Patanjali Yoga Sutra - 42

When forms, ideas and meanings still exist....

Tatra Shabdarthagnana

vikalpaihi Sankeerna Savitarka Samapattihi

The various meditative practices leads us to a certain state of Samadhi or absorbtion called Savitarka. It is a conditional state of absorbtion. You meditate on an object or thought. Soon every other thought, emotion or object, except the one you are meditating upon - leaves your awareness temporarily. Like, when you watch a movie in the theatre, you almost forget the world outside, whether it is sunny or raining and during gripping scenes, you even forget the people sitting just next to you. But still, the mind is not totally quiet. It is conditioed by what you see - the name and form and your prior knowledge about the form and its associated meanings within. It is a state of Samadhi, but there is still the doubting and questioning mind that is active. - Swahilya Shambhavi.

Picture: The clouds are bright with sunshine above the city of Paris, but the city is shrouded by the clouds. Even though there is a glimpse of truth, it is only a conditioned vision. (Pic. Swahilya)

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - 39

Form or place that you love

Yathabhimata Dhyanat Va

Or by meditating on a chosen object, place, person that one feels good within.

This sutra gives the ultimate freedom for meditation. The last of the several means of meditation to prevent the mind from breaking into pieces of mind and remain rather in peace and in one whole.

The last method suggested is that one can take up anything that they love to do or see and meditate upon that. The subject of meditation goes without saying that it should be an uplifting topic, music, personality, object or place. When one contemplates in this manner, the vibrations of the mind is at once connected to the subtle vibration of the topic, person, place or thing that it ponders about and becomes one with it. - Swahilya Shambhavi.