Ashta Lakshmi ( Sanskrit : अष्टलक्ष्मी, IAST : Aṣṭalakṣmī; lit. "Octet of Lakshmi") or Ashtalakshmi, is a group of the eight manifestations of Lakshmi , the Hindu goddess of prosperity. She presides over eight sources of wealth: spirituality, material wealth, agriculture, royalty, knowledge, courage, progeny, and victory.
63-400: The Ashta Lakshmi are always depicted and worshipped as an octet in temples. Adi Lakshmi (Primeval Lakshmi) is portrayed to be the earliest forms of Lakshmi. Adi Lakshmi is the manifestation who supports a seeker to reach their source, or Atman . She is believed to proffer dhyana , a state of absolute silence, bliss, and peace. This aspect of the goddess is responsible for the furtherance in
126-448: A certain internal or external location, there comes to it the power of flowing in an unbroken current, as it were, towards that point. This state is called Dhyana". While Dharana was the stage in yoga where the yogi held one's awareness to one object for a long period of time, Dhyana is concentrated meditation where he or she contemplates without interruption the object of meditation, beyond any memory of ego or anything else. In Dhyana,
189-430: A certain object, or entire class of objects. A yogi who does Samyama on Pratyaya (notions, customs) of men, states sutra 3.19 of the text, knows the series of "psycho-mental states of other men". A yogi after successfully completing Samyama on "distinction of object and idea" realizes the "cries of all creatures", states sutra 3.17. A Samyama on friendliness, compassion and joy leads to these powers emerging within
252-537: A coconut on it) or the Amrita Kalasha (a pitcher containing Amrita – the elixir of life), a bow and arrow, a lotus , and an arm performing the abhaya mudra , with gold coins falling from it. Dhanya Lakshmi (Grain Lakshmi) is the form of Lakshmi who represents the wealth of agriculture . Dhanya Lakshmi is also the aspect of Lakshmi who provides resources to adherents for their sustenance and well-being. She
315-550: A hymn called the Ashtalakshmi Stotra dedicated to the eight forms of Lakshmi. Narayanan comments: “Although these attributes (which represent the wealths bestowed by the Ashta Lakshmi) of Sri (Lakshmi) can be found in traditional literature, the emergence of these eight (Ashta Lakshmi goddesses) in precisely this combination is, as far as I can discern, new.” The prayer Ashtalakshmi Stotra lists all of
378-449: A key text of the Yoga school of Hindu philosophy, Dhyana is the seventh limb of this path , following Dharana and preceding Samadhi. Dhyana is integrally related to Dharana, one leads to other. Dharana is a state of mind, Dhyana the process of mind. Dhyana is distinct from Dharana in that the meditator becomes actively engaged with its focus. Patanjali defines contemplation ( Dhyana ) as
441-674: Is "a refined meditative practice", a "deeper concentration of the mind", which is taken up after preceding practices such as mastering pranayama (breath control) and dharana (mental focus). The term dhyanam appears in Vedic literature, such as hymn 4.36.2 of the Rigveda and verse 10.11.1 of the Taittiriya Aranyaka. The term, in the sense of meditation, appears in the Upanishads . The Kaushitaki Upanishad uses it in
504-455: Is a form of Lakshmi inspired by Durga . She is the form of the goddess who bestows valour during battles and courage plus strength for overcoming difficulties in life. She is depicted as eight-armed, seated on a lion, in red garments, carrying a chakra, shankha , bow, arrow, trishula (or a sword), a bundle of palm leaf scriptures, other two hands in the abhaya mudra and the varada mudra . Vijaya Lakshmi or Jaya Lakshmi (Victorious Lakshmi)
567-420: Is a great deal of similarity between Jaina, Buddhist, Ajivika, Samkhya, Yoga and other ancient Indian traditions. The earliest texts, such as Tattvarthasutra suggest that these ideas developed in parallel, sometimes with different terms for similar ideas in various Indian traditions, influencing each other. Buddhism introduced its own ideas, states Bronkhorst, such as the four dhyanas , which did not affect
630-428: Is able to gain ease in which he learns how to contemplate in a sharply focussed fashion, and then "he is able more and more easily to give uninterrupted attention to the meditation object; that is to say, he attains Dhyana". With further practice, the yogi "ceases being detachedly vigilant" and enters "a state of fusion with the meditation object" which is Samadhi. Samadhi is oneness with the object of meditation. There
693-402: Is also a manifestation drawn from Durga . She is form of the goddess who bestows victory, not only in battles, but also for conquering hurdles in order to achieve success. She is depicted as eight-armed, dressed in blue garments, carrying the chakra, shankha, sword, shield, lotus, pasha, and other two hands expressing the abhaya mudra and the varada mudra . Vidya Lakshmi (Knowledge Lakshmi)
