Hello and welcome to episode 83 of The Ask Sri Vishwanath Show. Today I want to talk about nirvikalpa Samadhi, the highest state of existence ever achieved and how you can achieve it with the help of Krishna.
Today’s question comes from John and he says “can ordinary beings achieve the state of nirvikalpa Samadhi? Do we have to be satisfied with our normal meditation? Is it possible for normal human beings to achieve nirvikalpa Samadhi?”
That’s a great question. The simple answer is yes, we can! So let’s get straight to the point.
One in a thousand
Krishna says “one in a thousand seek to achieve me and out of that one reaches me.” So this means that around one in a million will seek him and reach this stage where you see everything as energy and there is only the ocean, with no waves. So around one in a million will reach this highly enlightened stage. So if you do the math it means only around 7 thousand people in the world will reach this stage. Out of that there are only about 50 in the public and the rest will be in private.
The figure is so low because of the way most of us live, constantly putting our minds out. It makes it almost impossible to really understand God. The world is mostly full of intellectual nonsense. To get on the right path you have to follow the masters and get to the heart of the consciousness.
3 days
I want to share a story with you from Ram Krishna Paramhansa. He did many great things and if he set his mind on something he could complete it in 3 days. So Ramakrishna set out to know Vedanta and this is about teaching the state of nirvikalpa Samadhi to achieve the state of pure energy.
It is a tradition to have a guru in everything you learn so you can learn things faster so Ram Krishna had a guru to teach him Vedanta. One the first day the guru told him that he must wipe all forms of images from his mind. Ramakrishna found this easy and he could erase any image from his mind except the image of Goddess Kali because this is what gave him strength. He tried his best but could not erase this image.
His guru told him he had to do this otherwise he could not practice nirvikalpa Samadhi. He kept trying and trying and while doing this his teacher grabbed a bottle from a nearby table and smashed it. Using the sharp shard he pierced the skin between Ram Krishna’s eyebrows. Blood dribbled from the wound and the guru pointed towards it and told Ramakrishna to meditate there. As soon as Ramakrishna did this the image of Kali melted from his mind and he merged with the consciousness.
Days passed and Ram Krishna never came out of the room. His guru went into the room 3 days later and found him in the exact same position that he had left him in. He was in the highest state of existence. All ocean, no waves. He was full of bliss. The guru feel to his feet in awe. Ram Krishna had mastered in 3 days what took him 30 years.
I would highly recommend that you read Ram Krishna’s books because they will give you the courage and inspiration to do it. Intellectual nonsense will not help you here. Only wise ones like Ram Krishna can help you. He practiced so many rigorous and complex disciplines and it is him that you need to learn from.
Vikalpa and Nirvikalpa
Vivekananda says there are two types but the one we practice most is vikalpa Samadhi, like in meditation we hold on to a set of ideas to get back to the consciousness. It could be a verse or an image or a mantra. In nirvikalpa Samadhi there are no set images. All of those images are dissolved. The spirit within rises and there are no waves, only the ocean.
So how do you do this? Well there are certain steps you must follow. I have made these steps as simple as possible so things remain clear in your mind.
Ocean and wave
I want you to visualise an ocean and then a wave and a name and form. Vivekananda says the wave exists because of the name and form. Otherwise it’s all water because if the wave disappears the name and form disappear with it. When our thoughts disappear to the consciousness the body, mind and intellect disappear with it. Then all that is left is the consciousness. That is nirvikalpa Samadhi.
So the ocean is the consciousness, the wave is a thought and when the wave disappears thoughts disappear with them as do the body, mind, intellect and the gunas.
What is interesting to know in the case of a wave is the the name and form does not have a separate existence. When the wave disappears the name and form also disappears. . However, the wave as in water as a separate existence apart from the wave. This is so important and I want you to read this ten times. I will wait. The name and form is maya, an illusion because it does not have a separate existence. It needs a wave to have an identity.
Separate
So for us it means the body, mind and intellect does not have a separate existence. Its existence is solely dependent on the thought. However the consciousness in the thought has a separate existence apart from the thought . So we can separate our consciousness from the thought.
Thought is not just thought. Thought is consciousness + the nature of the thought.
The wave is water (consciousness) + the nature of the wave.
Did you get this. Read the above formula 10 times. It is important. If you get it you get it for ever.
So the consciousness as the thought has a separate existence apart from the thought just as the water in the wave as a separate existence from the wave. This is the secret of Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
KNOW THIS
Even if the wave is erratic the water is not. Even if the thoughts are erratic the consciousness is not. We look at thought as just thought but the great ones know it is consciousness + the nature of the thought. They know that the consciousness in the thought has a separate existence but the body, mind and intellect does not. This is why it is called maya.
How to Use The Teachings of Nirvikalpa Samadhi?
If the wave is erratic what will you say to the wave? You will tell it to become the water because that choice is always available to the wave. When your thoughts give you trouble what do you say? You tell them to become the consciousness because that choice is always available to you. This is the secret of nirvikalpa Samadhi.
Just as you tell the wave to become the water tell your thoughts to become the consciousness. Even if you are in the most horrible situation you can always withdraw because your consciousness is always in a state of bliss because of its separate existence. The choice is always available so don’t be ignorant and not take it.
This is the yoga of Krishna, withdrawing yourself into the consciousness. It means you will not stick to the thought. You will not associate yourself with that thought. You will know it is separate so withdraw yourself from that thought. Krishna says “with the senses controlled, mind controlled with evenness of mind perform work. This evenness is yoga. He is the same in honor and disgrace, friend and foe, cold and warm pain and pleasure for he is detached.”
So when you have a thought do not act on it immediately. Do not be sad or happy because Krishna says this is complete ignorance. Remember you always have the choice to withdraw from it and we should always take that choice. We must always be detached. This is how you attain nirvikalpa Samadhi.
The supreme self
The entire energy of the universe is centred in the consciousness and the great ones proved that it can be done. The proved that God exists within us all. “The supreme self, smaller than the smallest, higher than the highest lies concealed in the heart of all creatures. Know it to be all pervasive and immortal. This supreme self cannot be attained by study of scripture or vast learning. It is given to him who whole heartedly seeks for it. To such an aspirant the supreme self reveals its true nature.”
Practice this in small doses and watch this video and read this article a few more time and it will help you to understand it clearly in your mind and you too can experience this beautiful energy.
I hope I answered your question. Remember you keep asking questions and I’ll keep answering them.