Samadhi
Also known as: Meditative absorption
Sanskrit: समाधि (samadhi), from sam ('together') and a-dha ('to hold' or 'place'), suggesting complete union or absorption.
Samadhi is the eighth and final limb of Patanjali's yoga, describing a state of deep meditative absorption in which the sense of a separate observer dissolves into unified awareness with the object of meditation. It is traditionally considered the culmination of sustained meditative practice.
Classical texts distinguish several stages and types of samadhi, ranging from absorption still tied to an object of focus to a formless state described as beyond all distinctions. It is often presented as a gradual culmination of the preceding limbs of yoga rather than a technique to be practiced in isolation.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras describe multiple graded stages of samadhi, from savikalpa, with some remaining distinction between observer and observed, to nirvikalpa, without that distinction, positioning it as the eighth and final limb, the culmination of the preceding seven rather than a separate technique practiced on its own. It is sometimes described in popular writing as a dramatic, one-time enlightenment event; classical texts more often describe it as a state entered more briefly and imperfectly at first, then more stably and completely with sustained practice over years.
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Related Terms
Turiya
Turiya is the 'fourth state' of consciousness described in the Mandukya Upanishad, distinct from waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. It refers to pure awareness itself, the constant background presence in which the other three states arise and pass.
Yoga Sutras
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a foundational text of classical yoga philosophy, composed of 196 concise aphorisms organized around an eight-limbed path (ashtanga) leading from ethical conduct through physical and breath practices to meditative absorption and liberation.