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.

Samadhis with Seed YS I - 46

Yoga Sutra I-46 -TA EVA SABIJAH SAMADHIH - All these samadhis are sabija (with seed), which could bring one back into bondage or mental disturbance.

The seeds being spoken about here are desires and attachments. Swami Satchidananda states that in all the samadhis previously mentioned, the goal has not been reached. "Even after acquiring all these states," (of samadhi) "you can come back as an ordinary person because of the impressions are still there." In other words, you can experience these states, but if the desires are not completely burned up because the mind is not completely purified, you can once again become plagued with the vrittis of the mind . Therefore, Swami Satchidananda says that is why one should make the mind purified before one practices deep meditation. He goes on to illustrate that even an "impure" mind can see GOD but from a wrong angle.

In his commentary scientists are illustrated as "Yogis" in the sense of how deep they concentrate and meditate producing discoveries and inventions. They are able to get to plumb the secrets of the atoms. He ends his comments stating if we are" to go into the secrets of life and the universe and gain control over them, we should have pure minds to make the proper use of them." If not we will bring destruction on the whole of humanity. Purification of the mind is very necessary.