Part I: Chapter II / II – (vi)

Dharna or Samyam – Absorption or Concentration

Having controlled the pranas through pranayam, and the senses through pratyahara, the student of yoga has to fix his mind on something. It may be fixed on something without, like an idol or picture, or any other kind of representation; or it may be fixed on something within, on any of the bodily centers in the pind, or on any idea or on any of the astral centers in the und. Dharna, then, consists in fixing the mind on a particular place, object, idea or centre, as one may find convenient. Any type of dharna helps in making the mind steady and is beneficial in its own way.

1. Dharna on any of the sense perceptions provides steadiness to the mind by collecting the wandering wits at the focal point.

   1. On the tip of the nose, it gives an experience of divya gandh or divine fragrance. It is called varta siddhi.

   2. On the tip of tongue, it gives the experience of the taste of divya essence or divine-stuff; manna and nectar. The divine knowledge of taste is known as asvadan.

   3. On the middle of the tongue, it gives the experience of the divya touch or proximity of the sublime presence. The divine knowledge of touch is known as vidana.

   4. On the root of the tongue, it gives the experience of divya sounds or holy harmony. It is called sravana.

   5. On the palate or roof over the tongue, it gives the experience of the divya colours or elemental brilliance. This divine knowledge of sight is called adarsha.

2. Dharna on the luminous mental state at the seat of the mind: It is practised first by inhaling and then exhaling the breath, together with the thought of turning into an upward position the eight-petaled lotus below the heart, lying at present face downwards, and then fixing the attention on the effulgent light in lotus through which passes the Sushmana or the Brahm Nadi.

3. Dharna on master-minds, freed from all desires, like Buddha, Christ or preferably still, a living Master, frees one of all desires, mental attachments and the bondage of mind and matter.

4. Dharna or samyam on external objects: Dharna on heavenly bodies like the sun, the moon, the planets, etc., gives supersentient experience, e.g.:

   1. On the sun it gives the knowledge of the Brahmand consisting of fourteen bhavans or regions; seven upper or higher worlds or lokas (bhur, bhuva, swah, maha, janah, tapah and satyam) , and seven lower or nether lokas (sutala, vitala, talatala, mahatala, rasatala, atala and patala).

   2. On the moon, it gives the knowledge of the stars.

   3. On the pole-star, it gives the knowledge of the movement of the stars.

   4. On the elephant or hanuman, it gives strength and valour.

   5. On the form of the body, it causes disappearance of the body itself, as the power of comprehension is checked and the connection between the light and the eyes is severed.

5. Samyam on internal centers, the self, and indriyas: Dharna or samyam may be practiced on anything like virtues, internal centres, chakras and nadis, as for example:

   1. On the nabhi or navel (manipura chakra),it gives the knowledge of the construction of the body.

   2. On the pit of the throat (vishudhi chakra), it gives freedom from hunger and thirst.

   3. On the Sahasrar, it gives divine vision and darshan of the siddhas.

   The method of the last is by concentrating on Brahmarendra or the whole of Brahma, which is an aperture within the mundhu or head through which divine light flows downwards. Nirgun upasakas carry on their abstract meditation on this center – the Sahasrar.

   4. On the anhat chakra at the heart, it gives the knowledge of the mind.

   5. On kurma nadi (the astral tube in the chest, below the throat, and through which kurma or the sub-prana works the eyelids), it gives steadiness to the body.

   6. On the inner light of the heart, it gives the knowledge of the subtle (clairvoyance), the obscure (buried treasures), the remote (far and wide).

6. One may do samyam on one’s own self. It gives clairvoyance, clairaudience, and other transcendental powers, also higher touch, higher taste and higher smell, etc., all through intuition or pratibha, without any of the other specialized samyam.
   
   By samyam on one’s own essential nature (the cognitive powers), one gets the power of pure cognition without the outer aids of the senses and the sense-organs. With the indriyas lying dormant in their respective centres, one enjoys ineffable bliss (anand) in a state called Sanand Samadhi.

7. By samyam or dharna on certain features of the body, such as the complexion, the voice, or any other thing, one begins to understand the state and the nature of the minds of others.

8. By samyam:

   1. On mind (or mental thoughts), one knows the contents of the mind.

   2. On time, one gets knowledge of everything.

   3. On air and ether or on the relation between the two, one is endowed with the divine hearing (shabd), and can hear any subtle sound from any distance simply by his will. Similarly, by contacting the adhistana-bhutas (vayu tejas and prithvi, ect.), one can develop powers of other organs to their fullest capacity.

   4. On the relation between ether and body, or on the lightness of cotton, comes the power of flying through ether or air, for the body becomes extremely light, and one can move anywhere in space like a bird and even ride on the rays of the sun.

