The Final type/Stage of Yoga,Patanjali Calls as ‘Saasmita’
In this stage, Personal Consciousness alone remains.
Gross elements like Objects and subtle elements, Objects like thoughts disappear.
When Pure Consciousness , the attribute of Atman or the Individual Self alone remains,there is yet another level one should reach.
That is merging or returning to the original state of Reality or Brahman, the macro principle.
The Brahman is the Ultimate Reality and the individual Reality is but a reflection of it.
This is what is stated in the Mahavaakyas,
Aham Brahmaasmi,
Soham Asmi,
Pragyanam Brahma.
The Consciousness is a stream.
Henri Bergson calls it as ‘elan vital’
This Consciousness appears at the individual level because of non Knowledge,Avidya.
(In Indian Philosophy, Knowledge is defined as the removal of ignorance)
Once Ignorance is removed knowledge of Reality ,nay, Reality dawns.
Those who attain the Saasmita Samadhi are called ‘Prakritilayar’, ‘one who s in tune with Nature’
Here, of the three Gunas or dispositions(I use the normal meaning, not the term in a Philosophical sense), only the Sathva , pure, clear,remains.
In Savitraka Samadhi, Sathva, Rajas and Tamas are present, but controlled.
In Savichara Samadhi, Tamas is absent.
Ananda Samadhi has Sathva remains dominate, Rajas less active.
In Saasmita Samadhi,only Sathva remains.
But to attain Self realization , one should transcend the three Gunas.
The merging or return to Brahman is not Duality.
The Reality is One.
How this can be explained?
It is like the relationship between heat and Fire.
One can not dispense with another.
In some cases, as in Microwave cooking, the Heat is felt and not the Fire which is the cause .
Here the cause , Fire is invisible, the energy is visible , not the source.
All these States constitute the Savikalpa Samadhi, except Ssaasmita Samadhi , where one is nearer to Nirvakalpa Samadhi which is the State where the Individual Consciousness merges with the Reality , Brahman.
http://ramanisblog.in/2013/05/05/savichara-ananda-samdhis-yoga-sutra/
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- Yoga Sutra 1.17 Samadhi Contemplation (sunnyace.wordpress.com)
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