The Nature of the Eight Limbs of Nirvikalpaka Samādhi in the Vedāntasāra: A Comparative Study with Patañjali’s Yoga Philosophy Vedantasaar mein Nirvikalpak Samadhi ke Ashtaangon ka Swaroop evam Patanjali Yogdarshan se Tulnatmak Adhyayan

Abstract

This study examines the nature of the eight limbs prescribed in the Vedāntasāra for attaining nirvikalpaka samādhi and compares them with the eightfold discipline of Patañjali’s Yoga philosophy. According to the Vedāntasāra, the aspirant progressively practises yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and savikalpaka samādhi. These disciplines lead the practitioner from ethical regulation and bodily stability to sensory restraint, mental concentration, and spiritual absorption. The five forms of yama—non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possession—and the five observances of niyama—purity, contentment, austerity, self-study, and devotion to God—purify conduct and prepare the aspirant’s inner life. Āsana stabilizes the body, while prāṇāyāma regulates vital energy and assists in controlling the senses and mind. Through pratyāhāra, the senses are withdrawn from external objects; through dhāraṇā, the mind is fixed upon the non-dual Brahman; and in dhyāna, the Brahman-oriented mental modification flows continuously. Savikalpaka samādhi constitutes the final preparatory stage, in which the distinction among knower, knowledge, and object of knowledge persists, though the mind closely conforms to its object. It ultimately facilitates nirvikalpaka samādhi, wherein conceptual distinctions subside and stability in Self-knowledge is attained. The comparison shows substantial structural similarities between the Vedāntasāra and Patañjali’s eightfold Yoga. Their philosophical aims, however, differ: Patañjali associates Yoga with the cessation of mental modifications and the attainment of kaivalya, whereas the Vedāntasāra directs these practices toward Self-knowledge, Brahman-realization, and liberation within the framework of Advaita Vedānta.