Thursday, January 8, 2009

Samskara - Impression YS I - 50


Samskara(s): Sanskrit word meaning impression left by a previous thought or action; latent tendency; are the seed of our past actions. We all have samskaras in our lives that either help or hinder us. So now we come to the following sutra:

Yoga Sutra I- 50 - TAJJAH SAMSKARO'NYA SAMSKARA PRATIBANDHI - The impression produced by this samadhi wipes out all other impressions.

Swami Satchidananda says in his commentary of this sutra that the impression which comes from the samadhi in which you get ritambhara prajna will block all other impressions. Here everything dies away and there is no more returning back as an ordinary person, who is unaware of his own true nature. When one gets to this stage, the stage of no return, one always retain this knowledge (of his true nature). This stage is when one becomes a realized saint or a jivamukta. The word jivan means one who is lives and mukta means liberated. The jivanmukta lives, eats, talks, does business like everyone else but liberated. This liberated person doesn't get excited. This person as a jivanmukta can do anything, like being involved in the world for the sake of humanity without any personal attachment.

Swami Satchidananda concludes the commentary by stating that a liberated person will not be attached to anything, not have impressions or old thoughts to bring them back to ordinary life. The seeds of desire will be completely burnt up and that liberated person will always live in an unattached state.


5 comments:

C. Om said...

Yes. I can feel more and more everyday my consciousness approaching this state. Thank you, bometernally, for the enlightening posts. :-)

bometernally said...

You are welcome C.Om. This is a great review for me as well. This is what we all have to look forward to. It is a amazing to have this information from such ancient times.

*** said...

I just wrote a bit about karma - and had to excuse my using this word. From what you wrote, it seems like Samskara is similar to karma, but without the negative imagery. If this is true, then perhaps this is the word I've been looking for? If you will explain this to me, perhaps I can add an update to my post and link to your blog.

Thanks and blessings. -ss

bometernally said...

Greetings SS

To answer your question, karma is action performed and samskara are impressions that we have(including what we bring with us into this life and the ones we create right now - like you reading this and me responding to you).

Samskara in the glossary of the book "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali " Translation and commentary by Swami Satchidananda is defined as a mental impression. If you go to the link http://en.mimi.hu/yoga/samskara.html, it will lead you into all sorts of articles on the subject.

Karma, in the glossary of the book "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" is defined as action and reaction.

From the Siddha Yoga website - http://www.siddhayoga.org/glossary
KARMA:
(lit., action) 1) Any action--physical, verbal, or mental. 2) Destiny, which is caused by past actions, mainly those of previous lives.

Hope this sheds some light for you. Blessings to you and have a great day!

*** said...

Maybe the emphasis on 'previous lives' is the key difference. Thank you so much for researching this! Blessings to you and to all, each day... -ss