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INTRODUCTION
Patanjali’s system of yoga has eight limbs. That is also
called Astanga yoga. In that the first five viz, Yama,
Niyama, Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara are
preparatory and are called Bahiranga yoga. The others are
dharana, dhyana and samadhi. They are called Antaranga
Yoga. These three sadhanas are collectively called
samyama. In The third chapter of yoga sutra Patanjali has
described all these together and rightly so, because one
leads to the next limb without mastering the earlier one. In
other words dharana leads to dhyana and dhyana leads to
samadhi and an adept practices all the three together
consequently.
The first five practice of Astanga yoga technique which are referred
to as Bahiranga or external. These practices are of a preparatory
nature and are meant to make the sadhaka fit the aspirant
physically, mentally, emotionally and morally for the practice of
Higher yogic stages. That stages are called antaranga yoga. The
three Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are more internal than the
preceding Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara.
These three constitute the yoga proper. The five accessories are the
external means of yoga. These three directly bring samadhi. The
other five purify the body, prana and indriyas. Hence these three are
called Antaranga Sadhana.
ANTHARANGA YOGA
‘Antar’ means inner(inside) ‘anga’ means limbs (part).The first
five angas of yoga eliminate, step by step, the external causes of
mental distraction. Yama and Niyama eliminate the disturbance,
which are caused by uncontrolled emotions and desires. Asana and
pranayama eliminate the disturbance arising from the physical
body. Pratyahara, by detaching the sense–organs from the mind,
cuts off the external world and the impressions which it produces
on the mind. The mind is thus completely isolated from the external
world and the Sadhaka is thus in a position to grapple with it
without any interference from outside. It is only under these
conditions that the successful practice of Dharana, Dhayana, and
Samadhi is possible.
 Dharana, Dhyana and samadhi take the yogi into
the innermost recesses of his soul. The yogi does
not look heaven world to find god. He knows that
HE is within. The last three stages keep him in
harmony with himself and his maker.
 DHARANA

Desabandhah Cittasya Dharana. II3: 1II

 Dharana (is) confining of citta(1)on a spot;(2)

with in a limited(conceptual)sphere.
 Dharana is holding the mind on to some
particular object.
 Dharana(concentration) is when the mind holds
on to some object, either in the body, and keeps
it self in that state.
Dharana is concentration on a single point or total attention on
what one is doing, the mind remaining unmoved and
unruffled. It stimulates the inner awareness to integrate the
ever-flowing intelligence and releases all tensions. When it
continues for a long time it becomes meditation (Dhyana) an
indescribable state that has to be experienced to be
understood. Concentration (Dharana) is keeping the
mind focused on an object for a certain length of time without
interruption. The object may be internal or external.
DHYANA
Tatra Pratyayaikatanata Dhyanam – II3:2II

(1)There (on that spot) (2)there in (in the process

dharana)(to have) a continuous attachment on the
experience of one (single subject) (is) Dhyana.

An unbroken flow of knowledge in that object is

dhyana
 The mind tries to think of one object, to hold it self to one
particular spot, as the top of the head, the heart, etc, and if the
mind succeeds in receiving the sensations only through that
part of the body, and through no other part that would be
dharana, and when the mind succeeds in keeping it self in that
state for some time it is called Dhyana(meditation).
Meditation begins when concentration becomes effortless and
continuous, like the flow of oil poured from one vessel in to
another. In the yoga system, mind has five levels:(a) dull and
stupefied, (b) restless and turbulent,(c) distracted and divided,
(d)concentrated and one-pointed, and (e)restrained and
suspended.
 The first three levels are unfavorable for the practice of
meditation, which begins only when the mind reaches the
fourth level. Patanjali says, “Meditation is the uninterrupted
concentration of thought on its object. This itself turns in to
Samadhi when the object alone shines and the thought of
meditation (and of the mediatator ) is lost, as it were.”
SAMADHI
Tadevarthamatranirbhasam svarupasunyamiva
samadhih:II3:3II

That(dhyana)it self (is transformed in to)

samadhi(when the subject)is devoid of its original
form(and yet) is clearly perceived(experienced) in
its mere essence.

