[Advaita-l] Question on Samadhi

[bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com]

praNAm prabhujis
Hare Krishna

Y'day I've sent following mesg. to Sri Kathirasan prabhuji in reply to his
mail.  I could not post it to the list due to 2 mails a day per member
restrictions.  Hence today I am posting it to the list.  Kindly correct me
if my understanding is wrong.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar
---------------------- Forwarded by Bhaskar YR/BAN/INABB/ABB on 07/25/2003
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 (Embedded     Bhaskar YR/BAN/INABB/ABB                                                              
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To:    K Kathirasan NCS <kkathir at ncs.com.sg>
cc:
Subject:    RE: [Advaita-l] Question on Samadhi (Document link: Bhaskar YR)

Security Level:?              Internal

You are absolutely right. I studied a good book which tackled the
differences between the bhamati and the vivarana. However, I am still
trying
to find out the root-meaning of the word Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Sometimes it
could also be translated as 'without doubts' - Nirvikalpa & 'equanimous
mind' - samadhi right? With this translation I can make sense by taking
Nirvikalpa Samadhi as Doubtless knowledge which can be accepted in
tradition
right? Do give me your comments.

>  praNAm prabhuji
>  Hare krishna

>  prabhuji, in my humble opinion all prefixes to samAdhi is for our
understanding.  patanjali's ashtAnga yOga ends in samAdhi.  We call it by
various names, sabIja, nirbIja, savikalpa, nirvikalpa, asampragnatha,
saviShesha, nirviShesha etc.etc.  Though as you said above *nirvikalpa* is
a doubtless state or represents the equilibrium of mental state,  it is not
clear that the person who comes out from this state is a jnAni. Ofcourse,
we do know that in deep sleep state there is no doubts, no mind!!  Still it
is not considered as paramArtha.   First of all, it is not clear either,
how a person who was in nirvikalpa samAdhi wherein there is no avidya (if
at all we consider nirvikalpa samAdhi as a ultimate state in advaitic
realisation) can come back to this avidyAkruta prapancha!!

>  As you know bhAmati says to get advaita realisation we have to attain
samAdhi, vivaraNa says even after realisation we have to continue sAdhana
to *maintain* this state of realisation.  All these interpretations just
more than enough to confuse the sincere advaita follower.  kAtaka shruti
says * yadA sarvE pramuchyantE kAmA yEsyahyadi shritA:! atha marthyOmrutO
bhavatyatra brahmasamaSNutE!!  When you get liberation from avidyA kAma you
will realise brahman here itself.  It does not say, you will attain brahman
in samAdhi, tattvamasi is for our natural state not for some other state
which we gained through purusha tantra is it not prabhuji??

>  Again, advaita school categorically states that there is no other source
of knowledge for revealing the Non-dual Atman other than the Upanishads
which is purely based on jnAna.As advaitins, we know the very essence of
Atma
gnAna is to eradicate the ego-centric ideas & removal of I-ness & mineness
(ahankAra-mamakAra). Krishna in jnAna yOga clearly mentions *nahi jnAnEna
sadrusham*, shraddavaan labhate jnAnam, jnAnam labhdvA parAm
ShAntimachirENAdhigachati*  Further he says that jnAnasM chinna saMShayam*
you have to chop the agnAna through jnAna khadga (sword of knowledge).
This jnAna I dont think a result of any super-natural state prabhuji. No
doubt, post shankara advaitins give a lot of importance to samadhi
experience gained through meditation (dhyAnam).  But they dont think that
if it is an "experience",
it is only an experience with a jnAtru somewhere there still to be
known. Hence knowledge gained through meditation & samAdhi is not complete
in its
totality coz. in meditation still we maintain tripad link i.e. meditator,
object being meditated & means of meditation.  Otherwise, there is no way a
nirvikalpa samAdhin would come back to this empirical world again correct
prabhuji??   Advaita's quest is about this jnAtru, if bliss was enjoyed in
samadhi, then that bliss is not important.  But the jnAtru who is
experiencing this bliss is. Because bliss cannot be without the bhOktru.
So, knowing the bhOktru & his true nature is the aim of realisation.  Can
knower be known?? shruti ask us...

>  In conclusion prabhuji, we can say that if we are followers of genuine
shankara's advaita vedanta, attaining nirvikalpa samAdhi is not our
ultimate goal.  Our goal is to eradicate anAdi agnAna, establishing
ourselves in a secondless state.

>  Kindly pardon me if I bored you with my lengthy mail.

>  Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
>  bhaskar