absorbed in the object.
• The whole thought process comes to an end and there is no effort, no cajoling and no command whatsoever needed to apply the mind to anything.

The first stage of Samadhi is similar to the states of ekagrata in Dhyana and Samapatti in the second type of meditation. But the second state of Samadhi is very different from the first one. The second state is referred to as Sahajawastha or Unmani Awastha in the ancient yogic texts.

Thus meditation is a process and also an end in itself. As in this process the mind is silenced of all thought so that it can achieve the ultimate and also in this process the mind is controlled by controlling the savage tendencies existing in the mind.

<< Back to Meditation Main Menu