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#1732772771661756-454: Is called dharana . Dharana, which means "holding on", is the focusing and holding one's awareness to one object for a long period of time. In Yogasutras, the term implies fixing one's mind on an object of meditation, which could be one's breath or the tip of one's nose or the image of one's personal deity or anything of the yogi's choice. In the Jangama Dhyāna technique, for example,
819-500: Is conceptualized as an unceasing sacrifice and emphasis is placed on meditation occurs in the classic Vedic world, in the early Upanishads and other texts such as the Shrauta Sutras and verse 2.18 of Vedic Vaikhanasa Smarta Sutra . Beyond the early Upanishads composed before 5th-century BCE, the term Dhyana and the related terms such as Dhyai (Sanskrit: ध्यै, deeply meditate) appears in numerous Upanishads composed after
882-399: Is contemplating, reflecting on whatever dharana has focused on. If in the sixth limb of yoga one is concentrating on a personal deity, dhyana is its contemplation. If the concentration was on one object, Dhyana is nonjudgmental, non-presumptuous observation of that object. If the focus is on a concept or idea, dhyana is contemplating it in all its aspects, forms and consequences. Dhyana
945-477: Is depicted as eight-armed, dressed in green garments, carrying two lotuses, a gada ( mace ), paddy crop, sugarcane, and bananas. Her hands express the abhaya mudra and the varada mudra . Gaja Lakshmi (Elephant Lakshmi) is the giver of animal wealth (such as cattle), or the being who offers royal splendour, according to the Narayana Pancharatra . According to Hinduism , Gaja Lakshmi restored
1008-607: Is evidenced in Jain, Buddhist and early Hindu scriptures. Dhyana, states Sagarmal Jain, has been essential to Jaina religious practices, but the origins of Dhyana and Yoga in the pre-canonical era (before 6th-century BCE) is unclear, and it likely developed in the Sramanic culture of ancient India, Several śramaṇa movements are known to have existed in India before the 6th century BCE (pre-Buddha, pre-Mahavira), and these influenced both
1071-515: Is no distinction between act of meditation and the object of meditation. Samadhi is of two kinds, with and without support or an object of meditation: Both object-centered and objectless-centered meditative practice, in Hindu texts, leads to progressively more bright, pellucid and poised state of "powerful, pure, Sattvic " state of blissful Self, ultimately leading to the knowledge of purusha or Atman-Brahman (soul), states Michael Washburn. This
1134-497: Is no historical confirming evidence. The earliest mention of Dhyana in the canonical Jaina texts simply mention Dhyana as a means of emancipation, but in them ascetic practices are not emphasized nor is the discussion as systematic as in later Jaina texts or Hindu texts such as the Patanjali's Yogasutras. There is no archeological or literary evidence, states Sagarmal Jain, about the origins of systems for Dhyana and Yoga, and there
1197-472: Is praised by the virtuous, she who is beautiful, she who is the consort of Madhava and the sister of Chandra, the golden one She who is praised by the sages and their disciples, she who offers salvation, she who is of pleasant speech and hailed by the Vedas She who resides upon a lotus, she who is worshipped by the devas, she who showers auspicious qualities and contentment Victory to you, victory to you,
1260-498: Is taken up in Yoga practices, and is a means to samadhi and self-knowledge. The various concepts of dhyana and its practice originated in the Sramanic movement of ancient India, which started before the 6th century BCE (pre- Buddha , pre- Mahavira ), and the practice has been influential within the diverse traditions of Hinduism. It is, in Hinduism, a part of a self-directed awareness and unifying Yoga process by which
1323-587: Is the "locus classicus" of the "Hindu synthesis" which emerged around the beginning of the Common Era, integrating Brahmanic and shramanic ideas with theistic devotion. The Bhagavad Gita talks of four branches of yoga: The Dhyana Yoga system is specifically described by Krishna in chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna . In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (dated ca. 400 CE),
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#17327727716611386-476: Is the goddess and the bestower of knowledge of arts and the sciences. She is dressed in a white saree and has a resemblance to the goddess Saraswati . She holds a book of the Vedas , a peacock feather as a pen, the varada mudra and the abhaya mudra . In some Ashta Lakshmi lists, other forms of Lakshmi are included: Around the 1970s, a leading Sri Vaishnava theologian, UV Srinivasa Varadachariar, published