When that, giving up all forms, reflects only the

meaning, it is samadhi
 That comes when in meditation the form or the
external part is given up. Suppose I were meditating
on a book, and that I have gradually succeeded in
concentrating the mind on it, and perceiving only the
internal sensations, the meaning unexpressed in any
form-that state of dhyana is called Samadhi.
There is complete stillness and no more movement in the
mind. Only the object shines. The mind as we know it
has seemingly ceased to exist. Therefore the object can
exactly replicated and we can gain complete knowledge
of it.
In Samadhi, the Sadhaka loses consciousness of his
body, breath, mind, intelligence and ego. He lives in
infinite peace. In this state, his wisdom and purity,
combined with simplicity and humility, shine forth. Not
only is he enlightened but he illumines all those who
come to him in search of truth.
When Dhyana passes in to Samadhi and the gate which leads into
the world of realities opens. Pathanjali calls this disappearance
of the mind’s awareness of itself as ‘svarupa sunyam iva.’ The
mind’s ”own form” or essential nature disappears, as it were’.
What is Svarupa? Everything in mainfestation has two forms.
An external form expressing its superficial and nonessential
nature which is called Rupa and an internal form which
constitues the very essence or substance of its true nature which
is called its Svarupa. In the case of the mind in the state of
dhyana the Rupa is the pratyaya or the object of meditation.
 It is through this that the mind finds expression. The
Svarupa is the residual consciousness of its own action or
role in the process of Dhyana and is essentially the subjective
nature of the mind. This consciousness steadily becomes
weaker as Dharana passes in to Dhyana and the concentration
of the mind in Dhyana increases. But still it is present, even
though in a weak form in all stages of dhyana and it is only
when it disappears completely that Dhyana passes in to
Samadhi.
 In this Diagram A is the object chosen for Samyama and B, C, D, E etc. are
distractions. Then the content of the mind at regular intervals of successive
movements in the three phases may be represented by the following series of
pratyayas present in the mind . The circle round the letters represents the mental
self awareness.
It will be seen that the frequency of distraction
goes on decreasing in Dharana and frequency and
degree of mental self awareness goes on
decreasing in Dhyana. In Samadhi there is
complete freedom both from distraction and self
awareness and the object alone reminds in the
fields of consciousness. It is true that further
changes are possible but these changes are
connected with the object itself . It will be seen
that the transformation which take place in
Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are purely mental
phenomena and are related to consciousness
SAMYAMA

Trayamekatra samyamah:II3:4II
These three (when practiced)in regard to one
object is Samyama.
When a man can direct his mind to any particular
objet and fix it there ,and then keep it there for a
long time, separating the object from the internal
part, this is samyama or Dharana,
Dhyana ,Samadhi, one following the other, and
making one. The form of the thing has vanished,
and only its meaning remains in the mind.
TAJJAYAT PRAJNALOKAH:II3:5II

By mastering it(Samyama), the light of the higher

consciousness.
When one has succeeded in making this Samyama, all powers
comes under his control. This is the great instrument of the
yogi. The objects of knowledge are infinite, and they are
divided in to the gross, grosser, grossest and the fine, finer, finest
and so on. This Samyama should be first applied to gross things,
and when begin to get knowledge of this gross, slowly, by
stages, it should be brought to finer things.
TASYA BHUMISU VINIYOGAH:II3:6II

Samyama is applied in stages.

Samyama is a difficult technique. For this reason the

practitioner needs to start with a simple gross object such as a
lotus flower. Later, only complex gross objects such as the
universe are chosen. Only if gross object are completely
mastered dose one switch to subtle objects, which are the
subtle essence of the elements-the chakras, the mind the senses
and so on.
 Trayam antarangam purvebhyah:II3:7II
Before these we had the pratyahara ,the pranayama, The

Asana ,the yama and niyama; they are external parts of the three –

Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi’ .When a man has attained to

them, he may attain to omniscience and omnipotence, but

that would not be salvation. These three would not make the mind Nirvikalpa, changeless, but

would leave the seeds for getting bodies again. Only when the seeds, are as the yogi says,

“fried”, do they lose the possibility of producing further plants. These powers cannot fry the

seed.

i
Thadapi bahirangam Nerbeejasya II3:8II

But even they are external to the seed less Samadhi.

