Swami Vivekananda
CHAPTER III - VIBHOOTI PADA
THE CHAPTER OF POWERS
॥ तृतीम् णवबणतऩाद्ू ॥
Vibhūti-Pāda
We have now come to the chapter which is called the Chapter of Powers.
1.देशबन्धः चित्तस्य धारणा ॥१॥
deśa-bandhaḥ cittasya dhāraṇā ||1||
Dharana is holding the mind on to some particular object.
Dharana (concentration) is when the mind holds on to some object, either in the body, or outside the body, and keeps itself in that state.
2. तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम् ॥२॥
tatra pratyaya-ikatānatā dhyānam ||2||
An unbroken flow of knowledge to that object is
Dhyana.The mind tries to think of one object, to hold itself to one particular spot, as the top of the head, the heart, etc., and if the mind succeeds in receiving the sensations only through that part of the body, and through no other part, that would be Dharana, and when the mind succeeds in keeping itself in that state for some time it is called Dhyana (meditation).
3. तदेवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यमिवसमाधिः ॥३॥
tadeva-artha-mātra-nirbhāsaṁ svarūpa-śūnyam-iva-samādhiḥ ||3||
When that, giving up all forms, reflects only the meaning, it is Samadhi.
That is, when in meditation all forms are given up. Suppose I were meditating on a book, and that I have gradually succeeded in concentrating the mind on it, and perceiving only the internal sensations, the meaning, unexpressed in any form, that state of Dhyana is called Samadhi.
4. त्रयमेकत्र संयमः ॥४॥
trayam-ekatra saṁyamaḥ ||4||
(These) three (when practised) in regard to one object is Samyama.
When a man can direct his mind to any particular object and fix it there, and then keep it there for a long time, separating the object from the internal part, this is Samyama; or Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi, one following the other, and making one. The form of the thing has vanished, and only its meaning remains in the mind.