1449-472: Is the goddess's manifestation who bestows offspring. She is depicted as six-armed, carrying two kalashas (water pitcher with mango leaves and a coconut on it), a sword, a shield, a child on her lap, a hand in abhaya mudra, and the other holding Prana as a child holding the lotus (it's indirectly implied in Skanda Purana). Dhairya Lakshmi (Courage Lakshmi), or Veera Lakshmi (Valourous Lakshmi),
1512-574: Is the state, in Hindu tradition, where states Gregor Maehle, the yogi or yogini realizes "the Atman in you is the Atman in everyone", and leading to the realization of Self. The practice of Dharana , Dhyana and Samādhi together is designated as Samyama (Sanskrit: संयम, holding together) in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Samyama, asserts the text, is a powerful meditative tool and can be applied to
1575-469: Is uninterrupted train of thought, current of cognition , flow of awareness. A related term is nididhyāsana , the pondering over Upanishadic statements. It is a composite of three terms, namely dhyai , upasana ("dwelling upon"), and bhavana ("cultivating"). The term dhyana is used in Jainism , Buddhism and Hinduism , with somewhat different meanings. Vedic teachings hold that, since
1638-468: The Mahabharata as well as parts of Patanjali's Yogasutras. Alexander Wynne interprets Bronkhorst as stating that dhyana was a Jaina tradition, from which both Hinduism and Buddhism borrowed ideas on meditation. Wynne adds that Bronkhorst opinion "understates the role of meditation" in early Brahmanical tradition. Dhyana was incorporated into Buddhism from Brahmanical practices, suggests Wynne, in
1701-699: The Maitri Upanishad . The word Dhyana refers to meditation in the Chandogya Upanishad , while the Prashna Upanishad asserts that the meditation on AUM ( ॐ ) leads to the world of Brahman (Ultimate Reality). The Shvetashvatara Upanishad emphasizes dhyana (meditation) as a means to realize the divine. In verse 1.3, it describes how those who meditate can perceive God, the self, and divine power, all of which are typically hidden by one's own qualities. This verse highlights
1764-756: The Samhita and Aranyaka layers of the Vedas and more clearly in chapter 5 of the Chandogya Upanishad (~800 to 600 BCE), are also found in later Buddhist texts and esoteric variations such as the Dighanikaya , Mahavairocana-sutra and the Jyotirmnjari , wherein the Buddhist texts describe meditation as "inner forms of fire oblation/sacrifice". This interiorization of fire rituals, where life
1827-497: The Vedas but with unclear meaning, while in the early Upanishads it appears in the sense of "contemplation, meditation" and an important part of self-knowledge process. It is described in numerous Upanishads of Hinduism, and in Patanjali's Yogasutras - a key text of the Yoga school of Hindu philosophy. Dhyāna ( Sanskrit : ध्यान, Pali : झान) means "contemplation, reflection" and "profound, abstract meditation". The root of
1890-642: The yogi realizes Self (Atman, soul), one's relationship with other living beings, and Ultimate Reality. Dhyana is also found in other Indian religions such as Buddhism and Jainism , and all traditions introduced unique aspects and context to Dhyana , and mutually influenced each other. All the while similar traditions developed within Zoroastrianism in Persia under the label daena . The term Dhyana appears in Aranyaka and Brahmana layers of
1953-446: The āstika and nāstika traditions of Indian philosophy. The earliest Jaina texts, on Dhyana such as Sutrakranga , Antakrta-Dasanga and Rsibhashita , mention Uddaka Rāmaputta who is said to be the teacher of some meditation methods to Buddha, as well as the originator of Vipassana and Preksha meditation techniques. The Jaina tradition believes Rishabhanatha , the first Tirthankara , to have founded meditation, but there
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2016-729: The 1970s, traditional silver articles used in home worship as well as decorative jars (kumbha) now appear with the Ashta Lakshmi group molded on their sides. Books, popular prayers manuals, pamphlets sold outside temples in South India, ritual worship, and "a burgeoning audiocassette market" also presently popularise the octet of Lakshmi. Dhyana in Hinduism Traditional Dhyāna ( Sanskrit : ध्यान) in Hinduism means contemplation and meditation . Dhyana
2079-710: The 5th-century BCE, such as: chapter 1 of Shvetashvatara Upanishad , chapters 2 and 3 of Mundaka Upanishad , chapter 3 of Aitareya Upanishad , chapter 11 of Mahanarayana Upanishad, and in various verses of Kaivalya Upanishad, Chulika Upanishad, Atharvasikha Upanishad, Brahma Upanishad, Brahmabindu Upanishad, Amritabindu Upanishad, Tejobindu Upanishad, Paramahamsa Upanishad, Kshuriki Upanishad, Dhyana-bindu Upanishad, Atharvasiras Upanishad, Maha Upanishad, Pranagnihotra Upanishad , Yogasikha Upanishad, Yogatattva Upanishad, Kathasruti Upanishad, Hamsa Upanishad, Atmaprabodha Upanishad and Visudeva Upanishad. Dhyana as Dharma Practice righteousness ( dharma ), not unrighteousness. Speak
