Samadhi – When I am the Whole Universe

Kiev, Ukraine, Interview to the YoGa magazine (part III), 30 June 2010

Samadhi Question: You’re were telling during one of the programs that the freedom from division – Samadhi – can’t be perpetual, it comes in flashes, otherwise the body will not be able to take it, to endure it.

Samadhi

Actually Samadhi, the dictionary meaning of the word “Samadhi”, – is “established in the Energy of equanimity”. And whatever odd the circumstances, this equanimity is not disturbed. That perpetuity is called “nirvicalpa”. And when the Energy is there but it gets disturbed – when the challenge is so much and the situation is so adverse it gets disturbed – that is called occasional. It’s called “savicalpa”. This is the general thing about Samadhi.

But there is another deeper implication of Samadhi. When the stimulus and response become one unitary movement and at that time there is a feeling that I am the whole Universe. There is no dichotomy between me and anything around. That is a very deep implication of Samadhi. It comes in a flash and it’s such an ecstasy that it’s difficult for a body to take it for a long time! See, it’s at that moment Jesus Christ said : “I and Father are One”. The Indian sages said: “Aham Brahma asmi”. The sufi mystic Al-Hallaj Ali Mansur said: “Haqq Haqq ana Al-Haqq! I’m the god! I’m the Truth!”

So these are very rare moments and that is such an ecstasy that it is difficult for the body to take it. Just as the body can’t take too much pain – it drops dead, like a cancer pain. Too much pain – it drops dead. Similarly it can’t take too much joy! The limited body and joy is so immense so unlimited that in the limited it may not be possible to withhold. Therefore the body may drop dead. So that is why these are flashes. And it’s good that they are flashes. And even if the body doesn’t drop dead, people will kill. For example, Jesus was crucified. Al-Hallaj Ali Mansur was cut into pieces, and he was bleeding and he died. Many rishis also, when they said: “I’m the God!” – they were killed. So this is what is happening. That is why I said that.

But that is a deeper implication of Samadhi. It’s not the ordinary Samadhi, which is the Energy of equanimity. And we have instances when the Energy is so great that even the young son died just in front in a road accident but still equanimity is not disturbed. That is one aspect of Samadhi. And this is when stimulus and response become one unitary movement. See, I’m looking at you – suddenly I find that there is no dichotomy between you and me. And actually when I’m looking at you you’re already inside me as the image on the retina. But because of certain process in our divisive consciousness there is the distance and diversity And if these processes are withheld, if they are postponed for some time suddenly there is a feeling that I and you – both are same. That means unitary movement. Your body is stimulating my retina and the response and this stimulus become same. Suddenly there is no dichotomy, no division, no distance between you and me. So that is called “stimulus and response become unitary movement”. Usually it’s not a unitary movement, it’s a dichotomy movement. When I look at you – you are there, I’m here That is what our separative psyche does There are some times, it happens, when this separative process is held in abeyance and at that time there is suddenly a flash that there is no division, not only between you and me – between me and everything around, all the trees, the mountains, the whole Universe.

Jai Atmasakshatkar!