by C.V.Rajan

Created on: March 01, 2009

In Hinduism, the goal of an earnest seeker in spirituality is to realize God or realize his true Self. The experience of this highest attainment is known as Samadhi. This state is also known as Nirvana in Buddhism. It is also called atma-sakshatkar, attainment of Brahma-Gnyana, liberation, moksha or mukti. In Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali, it is the eighth and final state of attainment in Yoga.

In the experience of Samadhi, if the activity of mind ceases altogether and the individual ego-sense is lost in the illumination of the Brahman, it is known as Nirvikalpa Samadhi. It is the perfect state of existence where advaita (non-duality) is experienced. Even this Nirvikalpa Samadhi has two states - Kevala and Sahaja.

In Kevala Nirvikalpa Samadhi, your ego, "I"ness, or your mind dissolves into Brahman and as long as you are in that state, you have no individuality of your own. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says that if you remain continually in that state of merger for 21 days at a stretch, you will relinquish your body.You have attained your goal and you will not have rebirth. This is the case of highly qualified and earnest seekers of spiritualty, whose "capacity of acquiring and retaining divine power" is somewhat of a lower order. Sri Ramakrishna calls them "Jivakotis".

If such jivakotis, after experiencing the bliss of the union for a while, regain their consciousness to the world, their ego too returns (though it will be very purified and subtle). It means, their "I"ness returns and along with it, "you" and "the world". It means, from an experience of non-duality, they come back to the plane of duality once again. Their state is thus not permanent (kevala). Those who attain it are really great souls, no doubt about it; Having seen and experienced Brahman, they are far ahead of mundane spiritual leaders and teachers. Though they have had the greatest illumination, their experience is not permanent. They are to be respected and highly revered. No question about it. Whenever they sit in deep meditation, they will experience the bliss of Samadhi, but not otherwise.

Then you have the category of Ishwarakotis. Great Gnyanis, Avatars (incarnation of God) and a couple of very close and direct disciples of Avatars - those who come to earth along with the avatars to assist him in his mission are the Ishwarakotis, according to Sri Ramakrishna. They attain Nirivikalpa samadhi in their life (i.e. the experience the union with Brahman, i.e. non-duality); their experience gets "solidified";

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>