In the Indian spiritual vocabulary one can find the terms Manolaya, Savikalpa Samadhi, Nirvikalpa Samadhi and Sahaja
Samadhi, and these are apt to cause some confusion to those not familiar with the terminology.
Manolaya is just a blank mind. Advaitins are often accused of trying to achieve this, which is quite absurd though I have
at times met those who told me that this was their aim, and they would be most happy to achieve it. I would point out
to them, that this could be attained by them every night in sleep so what was the use of undergoing all sorts of austerities,
spending hours in meditation, to obtain a thing that could be got by just lying down in their bed?
With regard to this, Bhagavan used to tell the story of the Yogi who was practicing tapas, on the bank of the Ganga. He told
his disciple to go and fetch him some water and in the meantime went into a state of Manolaya. After a thousand years, he awoke,
and the first thing he did was to demand his water, but the disciple had become a skeleton at his side the Ganga had changed
its course and the whole country was different. What good had the long trance done? It had just been a blank when the time
stood still.
Savikalpa Samadhi is the state of deep meditation when one is sunk in peace but still retains the consciousness of one's identity.
One knows that one is meditating and can still consciously continue one's Sadhana.
In Nirvikalpa Samadhi one has attained to a state where the identity has been lost and sunk entirely in the highest Self. However
long it may last it is only temporary, one must return eventually to one's normal state of consciousness. One is unable to function
in this state and so long as it lasts one is in a state of trance. It is usually preliminary to the final state. But Bhagavan attained
Sahaja Samadhi directly without any intermediate state. Many people consider that Nirvikalpa Samadhi is final, and once having
attained it seek the progress no further.
Sahaja Samadhi is the final and most blessed state, the goal of all Yogis. In this state, the individual has become completely
merged in the Supreme Self. His identity which became lost in Nirvikalpa Samadhi has become enlarged and is now the Supreme
Self and knows itself as such. Trances are no longer necessary, a person can still carry on with the ordinary day to day activities.
But he no longer identifies himself with the activities, but watches them like a dreamer watching a dream. There is no more to do,
and no more to be attained. This is the Supreme State of Absolute Bliss. But in the simple words of Bhagavan, it is the SELF and
it can be realized by one and all by Self Inquiry.
Major Chadwick as he heard from Sri Bhagavan.
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Arunachala Siva,.
