SamAdhi

[Gummuluru Murthy]

Shri Chelluri Nageswar Rao asked some time ago (actually on August 22, 96)


> NAMASTE

> I understand samadhi is a state where there is no second. seer and seen
> are one.

> Can anyone who attained samadhi state can come back and tell us how it
> is like?


It did not elicit much response from the List members at that time. The
reason may indeed be what Shri Nageswar rao alluded.  In my study of
Viveka ChuDAmaNi this weekend, I came across the portion where Shri
Shankara describes the samAdhi in which a sage realizes Brahman in his/her
heart. These are verses 408-410, described as follows:

The knower sees such Brahman in his/her own heart in the samAdhi: the
infinite Brahman is indescribable but something like

satata bodham: eternal knowledge
kevalaananda swarupam: absolute bliss
nirupamam: which has no examples
ativelam: which transcends all limitations
nityamuktam: ever free
niriiham: without activity
niravadhi gaganaabham: like the limitless sky
nishhkalam: indivisible
nirvikalpam: absolute
prakr^ti-vikr^ti sunyam: devoid of the ideas of cause and effect
bhAvanAtIta bhAvam: Reality beyond all imaginations
samarasam: homogeneous
asamAnam: matchless, unique
mAnasa-bandha dUram: free from all mental bondages
nigama-vachana-siddham: established by the pronouncements of the vedas
nityam: permanent
ajaram: undecaying
amaram: immortal
ast'abhAva-vastu-svarUpam: positive entity which precludes all negatives
sthimita-salila-rAsi prakhyam: which resembles the quiet ocean
AkhyA vihInam: without name
samita guNa vikAram: in which all the changes from the guNas are quietened
Shashvatam: eternal
shAntam: pacified
Ekam: One

It is only through the grace of achAryAs like Shri Shankara that we get a
glimpse of what the great sages have attained.

Regards
Gummuluru Murthy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yadaa sarve pramucyante kaamaa ye'sya hr^di shritaah
atha martyo'mr^to bhavatyatra brahma samashnute   Katha Upanishhad II.3.14

When all the desires that dwell in the heart fall away, then the mortal
becomes immortal, and attains Brahman even here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

>From  Mon Oct 20 09:35:49 1997
Message-Id: <MON.20.OCT.1997.093549.0400.>
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 09:35:49 -0400
Reply-To: chandran at tidalwave.net
To: "Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
From: Ram Chandran <chandran at TIDALWAVE.NET>
Organization: Personal
Subject: More Karma
Comments: To: Advaita List <advaita-l at tamu.edu>
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Greetings Jonathan:
        I would like to call you by an associated Sanskrit name,
"Jagannathan," which means the Lord of the Universe.  According to
Advaita, the Lord of the Universe is none other than the Brahman! The
original Jagannathan underwent many changes and finally attained the
name Jonathan. But Jonathan in human form will eventually will become
Jagannathan, the Brahman! It appears that Jonathan has to undertake some
assigned Karmas before the realization of his True Nature!  Whether
these Karmas are real or illusions  will remain as a mystery until we
reach the super-conscious state.
        Your questions are profound and you are not only one to raise those
questions. These questions will remain a mystery as long as we get
trapped inside the intellectual thought loop! Let me try to answer these
questions with an example from the nature which can help us to get out
of the trap loop.  It is no wonder why great sages took refuge in the
nature to attain inner peace and tranquility.  In India, the Himalayas
and the Indian Ocean are the two most important spiritual centers the
sages took shelter to attain the super-conscious state. Is there a
connection between the mountains and the oceans? The answer is Yes and
the connection is WATER!
        Ocean is a good approximation to represent the Brahman! Ocean is always
full and at peace! The tastes of water remain the same across the ocean
and both at the top and bottom. Suddenly the nature displays a magic
show of clouds across the sky using the ocean water, the Sun and the
Wind.  When the clouds reach the mountains, the nature exhibits its
kindness to humanity with a shower of rains!  The rain drops collect and
forms as Streams and Rivers.  The waters of the rivers conduct their
Karma of serving all species of the planet before reaching their final
destination - Ocean. The rivers and streams have their separate
identities while conducting the Karma and lose their identity when they
merge with the Ocean! This life cycle of waters has no beginning and no
end! The same is true for the cycle of human life which has no beginning
or end! From what we see, the origin of water is the Ocean even though
we don't know the origin of Ocean!  Similarly, we can establish that
Brahman is the ultimate origin of human soul!
        Science (human intelligence) was able to establish the reason for the
flow of waters from the mountains to the ocean.  Scientists were able to
figure out the reason for the taste and smell of water under different
environment! Scientific methods to purify the water are also available.
There are no scientific methods to purify the human soul and free the
human soul from Karma and misery! When science gives up on such issues,
religion takes up those issues to find the answers!  Answers to such
questions are  beyond human intelligence. It is an established fact that
only superhuman beings like  Einstein or Newton were able to discover
the scientific truths!  Then a layman like me can understand and
appreciate those established scientific truths  using appropriate
transmission media.  There is no transmission media for communicating
truths that are beyond human intelligence!   When we attain the
spiritual maturity, we can experience the TRUTH.  Spiritual maturity
requires abandoning the Karma and identity (ego).  Until then your
questions will have no answers!