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[[File:Eight steps of yoga practice.jpg|center|Fig 01: Eight steps of yoga practice ]]<center>'''Fig 01: Eight steps of yoga practice'''</center>
 
[[File:Eight steps of yoga practice.jpg|center|Fig 01: Eight steps of yoga practice ]]<center>'''Fig 01: Eight steps of yoga practice'''</center>
   
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<p style='text-align:justify;'>Samadhi is the last step of ashtanga yoga. The eight steps of yoga can be further classified into two groups:
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<ol>
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    <li style="font-weight:bold">Steps controlling external stimuli : <span style="font-weight:normal">Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara</span></li>
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    <li style="font-weight:bold">Steps controlling internal stimuli : <span style="font-weight:normal">Dharana, dhyana, samadhi </span></li>
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</ol></p>
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== Difference between dharana, dhyana and samadhi ==
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<p style='text-align:justify;'>When one has mastered all five steps controlling external stimuli, then only he/she can go for practicing further steps controlling internal stimuli. Dharana, dhyana, samadhi represent the different stages of inner experience. Together these three are called restraint (Sanyam).<ref name="ref12">Patanjala yogadarshana of Maharishi Patanjali, edited with yogasiddhi hindi commentary by prof. Suresh Chandra Shrivastava, chaukhambha publishing house, 2020ch. 3, sutra 4.</ref></p>
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{| class="wikitable"
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! Dharana
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! Dhyana
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! Samadhi
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|-
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| Fixing or focusing the mind (chitta) at a particular point or spot is called dharana. <br/>(“Deshabandhashchittasya Dharana”)<ref name="ref13">Patanjala yogadarshana of Maharishi Patanjali, edited with yogasiddhi hindi commentary by prof. Suresh Chandra Shrivastava, chaukhambha publishing house, 2020, ch. 3, sutra 1.</ref>
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| When the mind is fixed or focused at a point, unbroken concentration is called Dhyana. <br/>(“Tatra Pratyaiktanta Dhyanam”)<ref name="ref14">Patanjala yogadarshana of Maharishi Patanjali, edited with yogasiddhi hindi commentary by prof. Suresh Chandra Shrivastava, chaukhambha publishing house, 2020, ch.3, sutra 2.</ref>
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| When the object of concentration vanishes and the practitioner forget what point he is concentrating is called samadhi. It is the ultimate point of bliss. <br/>(“Tadevarthamatranirbhasam Swaroopshoonyamiva Samadhih”)<ref name="ref15">Patanjala yogadarshana of Maharishi Patanjali, edited with yogasiddhi hindi commentary by prof. Suresh Chandra Shrivastava, chaukhambha publishing house, 2020, ch.3, sutra 3.</ref>
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|}
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== Types and stages of samadhi ==
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<p style='text-align:justify;'>Maharishi Patanjali described the types of samadhi in the form of stages. Every kind of samadhi is the precursor of the next samadhi. <br/>Broadly samadhi can be divided into two types: </p>
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<ol>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Sabeeja Samadhi/ Savikalpa Samadhi/ Salambana Samadhi: <span style="font-weight:normal">Sa (with) + Beeja (seed- object of meditation). <br/>So, sabeeja samadhi is the stage of samadhi that is attained by focusing or concentrating on any object called Pratyaya by Maharishi Patanjali. <br/>There are two subtypes of sabeeja samadhi: </span></li>
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<ol type="a">
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Sampragyata samadhi <span style="font-weight:normal"><br/>Sampragyata is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘known accurately’. So, Sampragyata samadhi is the stage of samadhi in which the practitioner repeatedly concentrates on the pratyaya. However, he is still conscious and knows accurately what pratyaya he focuses on. Four progressive stages of this samadhi are: </span></li>
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<ul>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Vitarka/ savitarka samadhi: <span style="font-weight:normal">When the meditator goes in deep meditation, concentrating on one object and yet aware of that. The presence of vitarka means the thoughts, counterthoughts, and fluctuations are present. Our intellect sees grosser visible forms of prakriti like panchamahabhuta, ekadasha indriyas.</span></li>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Vichara/ savichara samadhi: <span style="font-weight:normal">When the object of meditation is more subtle forms of prakriti like tanmatras (Shabda, sparsha, roopa, rasa, Gandha), that stage is savichara samadhi.</span></li>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Ananda: <span style="font-weight:normal">At this stage of samadhi, all the mediation objects, either gross or fine, are given up. The only object left is the mind itself, which is the awareness of the existence of “I am”. It is the state of bliss hence the name Ananda.</span></li>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Asmita: <span style="font-weight:normal">Asmita is a Sanskrit word that means egoism. At this stage of samadhi, the awareness of the object and consciousness become one, but there is still the seed of ego. It is the sattwika state of consciousness. </span></li></ul>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Asampragyata samadhi/ Virama pratyaya <span style="font-weight:normal"><br/>Asampragyta means ‘not known’. So, in this stage of samadhi, the practitioner is unaware of the object or pratyaya he focuses on. In this stage, the meditator is not available to the outside world. These are the transition stages between the sampragyata samadhi. </span></li>
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<ul>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Nirvitarka samadhi: <span style="font-weight:normal">Transitional stage between savitarka and savichara samadhi. </span></li>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Nirvichara samadhi: <span style="font-weight:normal">Transitional stage between savichara and ananda samadhi. </span></li>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Ananda to asmita <span style="font-weight:normal"></span></li>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Asmita to nirbeeja samadhi <span style="font-weight:normal"></span></li></ul></ol>
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<li style="font-weight:bold">Nirbeeja Samadhi/ Nirvikalpa Samadhi: <span style="font-weight:normal">Nir (without)+ Beeja (seed object of meditation). <br/>So, Nirbeeja samadhi is the stage at which the object of focus or pratyaya vanishes.</span></li>
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