Samadhi and Vedanta - Beyond Absorption

Few words in Indian philosophy carry as much weight — or as much confusion — as samadhi (samādhi). In the Yoga tradition, it is the crown jewel of practice: the final limb of Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga, where meditation culminates in absorption. To many, samadhi represents the moment when the restless movements of the mind are silenced and awareness rests in itself.

But Vedanta makes an important distinction. While Yoga defines samadhi as a state of the mind, Advaita Vedanta insists that the Self is never a state. All states — waking, dream, deep sleep, or even nirvikalpa samadhi — are temporary. They come and go in awareness. The Self is the witness of these states, not one more state among them.

Swami Dayananda puts it simply: meditation that becomes continuous and effortless absorption is called samadhi. Yet Vedanta reminds us that liberation (moksha) is not absorption but knowledge: recognizing that one was never bound. Experiences, however elevated, cannot accomplish this. As long as the intellect (buddhi) is dormant in nirvikalpa samadhi, no knowledge can arise. At best, samadhi is a valuable discipline that prepares the mind by cultivating stillness, focus, and sattva.

Classical texts describe many kinds of samadhi — savikalpa (with distinctions), nirvikalpa (without distinctions), sahaja (natural, effortless). These point to gradations of meditative absorption, but Advaita Vedanta ultimately redefines the word. Samadhi is not an altered state but the assimilation of knowledge: a mind that values every experience equally because it sees all as Brahman. In this sense, samadhi is synonymous with freedom.

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Root & Meaning

• Samādhi — from sama (“even, balanced, complete”) + dhi (“intellect, understanding”).

• Literally: “a mind in balance” or “absorbed understanding.”

Scriptural References

• Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (1.2, 1.41): samadhi as chitta-vritti-nirodhaḥ — stilling of the thought-waves, absorption into the object of meditation.

• Bhagavad Gita (6.18–20): describes samadhi as the state of one whose mind is steady, resting in the Self alone.

• Aparokshanubhuti (124): defines samadhi as dissolving all thoughts, where even the thought “I am Brahman” is dropped, and one abides as Brahman.

Traditional View

• Yoga: the climax of meditation, absorption in the object or in pure awareness.

• Vedanta: emphasizes that samadhi is not liberation itself but can be a preparatory aid. True freedom comes only through self-knowledge (jnana).

• Ramana Maharshi: distinguishes savikalpa, nirvikalpa, and sahaja samadhi — only the last, natural and effortless abidance in the Self, corresponds to liberation.

Vedantic Analysis

• Savikalpa samadhi: absorption with distinctions; intellect still active, insights possible.

• Nirvikalpa samadhi: absorption without distinctions; intellect dormant, no assimilation possible.

• Sahaja samadhi: natural abidance in Self-knowledge — not a state, but continuous recognition of one’s true nature.

• The highest samadhi in Advaita is not a trance but a shift in vision: knowing that all states are illumined by the Self, which never changes.

Common Misunderstandings

• That samadhi equals moksha: Liberation is not a state but knowledge of the ever-free Self.

• That the Self can be “experienced” in samadhi: The Self is the experiencer, never an object of experience.

• That yoga and Vedanta prescribe the same samadhi: In Yoga, it is a state of mind; in Vedanta, it is the assimilation of knowledge.

Vedantic Resolution

Samadhi is valuable for purifying and steadying the mind, but it is not the goal. True samadhi is not “going beyond” the mind but understanding that the Self is ever free, whether the mind is active or still. When every thought is seen as illumined by Brahman, the intellect is balanced (sama-dhi), and the seeker lives in natural abidance.