THE HYMN OF SAMADHI (by Vivekananda)

(Rendered from Bengali)

Lo! The sun is not, nor the comely moon,
All light extinct; in the great void of space
Floats shadow-like the image-universe.
In the void of mind involute, there floats
The fleeting universe, rises and floats,
Sinks again, ceaseless, in the current "I".
Slowly, slowly, the shadow-multitude
Entered the primal womb, and flowed ceaseless,
The only current, the "I am", "I am".
Lo! 'Tis stopped, ev'n that current flows no more,
Void merged into void beyond speech and mind!
Whose heart understands, he verily does.

Nirvikalpa samdhi of Vivekananda

Disciple: Sir, as the fruition of great austerities in past lives, I have been blessed with
your company. Now bless me that I may not be overcome by ignorance and delusion any
more. Now my mind sometimes is seized with a great longing for some direct spiritual
realisation.
Swamiji: I also felt like that many times. One day in the Cossipore garden, I had
expressed my prayer to Shri Ramakrishna with great earnestness. Then in the evening, at
the hour of meditation, I lost the consciousness of the body, and felt that it was absolutely
non - existent. I felt that the sun, moon, space, time, ether, and all had been reduced to a
homogeneous mass and then melted far away into the unknown; the body - consciousness
had almost vanished, and I had nearly merged in the Supreme. But I had just a trace of
the feeling of Ego, so I could again return to the world of relativity from the Samadhi. In
this state of Samadhi all the difference between "I" and the "Brahman" goes away,
everything is reduced into unity, like the waters of the Infinite Ocean -- water
everywhere, nothing else exists -- language and thought, all fail there. Then only is the
state "beyond mind and speech" realised in its actuality. Otherwise, so long as the
religious aspirant thinks or says, "I am the Brahman"--"I" and "the Brahman", these two
entities persist -- there is the involved semblance of duality. After that experience, even
after trying repeatedly, I failed to bring back the state of Samadhi. On informing Shri
Ramakrishna about it, he said, "If you remain day and night in that state, the work of the
Divine Mother will not be accomplished; therefore you won't be able to induce that state
again; when your work is finished, it will come again."

Disciple: On the attainment of the absolute and transcendent Nirvikalpa Samadhi can
none return to the world of duality through the consciousness of Egoism?
Swamiji: Shri Ramakrishna used to say that the Avataras alone can descend to the
ordinary plane from that state of Samadhi, for the good of the world. Ordinary Jivas do
not; immersed in that state, they remain alive for a period of twenty - one days; after that,
their body drops like a sere leaf from the tree of Samsara (world).
Disciple: When in Samadhi the mind is merged, and there remains no waves on the
surface of consciousness, where then is the possibility of mental activity and returning to
the world through the consciousness of Ego? When there is no mind, then who will
descend from Samadhi to the relative plane, and by what means?
Swamiji: The conclusion of the Vedanta is that when there is absolute samadhi and
cessation of all modifications, there is no return from that state; as the Vedanta Aphorism
says: "[(Sanskrit)]-- there is non - return, from scriptural texts." But the Avataras cherish
a few desires for the good of the world. By taking hold of that thread, they come down
from the superconscious to the conscious state.
Disciple: But, sir, if one or two desires remain, how can that state be called the absolute,
transcendent Samadhi? For the scriptures say that in that state all the modifications of the
mind and all desires are stamped out.
Swamiji: How then can there be projection of the universe after Mahapralaya (final
dissolution)? At Maha - pralaya everything is merged in the Brahman. But even after that,
one hears and reads of creation in the scriptures that projection and contraction (of the
universe) go on in wave forms. Like the fresh creation and dissolution of the universe
after Mahapralaya, the superconscious and conscious states of Avataras also stand to
reason.
Disciple: If I argue that at the time of dissolution the seeds of further creation remain
almost merged in Brahman, and that it is not absolute dissolution or Nirvikalpa Samadhi?
Swamiji: Then I shall ask you to answer how the projection of the universe is possible
from Brahman in which there is no shadow of any qualification -- which is unaffected
and unqualified.
Disciple: Why, this is but a seeming projection. The reply to the question is given in the
scriptures in this way that the manifestation of creation from Brahman is only an
appearance like the mirage in the desert, but really there has been no creation or anything
of the kind. This illusion is produced by Maya, which is the negation of the eternally
existing Brahman, and hence unreal.
Swamiji: If the creation is false, then you can also regard the Nirvikalpa Samadhi of Jiva
and his return therefrom as seeming appearances. Jiva is Brahman by his nature. How can
he have any experience of bondage? Your desire to realise the truth that you are Brahman

