What is the purpose of this life? Why are we given human birth? Where do we go to from here? All these questions plague us throughout our lives and we spend our entire lives searching for the answers. We are created by God and are a part of Him. Nothing apart from Him existed before nor exists now, nor will exist in future. All creation is from the Divine Consciousness and will submerge back into it. This is the truth of life. Realizing this truth is the goal of life. It is submerging the individual consciousness into Universal Consciousness. In the state of meditation, the individual soul – Jivatma merges with the Supreme Soul – the Paramatma. It is a state of Super bliss and joy where the expanded consciousness within ourselves becomes one with the Universal Consciousness and there is only One. This is the state of Samadhi – the eighth limb of the Ashtanga Yoga.
Realization of God or Realizing that all is Brahman ( Pure Consciousnesses) is the ultimate achievement of Human birth. There are 84,00,000 species of life on Earth and the human species is the highest of all as man has the capacity to think and work towards the goal of self realization. The Hindus believe that as per the operation of law of Karma – we move up and down through the different species of life depending on our qualities and desires of past lives. It is not easy getting the human body. Having got the same, we must make the best use of it to achieve the highest goal of existence – self realization. For this we need to meditate and attain the state of Samadhi.
Sage Patanjali gives two categories of Samadhi: Savikalpa or Samprajnata and Nirvikalpa or Asamprajnata. In Savikalpa Samadhi, we experience great bliss for a short period of time and we have body consciousness. We hold on to the inner state of reality or bliss with effort. In Savikalpa or Sabija, there is Triputi or the triad (knower, known and knowledge). Savitarka, Nirvitarka, Savichara, Nirvichara, Sasmita and Saananda are the different forms of Savikalpa Samadhi. Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the highest transcendent state of consciousness. In Nirvikalpa Samadhi, Nirbija Samadhi or Asamprajnata Samadhi there is no triad. In this state there is no longer mind, duality, a subject-object relationship or experience.All the differences fade and the object becomes one with the subject. We see everything as One. There is only pure awareness and it is perfect. Samadhi is bliss and the only stable unchanging reality. All other things are temporary and do not bring everlasting happiness or peace.
Those who attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi stay there effortlessly but have to come back to ego consciousness. When the body and mind are prepared by systematic yogic practices, getting back into the body is easier. Else this highest level of Samadhi leads to nirvana or total unity which means that the body drops as the soul merges with the Soul which is death of the person. We can also see many great souls who remain in the state of Nirbikalpa Samadhi and are fully functional in this world. Trailinga Swami, Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Dhyanyogi Madhusudandasji, Sri Ramana Maharishi were all one with Divinity and yet lived in the body and performed earthly functions for helping mankind.
We need determination, strong will and discipline to meditate regularly. When we have a Guru to help us, it is much easier. The Guru motivates us through his own life and teachings and it becomes easier to follow his example. When we are stuck in any place, he can give the requisite push to move ahead. There are many patches of problems in the path of meditation. Doubts in self, lack of confidence in path, inability to cope up with the negatives in self, the self imposed discipline of following the yam and niyam can all be too much and most people who start on the path of meditation give it up after some time. Only when we are with like-minded or with a Guru, are we inspired and strengthened to stay in the path of meditation and move on despite all hindrances. The Ashtanga Yoga starting with the Yam and Niyam culminates with merger of self with God in Samadhi. Attaining this state is the goal of mankind and we should all strive for it.
