Samadhi - the ultimate goal

The yoga philosophy of Patanjali is broken down into eight limbs. Here we focus on the final pillar - Samadhi.

Samadhi is considered the ultimate goal of Yoga, a complete merging of the individual self with the universal consciousness or higher reality.

Samadhi transcends the limitations of the individual mind and ego, experiencing a state of expanded consciousness and interconnectedness. It is a state of profound peace, bliss, and spiritual awakening.

Samadhi is often described as a state of "enlightenment" or "self-realisation," where one directly experiences their true nature as pure consciousness or divine essence. It is a state beyond words and concepts, ineffable and beyond ordinary perception.

While Samadhi is considered the ultimate goal of Yoga, it is not something that can be achieved through mere intellectual understanding or effort. It is a state that arises spontaneously through dedicated and sincere practice, along with the grace of divine or universal consciousness.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna imparts spiritual teachings and guidance to Arjuna, the warrior prince, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. In Chapter 2, Lord Krishna emphasises the concept of "Yoga" as a path to attain liberation and spiritual realisation. In the subsequent verses and chapters, Lord Krishna explains various paths of Yoga, including Karma Yoga (the path of selfless action), Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion), Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge), and Ashtanga Yoga (the path of meditation) which is discussed in chapter 6.

Lord Krishna explains that when one performs actions with the right attitude and with devotion to God, surrendering the fruits of those actions, they can attain a state of absorption in the divine. This state of absorption is described as Samadhi.