Nice video where a Swami talks of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi based on Patanjali Maharshi's Ashtanga Yoga and his own experiences

Transcending the Mind, Abiding in Pure Awareness – The Psychology of Samadhi: 4, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSQrlf4AKVs , 25 min. 32 secs., published on Aug. 17, 2023 by ArshaBodha - Swami Tadatmananda.

The Swami bases his talk in this video which is part of a series, on Patanjali Maharshi's Ashtanga Yoga writings and his own experiences.

I get the impression that the Swami is being very truthful about his experience of Samadhi. From the description of the video (and the Swami says something similar/same in the video): "In samadhi, as Patanjali himself says, tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam, you then abide in your true nature as pure consciousness. That is the state of kaivalya, onlyness, when your true nature alone remains."

He does not talk about experiencing himself in all and all in himself, knowing about past and future etc. The key points of his experience of Samadhi seem to be: the karta (doer) and bhokta (enjoyer) disappearing and only awareness/pure consciousness being there, time and space disappearing, and an experience of (intense?) peace and bliss though he does not expand on the bliss part. He says that in samadhi state, "... all that remains is infinite, boundaryless, awareness, completely free from the limitations of time and space."

The word, "bliss" is shown only once in the transcript: (@14:42): "Then, the momentum of your practice can carry  you along into a state of utter silence, a state of blissful stillness or perfect peace."   

Perhaps in other videos he may talk more about the bliss part. In this video, he says that he has explained it "as simply  as possible".

He also talks about eventually coming out of Samadhi and how to get back to Samadhi.

I feel that he has been very honest in this sharing and he seems to be very knowledgeable about Patanjali Maharshi's Ashtanga Yoga. I am deeply thankful to the Swamiji for this great contribution of sharing his knowledge and experience of samadhi state.

[I thank 'ArshaBodha - Swami Tadatmananda' and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above small extract(s) from their video/transcript on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.] 

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