Dhyanam Nirvishayam Manah

What is Meditation? by Swami Sivananda

While concentration is fixing the mind on a concrete object or an abstract idea, meditation is a regular flow of thought with regard to the object of concentration. It is an unbroken, uninterrupted or incessant flow of ideas of the object that is being concentrated upon. Meditation follows concentration. It is very difficult to say where concentration ends and meditation begins. In Dhyana (meditation), all worldly thoughts are shut out from the mind. The mind is filled or saturated with divine thoughts, with the divine glory, with the divine presence.     Meditation is the flow of continuous thought of one thing or God or Atma. Meditation is the keeping up of one idea of God alone always like the continuous flow of oil from one vessel to another, Tailadharavat. Yogins call this Dhyana. Jnanins term this Nididhyasan. Bhaktas style this Bhajan. Tatra Pratyayaikatanata Dhyanam. A continuous flow of perception or thought is Dhyana or meditation. There is a continuous current in the mind of one object like the Pravaha or flow of water in a river. There is only one Vritti in the mind. It is Ekarupa-vritti-pravaha.     Meditation is the seventh rung or step in the ladder of Yoga. Yama (self-restraint), Niyama (religious observance), Asana (posture), Pranayama (restraint or regulation of breath), Pratyahara (abstraction or withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (superconscious state or blissful union with the Supreme Self) are the eight steps of Yoga.     Dhyanam Nirvishayam Manah. This is how meditation is defined in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. When the mind becomes Nirvishaya or free from thinking of sense-objects and their enjoyments, it is meditation. That state of the mind wherein there are no Vishayas or sensual thoughts is meditation.     To think of nothing is to attain the highest contemplation. In Nididhyasana or profound and continued meditation, thinking ceases. There is only one idea of "Aham Brahma Asmi". When this idea also is given up, Nirvikalpa Samadhi ensues. In Vedanta or the path of Jnana, the terms 'Mariana' and 'Nididhyasana' we very frequently used. Manana is reflection. Nididhyasana is meditation on Atma. It is deep and intense contemplation. The mind is perfectly established in the Absolute. No worldly thoughts will intrude now. The contemplation is like a steady flow of oil.     Lord Jesus says: "Empty thyself and I shall fill thee. This corresponds to the teaching of Patanjali Maharshi: "Yogas-chitta-vrittinirvdhah". Yoga is restraint or annihilation of all mental modifications, of all mental functions. This emptying process or making the mind blank is no doubt a trying discipline. But continued practice of an intense type will bring success. There is no doubt of this. From the book "Meditation Know-How", Sri Swami Sivananda Published by The Divine Life Society, 1996

What is Meditation? by Swami Sivananda

While concentration is fixing the mind on a concrete object or an abstract idea, meditation is a regular flow of thought with regard to the object of concentration. It is an unbroken, uninterrupted or incessant flow of ideas of the object that is being concentrated upon. Meditation follows concentration. It is very difficult to say where concentration ends and meditation begins. In Dhyana (meditation), all worldly thoughts are shut out from the mind. The mind is filled or saturated with divine thoughts, with the divine glory, with the divine presence.     Meditation is the flow of continuous thought of one thing or God or Atma. Meditation is the keeping up of one idea of God alone always like the continuous flow of oil from one vessel to another, Tailadharavat. Yogins call this Dhyana. Jnanins term this Nididhyasan. Bhaktas style this Bhajan. Tatra Pratyayaikatanata Dhyanam. A continuous flow of perception or thought is Dhyana or meditation. There is a continuous current in the mind of one object like the Pravaha or flow of water in a river. There is only one Vritti in the mind. It is Ekarupa-vritti-pravaha.     Meditation is the seventh rung or step in the ladder of Yoga. Yama (self-restraint), Niyama (religious observance), Asana (posture), Pranayama (restraint or regulation of breath), Pratyahara (abstraction or withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (superconscious state or blissful union with the Supreme Self) are the eight steps of Yoga.     Dhyanam Nirvishayam Manah. This is how meditation is defined in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. When the mind becomes Nirvishaya or free from thinking of sense-objects and their enjoyments, it is meditation. That state of the mind wherein there are no Vishayas or sensual thoughts is meditation.     To think of nothing is to attain the highest contemplation. In Nididhyasana or profound and continued meditation, thinking ceases. There is only one idea of "Aham Brahma Asmi". When this idea also is given up, Nirvikalpa Samadhi ensues. In Vedanta or the path of Jnana, the terms 'Mariana' and 'Nididhyasana' we very frequently used. Manana is reflection. Nididhyasana is meditation on Atma. It is deep and intense contemplation. The mind is perfectly established in the Absolute. No worldly thoughts will intrude now. The contemplation is like a steady flow of oil.     Lord Jesus says: "Empty thyself and I shall fill thee. This corresponds to the teaching of Patanjali Maharshi: "Yogas-chitta-vrittinirvdhah". Yoga is restraint or annihilation of all mental modifications, of all mental functions. This emptying process or making the mind blank is no doubt a trying discipline. But continued practice of an intense type will bring success. There is no doubt of this. From the book "Meditation Know-How", Sri Swami Sivananda Published by The Divine Life Society, 1996