is also a hallucination in that case -- for the scripture says, "You are already that."
Therefore, "[(Sanskrit)]-- this is verily your bondage that you are practising the
attainment of Samadhi."
Disciple: This is a great dilemma. If I am Brahman, why don't I always realise it?
Swamiji: In order to attain to that realisation in the conscious plane, some instrumentality
is required. The mind is that instrument in us. But it is a non - intelligent substance. It
only appears to be intelligent through the light of the Atman behind. Therefore the author
of the Panchadashi (III.40) says: "[(Sanskrit)]-- the Shakti appears to be intelligent by the
reflection of the intelligence of the Atman." Hence the mind also appears to us like an
intelligent substance. Therefore it is certain that you won't be able to know the Atman,
the Essence of Intelligence, through the mind. You have to go beyond the mind -- for
only the Atman exists there -- there the object of knowledge becomes the same as the
instrument of knowledge. The knower, knowledge, and the instrument of knowledge
become one and the same. It is therefore that the Shruti says, "[(Sanskrit)]-- through what
are you to know the Eternal Subject?" The real fact is that there is a state beyond the
conscious plane, where there is no duality of the knower, knowledge, and the instrument
of knowledge etc. When the mind is merged, that state is perceived. I say it is
"perceived," because there is no other word to express that state. Language cannot
express that state. Shankaracharya has styled it "Transcendent Perception"
(Aparokshanubhuti). Even after that transcendent perception Avataras descend to the
relative plane and give glimpses of that -- therefore it is said that the Vedas and other
scriptures have originated from the perception of Seers. The case of ordinary Jivas is like
that of the salt - doll which attempting to sound the depths of the ocean melted into it. Do
you see? The sum and substance of it is -- you have only got to know that you are Eternal
Brahman.
You are already that, only the intervention of a non - intelligent mind (which is called
Maya in the scriptures) is hiding that knowledge. When the mind composed of subtle
matter is quelled, the Atman is effulgent by Its own radiance. One proof of the fact that
Maya or mind is an illusion is that the mind by itself is non - intelligent and of the nature
of darkness; and it is the light of the Atman behind, that makes it appear as intelligent.
When you will understand this, the mind will merge in the unbroken Ocean of
Intelligence; then you will realise: "[(Sanskrit)]-- this Atman is Brahman."
Then Swamiji, addressing the disciple, said, "You feel sleepy, then go to sleep."
In the night the disciple had a wonderful dream, as a result of which he earnestly begged
Swamiji's permission to worship him. Swamiji had to acquiesce, and after the ceremony
was over he said to the disciple, "Well, your worship is finished, but Premananda will be
in a rage at your sacrilegious act of worshipping my feet in the flower - tray meant for
Shri Ramakrishna's worship." Before his words were finished, Swami Premananda came
there, and Swamiji said to him, "See what a sacrilege he has committed! With the
requisites of Shri Ramakrishna's worship, he has worshipped me!" Swami Premananda,

smiling, said, "Well done! Are you and Shri Ramakrishna different?"-- hearing which the
disciple felt at ease.
The disciple is an orthodox Hindu. Not to speak of prohibited food, he does not even take
food touched by another. Therefore Swamiji sometimes used to refer to him as "priest".
Swamiji, while he was eating biscuits with his breakfast, said to Swami Sadananda,
"Bring the priest in here." When the disciple came to Swamiji, he gave some portion of
his food to him to eat. Finding the disciple accepting it without any demur, Swamiji said,
"Do you know what you have eaten now? These are made from eggs." In reply, the
disciple said, "Whatever may be in it, I have no need to know; taking this sacramental
food from you, I have become immortal."
Thereupon Swamiji said, "I bless you that from this day all your egoism of caste, colour,
high birth, religious merit and demerit, and all, may vanish for ever!". . .