VIBHUTI PAD SUTRA - 4

                                                        TRAYAM   EKATRA   SAIYAMAHA

                              THESE  THREE  (CONCENTRATION, MEDITATION , SAMADHI )


                                                          ARE  CALLED  SAIYAMAH

          IN the previous SUTRAS we have been told that there are 3 components. When one starts the practice , we have an object of concentration ,this is DHARANA, the improvement in the concentration leads to MEDITATION and the perfection of the meditation leads to SAMADHI. but In the earlier part of the Meditation one could go back and forth between the CONCENTRATION and the MEDITATION. So the SAMADHI may not last for long time or may be not sustained. In short the concentration is the lowest stage of the SAMADHI . the meditation is the next stage in the perfection of the SAMADHI .When the SAMADHI is perfected and is sustained , it has all three components .This is called SAIYAMA.
           When the SAMADHI is perfected one gets certain SIDHHI or the POWERS. These powers are dependent upon the DHARANA and the DHYAN . Depending upon WHAT we concentrate upon, we will get the POWERS.

VIBHUTI PAD SUTRA--3

          TADEV  ARTHMATRA  NIRBHASHAM  SWARUPA  SHUNYAM  IVA  SAMADHI

THEN THE MEDITATION BECOMES  SAMADHI  WHEN  THE MIND LOSES  ITSELF  AND

         THE OBJECT  (OF THE MEDITATION)  SHINES  AND IT IS THE SAMADHI.

      The first 3 sutras are related to related to DHARANA-DHYAN--SAMADHI. So we are told that when we want to do meditation, we have to have object of meditation. The object of the meditation is called DHARANA, then we need to fix our concentration on this object or DHARANA. What we do is called DHARANA. But this DHYAN does not become perfect meditation and the SAMADHI.
So we are told when does the DHYAN becomes Meditation and when does the Meditation becomes SAMADHI in this SUTRA.
      So let us taken an example . When we meditate on a statue of the Lord KRISHNA, or for that matter any object that we select to concentrate our mind on , we try to get rid of all the other thought other than the thought of Lord Krishna. But we may still get thought about the Lord Krishna. We may think about the things that Krishna did as a child or the various stories of killing bad and cruel kings or the discourse that he gave to Arjuna etc. So our mind is thinking about the different things of the Krishna , and we may also think about the statue itself like what is made up of or the color or size -shape etc.So our mind is separate from the statue. At a lower level our mind might loose the concentration and think about the other things like our work , family , job etc.So these are the 2 steps. But in the higher status the object looses the characters that we are concentrating on . So we have no other thoughts and our thought that OUR MIND is thinking of the KRISHNA is gone . We don't thin that WE are thinking of Krishna ,but we are one with Krishna. But the Lord Krishna becomes the object of the meditation and not the statue or it's characters , but just KRISHNA or the SUPREME BEING. when THIS HAPPENS  THE MEDITATION BECOMES THE SAMADHI.

    So in the initial stages our mind wonders all over. Then it is concentrating on the statue and it's characters and the stories behind it. But in the highest level the duality is gone . we do not think(?) of Krishna as LORD KRISHNA ,but have perception of the supreme being -SPIRIT. "The object shines itself ".  

VIBHUTI PAD - SUTRA 2

                                       TATRA  PRATYAYA  EKATANATA  DHYANAM

                         WHEN THE THOUGHT  WAVES  CONTINUOUSLY  FLOW  ON

                                         ONE   OBJECT   THAT  IS  CALLED  DHYAN

     As was mentioned in the past , there are three remaining things out of eight things of the ASHATANG YOGA OR THE EIGHT FOLD pathway. we started with the DHARANA and now we are told about DHYAN . So when we pick an object of our concentration, it is just an object, Once we start concentrating on it and our concentration is not broken by any other thought wave, this is called DHARANA.

     So if I decide to make some cake, it is the object of my concentration. But then  i have some work at office and then my thoughts are not on the cake and so it is not DHYAN . But it is week end and I have guests coming for the dinner and so I do get the ingredients and start baking the cake . I pay my FULL and UNDIVIDED attention to baking cake , that now becomes DHYANAM.  So the object that we select to concentrate upon is the DHARANA and it becomes DHYAN only when we have undivided concentration on it. When we concentrate on baking cake , we know what is cake made of and what is proportion of different ingredients that go in making bake and exact temperature that we need to bake it.The same thing happens when we decide to concentrate on a statue of our favourite  Deity, we start realizing the things behind the Deity and the supreme being and the ultimate spirit and so on . This is DHANAM ,which will lead to SAMADHI.-like the delicious cake comes out when we give our full attention to baking it.