What is Meditation? by Swami Sivananda   

     While concentration is fixing the mind on a concrete object or an abstract idea, meditation is a regular flow of thought with regard to the object of concentration. It is an unbroken, uninterrupted or incessant flow of ideas of the object that is being concentrated upon. Meditation follows concentration. It is very difficult to say where concentration ends and meditation begins. In Dhyana (meditation), all worldly thoughts are shut out from the mind. The mind is filled or saturated with divine thoughts, with the divine glory, with the divine presence.

    Meditation is the flow of continuous thought of one thing or God or Atma. Meditation is the keeping up of one idea of God alone always like the continuous flow of oil from one vessel to another, Tailadharavat. Yogins call this Dhyana. Jnanins term this Nididhyasan. Bhaktas style this Bhajan. Tatra Pratyayaikatanata Dhyanam. A continuous flow of perception or thought is Dhyana or meditation. There is a continuous current in the mind of one object like the Pravaha or flow of water in a river. There is only one Vritti in the mind. It is Ekarupa-vritti-pravaha.

    Meditation is the seventh rung or step in the ladder of Yoga. Yama (self-restraint), Niyama (religious observance), Asana (posture), Pranayama (restraint or regulation of breath), Pratyahara (abstraction or withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (superconscious state or blissful union with the Supreme Self) are the eight steps of Yoga.

    Dhyanam Nirvishayam Manah. This is how meditation is defined in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. When the mind becomes Nirvishaya or free from thinking of sense-objects and their enjoyments, it is meditation. That state of the mind wherein there are no Vishayas or sensual thoughts is meditation.

    To think of nothing is to attain the highest contemplation. In Nididhyasana or profound and continued meditation, thinking ceases. There is only one idea of "Aham Brahma Asmi". When this idea also is given up, Nirvikalpa Samadhi ensues. In Vedanta or the path of Jnana, the terms 'Manana' and 'Nididhyasana' we very frequently used. Manana is reflection. Nididhyasana is meditation on Atma. It is deep and intense contemplation. The mind is perfectly established in the Absolute. No worldly thoughts will intrude now. The contemplation is like a steady flow of oil.

    Lord Jesus says: "Empty thyself and I shall fill thee. This corresponds to the teaching of Patanjali Maharshi: "Yogas-chitta-vrittinirvdhah". Yoga is restraint or annihilation of all mental modifications, of all mental functions. This emptying process or making the mind blank is no doubt a trying discipline. But continued practice of an intense type will bring success. There is no doubt of this.

From the book "Meditation Know-How", Sri Swami Sivananda
Published by The Divine Life Society, 1996


"Dhyaanam Nirvishayam Manah" meaning 'When the mind becomes Nirvishaya (free from thoughts), it is meditation. This line appears in Sankhya Darshan written by Sage Kapila. Sankhya Darshan is one of the six darshan shastras.