compared with that seedless Samadhi, there fore, even
these are external. We have not yet reached the real
Samadhi , the highest, but a lower stage, in which this
universe still exists.
Even that (Sabija samadhi) is external to the Seedless
(Nirbija Samadhi). This sutra has been introduced here
only to emphasize the distinction between Sabija and
Nirbija Samadhi and to bring home to the student that
Nrbija Samadhi is a more advanced stage on the path
of self realization than Sabija samadhi.
Sabija samadhi is concerned with knowledge and
powers exercised with in the realm of prakrti on
this side of the gate which leads to kaivalya.
Nirbija samadhi on other hand, aims at
transcending the realm of prakrti and living in the
state of Enlightenment implied in Kaivalya.The
latter, therefore, is naturally internal in relation to
the former. The purusa has first to conquer all the
realms of prakrti through sabija Samadhi and then
after conquering these realms, to gain complete
Self –realization which makes him not only the
lord of these realms but also independent of them.
 VITARKA VICARANADAASMITANUGAMAAT SAMPRAJNATAH:II1:17II

The concentration called right knowledge is that which is followed by reasoning discrimination,

bliss, unqualified egoism.

Samadhi is divided in to two varieties. One is called the Samprajnata, and the other one is

Asamprajnata. In the Samprajnata samadhi comes all the powers of controlling nature. It is of

four varieties. The first variety is called the Savitarka ,

when the mind meditates upon an object again and again by isolating it from other objects.

There are two sorts of objects for meditation in the twenty-five categories of the Sankhyas(1.the

twenty-four insentient categories of nature, and(2.the one sentient Purusha. This part of Yoga is

based entirely on Sankhya philosophy .egoism and will and mind have a common basis, the

chitta or the mind –stuff, out of which they are all manufactured. The mind-stuff takes in the

forces of nature, and projects them as thought. There must be something, again, where both

force and matter are one .

This is called avyakta, the unmanifested state of
nature before creation and to which, after the
end of a cycle, the whole of nature returns, to
come out again after another period. Beyond that
is the purusha, the essence of intelligence.
Knowledge is power, and as soon as we begin to
know a thing, we get power over it; so also when
the mind begins power on the different elements,
it gains power over them. That sort of
meditation where the external gross elements are
the objects is called savitarka. Vitarka means
question.
Savitarka, with question, questioning the elements, as it were that
they may give truths and their powers to the men who meditate
upon them. In Meditation when one struggles to take the elements
out of time and space and think of them as they are, it is called
Nirvitarka, without question. When the meditation goes a step
higher and takes the Tanmatras as its object, and thinks of them as
in time and space it is Savichara, with discrimination; and when in
the same meditation one eliminates time and space and thinks of
the fine elements as they are, it is called Nirvichara without
discrimination. The next step is when the elements are given up
both gross and fine, and the object of meditation is the interior
organ, the thinking organ. When the thinking organ is thought of as
bereft of the quality of activity and dullness it is then called
Sananda, the blissful Samadhi.
When the mind itself is the object of meditation. when
meditation become very ripe and concentrated, when all ideas of
the gross and fine materials are given up, when the sattva state
only of the ego remains, but differentiated from all other objects
it is called Sasmita Samadhi.

Virama Pratyabhyasa Purvaha Samskara Sesonyah. II 1:18 II

There is another samadhi which is attained by the constant
practice of cessation of all mental activity, in which the chitta
retains only the unmanifested impressions.
Dharma-Mega-Samadhi:-’In the case of one,
who is able to maintain a constant state of
enlightenment, to exercise the highest kind of
discrimination, follows Dharma-Megha-
Samadhi.
CONCLUSION
The term yoga should be understood as the antaranga
yoga or the inward going processes of dharana, dhyana,
and samadhi. These meditative or concentrative processes
are comparable to a journey of the consciousness towards
its inner source. The Yoga system maintains that the mind
is never controlled unless an attempt is made to control
it, and it asserts that control of the mind is achieved
through controlling physiological processes. The path of
yoga is suited to those in whom reason has not yet
established its natural supremacy over the emotions and
volitions.
REFERENCE
Dr. P.V. Karambelkar : Patanjala Yoga Sutra
Kaivalya dhama, Lonavla – 410403
(Maharashtra – India)
Swami Vivekananda : Raja Yoga
Advaitha Ashrama, Publication Dept.
5 Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata – 700 014

Swami Adishwarananda : Meditation & Its Practices

Advaitha Ashrama, Publication Dept.
5 Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata – 700 014

I.K. Taimni : The Science of Yoga

The Theosophical Publishing house,
Adyar, Medras (1961)
Gregor Maehle : Ashtanga Yoga Pratice and Philosophy
Kaivalya publications, First
published in 2006, Australia
Delhi,2008

B.K.S Iyangar : Light on Yoga

THANK YOU