   A yogin having siddhi in Kechari Mudra can also fly in the air. (One who knows Sammohan Vidya or Indra Jala can also move through space, but this is jala or a trick only, and not something real, for he actually remains on the ground and if you were to photograph him, you will not get the photo of such a man flying through the air.)

   5. On the three modifications of mind, comes the knowledge of the past and future.

   6. On videha, one can pass out of the body at will and function without the body, feel the all-pervading nature in its full omnipresence and can perform kaya parvesh, i.e., can enter into the body of any other human being and operate through his body and mind.

   7. On sanskaras (impressions of mind), comes the knowledge of previous births.

9. By mastery over:

   1. Udana vayu, one ceases to have any contact with water, mud or thorns, and can end his existence at will for through udana, one can separate his astral body from the physical body and travel through space.

   2. Samana vayu, comes effulgence and one can create fire and flashes of light from one’s body.

10. By samyam on virtues:

    1. On friendliness and other virtues, comes the power to transmit the same to others.

    2. On discrimination (on the distinctive relation between satva or purity and purusha or the soul), comes the power of omnipotence and omniscience.

    3. On shabda, come the knowledge of the sounds of all living beings (including those of animals and birds).

    4. On the karmas, one gets the knowledge of the time of his death.

When the mind becomes extremely pure and is filled with satva through and through to its very roots, spontaneous illumination dawns. The mind has five states:

1. Kshipta, or the wandering mind, with mind-stuff in a state of continued dispersion.
   
   
2. Mudha, or the mind that is dull and forgetful and knows next to nothing. In it, the mind is in a state of confusion and stupidity.
   
   
3. Vikshipta, or the minds that collect and gathers in momentarily and than fritters away. It is a state of imperfect stability.
   
   
4. Ekagrata, or the mind gifted with one-pointed attention and fixity of purpose.
   
   
5. Nirodha, or the mind that is disciplined, controlled and well-restrained.

No yoga is possible in the first three states. It is possible only in the fourth and fifth states.

It is necessary to give here a word of caution regarding riddhis and siddhis, or the supernatural powers that one very often comes to acquire in the practice of yoga sadhna or yogic discipline. Besides what is said above, there are eight kinds of siddhis, or powers, which siddhas or the superior beings generally exercise:

1. Anima – capacity to penetrate into all things, even an anu or atom, so as to see into its inner structure.
   
   
2. Laghima – capacity to acquire lightness, so as to ride even on the rays of the sun. It is often made use of in levitation and translevitation, in spite of the laws of gravitation.
   
   
3. Garima – capacity to become as heavy as steel and to make any object immovable. It is the opposite of laghima.
   
   
4. Mahima – capacity to acquire extensive and all-pervading magnitude like space, and to see the working of far-off things like solar systems and universal order.
   
   
5. Prapti – capacity to reach anywhere even to the moon. It endows one with a sense of all-pervasiveness.
   
   
6. Prakamyam – capacity to have all desires fulfilled.
   
   
7. Vasitvam – capacity to command and control all creatures and elemental forces, like the wind and the rain, etc.
   
   
8. Ishitva – capacity to play the creator, the preserver and the destroyer.

Besides these, there are many subsidiary attainments which one gets by the simple process of self-control and concentration, also samyams, e.g.:

1. To understand the language of birds and beasts.
   
   
2. To know ones previous births and to have fore-knowledge of death.
   
   
3. To read the innermost thoughts of others.
   
   
4. To know of secrets and subtle things from afar, like the planets and the stars.
   
   
5. To foretell future events.
   
   
6. To transport oneself to any place in the world.
   
   
7. To heal by touch.
   
   
8. To gain bodily perfections in rupa (form), ranga (complexion), bala (strength and fortitude), sanhanan (steadiness) and lavanya (physical charm), etc.

All these supernatural powers or siddhis are to be scrupulously avoided as these are positive obsatcles in the way of True Spiritual Progress, ant attainment of self-realisation and God-Realisation, – the Great Aim and the end of the yoga system. The devtas very often get jealous of the human soul traveling on the Spiritual Path. They come to greet with smiles the yogins who find an ingress into higher regions, invite them with sweet and cunning words, and try to bring about their downfall. Even the great yogin Vishvamitra was allured by the beauty of a celestial being, a maiden, sent by Indra to tempt him. He unwittingly fell into the snare and fell from the Path. These temptations assail one in the second stage of the journey, but prove of no avail to one who adheres to the Path, and is firm and steadfast in his sadhna.

Give up siddhis and destroy the seeds of bondage, and attain Kevalya, the state of perfect ease and independence.

Again:

Be not allured by the winning smiles of the celestials, and avoid contact with all that is undesirable.

Sutra III:51-52