2142-746: The Ashta Lakshmi, in which the goddess is depicted as seated on a lotus. The rise in popularity of the Ashta Lakshmi can be linked with the rising popularity of the Ashtalakshmi Stotra. Ashta Lakshmi is now widely worshipped both by Sri Vaishnava and other Hindu communities in South India . Occasionally, Ashta Lakshmi is depicted together in shrines or in "framing pictures" within an overall design and are worshipped by votaries of Lakshmi who worship her in her various manifestations. In addition to emergence of Ashta Lakshmi temples since
2205-510: The Nikayas ascribed to Alara Kalama and Uddaka Rāmaputta. In early Brahamical yoga, the goal of meditation was considered to be a nondual state identical to unmanifest state of Brahman , where subject-object duality had been dissolved. The early Buddhist practices adapted these old yogic methods, pairing it to mindfulness and attainment of insight. Kalupahana states that the Buddha "reverted to
2268-479: The context of mind and meditation in verses 3.2 to 3.6, for example as follows: मनसा ध्यान मित्येकभूयं वै प्राणाः With mind, meditate on me as being prānā The term appears in the context of "contemplate, reflect, meditate" in verses of chapters 1.3, 2.22, 5.1, 7.6, 7.7 and 7.26 of the Chandogya Upanishad , chapters 3.5, 4.5 and 4.6 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and verses 6.9 to 6.24 of
2331-558: The cosmological theory found in the Nasadiya-sukta of the Rigveda . Adi Shankara , in his commentary on Yoga Sutras , distinguishes Dhyana from Dharana, by explaining Dhyana as the yoga state when there is only the "stream of continuous thought about the object, uninterrupted by other thoughts of different kind for the same object"; Dharana, states Shankara, is focussed on one object, but aware of its many aspects and ideas about
2394-533: The early Upanishads. The verse 30.8 of the ancient Vasistha Dharma-sutra declares meditation as a virtue, and interiorized substitute equivalent of a fire sacrifice. The term Dhyana, and related words with the meaning of meditation appears in many chapters of the Bhagavad Gita , such as in chapters 2, 12, 13 and 18. The chapter 6 of the Gita is titled as the "Yoga of Meditation". The Bhagavad Gita, one of
2457-585: The external part of perception and remain meditating only on the internal part, the meaning, that state is called Samadhi . Michael Washburn states that the Yogasutras text identifies stepwise stages for meditative practice progress, and that "Patanjali distinguishes between Dharana which is effortful focusing of attention, Dhyana which is easy continuous one-pointedness, and Samadhi which is absorption, ecstasy, contemplation". A person who begins meditation practice, usually practices Dharana . With practice he
2520-440: The favour of the goddess with the chanting of each stanza of the prayer. The eight aspects of Lakshmi that are venerated by the mantra are: The first hymn of the mantra venerates Adi Lakshmi: sumanasavandita sundari mādhavi candrasahodari hēmamayē munigaṇavandita mokṣapradāyani mañjula bhāṣiṇi vēdanutē paṅkajavāsini dēvasupūjita sadguṇavarṣiṇi śāntiyutē jaya jaya hē madhusūdanakāmini ādilakṣmi sadā pālaya mām She who
2583-627: The first chapter of the Yoga Sutra does not fit the descriptions contained in the same chapter," and this may suggest the sutra incorporated Buddhist elements as described in the four jhanas . Wynne, in contrast to Bronkhorst's theory, states that the evidence in early Buddhist texts, such as those found in Suttapitaka , suggest that these foundational ideas on formless meditation and element meditation were borrowed from pre-Buddha Brahamanical sources attested in early Upanishads and ultimately
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2646-568: The goddess Lakshmi , designated as the Ashta Lakshmi , regarded to represent the eight forms of wealth. The Ashtalakshmi Stotra was composed and published in the early 1970s in Chennai by U.V. Srinivasa Varadachariyar, a theologian of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. The hymn was popularised through its distribution via audiocassettes in the 1980s. Devotees regard each of the Ashta Lakshmi to represent an attribute of Lakshmi, gaining
2709-615: The idea of a singular divine being governing everything, from time to individual selves. Verse 1.14 describe meditation as positioning the body as a foundation and repeatedly focusing on AUM to access divine vision, much like uncovering something hidden through focused effort. The development of meditation in the Vedic era paralleled the ideas of "interiorization", where social, external yajna fire rituals ( Agnihotra ) were replaced with meditative, internalized rituals ( Prana-agnihotra ). This interiorization of Vedic fire-ritual into yogic meditation ideas from Hinduism, that are mentioned in
