174 Samapatti Psychology of Samadhi Part 5

Psychology of Samātdhi begins with Savitarka Samāpatti. Here the definition of Saṅkīrṇa was seen. Whatever the object of meditation is, that is the word, the meaning as well as the knowledge. Eg., 'S̒ri Rāma’. So, meditative object is constituted by the three aspects of s̒abda, artha, and jñāna.
If a question is asked by showing an image of S̒ri Rāma, or the written word, or the name is heard, in all cases we would give a common answer and say it is Sri Rama. Now this is the saṅkīrṇata or the mix-up.
Dhyāna always commences with a nāma or a symbol. The word would have a meaning, a notion or idea. The three may appear as if side-by-side. But when meditation reaches a ripe stage, the three merge into one single image or thought. It is not as if memory is washed and cleaned. That is not possible. Smṛti pars̒uddhi has a different connotation here. But when citta is completely subsumed by the object of meditation, of the tripartite of the subjective, objective and instrumental entities, the subjective entity, the knower and the instrumental entity of knowing get superimposed by the objective entity, the ' known' in this case 'S̒ri Rāma'. The citta becomes completely occupied by the meditated entity, S̒ri Rāma, it becomes S̒ri Rāma. This is smṛti paris̒uddho. The pronoun '‘I'’also disappears; it is svarūpa s̒unya. This is the intuitive mystic revelation. The meditated entity is artha mātra and therefore it becomes nirvicāra samāpatti. There is samadhi on S̒ri. Rāma. There is 'artha svarupa s̒unya’ ie., one's identity has also disappeared. There is svarūpa s̒unya because one's citta is completely without thought of own identity, hence it is svarūpas̒unya.
It is also nirvitarka. This is an accomplished phase of samāpatti. The citta has become S̒ri Rāma. It is a process of becoming, resulting in transformation. In Samādhi the yogi experiences the becoming of the nature of the object of meditation, or meditated entity.
In neo-vedānta it is called advaita sakṣātkāra where citta ‘appears’ to become S̒ri Rāma. This makes advaita limited. When samādhi is revoked, the division of citta starts appearing again.
It begins with dhārnā where the citta is confined to the object of meditation; then the continuum of that leads to dhyāna where there is no infiltration of any other object except the object of meditation. When dhyāna becomes more profound then, the citta gets completely transformed to the expanded form of the object of meditation. This is samādhi. The ‘I am’ dissolves in S̒ri Rāma like salt or sugar dissolves in water or milk.
Patanjali explains this in sutras 2.41,42,43.
Savitarka is a description of vitarkānugata samāpatti. There is vicāranugata samāpatti which is samāpatti on subtler objects.
There will definitely be a difference in a saint or yogi meditating on S̒ri. Rāma and a common person meditating of S̒ri. Rāma. Eg., Rambhakta Hanumāna in Tretāyuga did not get idea or thought or image of Sri. Rāma by reading the S̒rimad Rāmāyana. It was through the Rāma-principle. The subtler and meditative aspects of Rāma come through nirguṇa upāsanā on the eternal metaphysical principle. Different bhaktas meditated on different reasons for which they had fallen in love with Rama. It was the very essence or tattva of S̒ri. Rāma, the rahasya of Rāma. He is sanātana puṛuṣa. eg., Kabirdās. That is vitarkanugata samprjñāta samādhi. To explain this Patanjali mentions another class of samāpatti which is savichārā-nirvicārā.
Savitarka and nirvitarka having been explained, savicāra and nirvicāra also stand explained because of their similarity. in the realm of subtle. Such meditation becomes vicārānugata samāpatti.
There is not a phenomenal but, a neumenal support of meditation. Hence, s̒abda artha and jñāna is replaced by something else.