2772-487: The mainstream meditation traditions in Jaina and Hindu traditions for a long time. All traditions, Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism, introduced unique aspects and context to Dhyana , and mutually influenced each other. According to Bronkhorst, while Jaina and Hindu meditation traditions predate Buddhism, the Buddhist terminology such as Samadhi, may have influenced the wording found in one of the several types of Dhyana found in
2835-427: The meditational practices" he had learned from Alara Kalama and Uddaka Rāmaputta. In Hinduism, state Jones and Ryan, the term first appears in the Upanishads . Techniques of concentration or meditation are a Vedic tradition, states Frits Staal, because these ideas are found in the early Upanishads as dhyana or abhidhyana . In most of the later Hindu yoga traditions, which derive from Patanjali's Raja Yoga , dhyana
2898-417: The meditator concentrates the mind to a spot between the eyebrows. According to Patañjali, this is one method of achieving the initial concentration ( dhāraṇā : Yoga Sutras , III: 1) necessary for the mind to become introverted in meditation ( dhyāna : Yoga Sutras , III: 2). In deeper practice of the technique, the mind concentrated between the eyebrows begins to automatically lose all location and focus on
2961-447: The meditator is not conscious of the act of meditation (i.e. is not aware that he/she is meditating) but is only aware that he/she exists (consciousness of being ), his mind and the object of meditation. Dhyana is distinct from Dharana, in that the yogi contemplates on the object of meditation and the object's aspects only, free from distractions, with his mind during Dhyana. With practice, the process of Dhyana awakens self-awareness (soul,
3024-531: The mind process, where the mind is fixed on something, and then there is "a course of uniform modification of knowledge". Bronkhorst states that Buddhist influences are noticeable in the first chapter of the Yogasutras, and confirmed by sutra 1.20 because it mentions asamprajnata samadhi is preceded by "trust ( sraddha ), energy (virya), mindfulness ( smriti ), concentration (samadhi), and insight (prajna)". According to Bronkhorst, "the definition of Yoga given in
3087-541: The mind", which is taken up after preceding practices. In Hinduism, dhyāna is considered to be an instrument to gain self-knowledge. It is a part of a self-directed awareness and unifying Yoga process by which a world that by default is experienced as disjointed, comes to be experienced as Self, and an integrated oneness with Brahman . The Brahman has been variously defined in Hinduism, ranging from non-theistic non-dualistic Ultimate Reality or supreme soul, to theistic dualistic God. The stage of meditation preceding dhyāna
3150-447: The person wants or finds spiritual, ranging from "the manifestation of divinity in a religious symbol in a human form", or an inspiration in nature such as "a snow-covered mountain, a serene lake in moonlight, or a colorful horizon at sunrise or sunset", or melodic sounds or syllables such as those that "are intoned as mantras and rhythmically repeated" like Om that is audibly or silent contemplated on. The direction of deep meditation, in
3213-468: The potent lost by Indra (King of the devas ) during the Samudra Manthana . Vasudha Narayanan has interpreted this name as the, "one who is worshipped by elephants". She is depicted as four-armed, donning red garments, carrying two lotuses, two arms expressing the abhaya mudra and the varada mudra , surrounded by two elephants bathing her with water pots. Santana Lakshmi (Eternal Lakshmi)
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#17327727716613276-417: The purusha or Atman ), the fundamental level of existence and Ultimate Reality in Hinduism, the non-afflicted, conflictless and blissful state of freedom and liberation ( moksha ). The Dhyana step prepares a yogi to proceed towards practicing Samadhi . Swami Vivekananda describes the teachings of Yogasutras in the following way: When one has so intensified the power of dhyana as to be able to reject
3339-521: The quest for spiritual wealth. She is depicted as four-armed , carrying a lotus and a red flag, and other two arms expressing the abhaya mudra (fearlessness pose) and the varada mudra (blessing pose). Dhana Lakshmi (Wealth Lakshmi) is Lakshmi in her form as the goddess of material wealth. Dhana Lakshmi is depicted with six hands, in red garments, carries the Sudarshana Chakra , shankha , kalasha (a water pitcher with mango leaves and
3402-419: The same object. Shankara gives the example of a yogin in a state of dharana on morning sun may be aware of its brilliance, color and orbit; the yogin in dhyana state contemplates on sun's orbit alone for example, without being interrupted by its color, brilliance or other related ideas. In Patanjali's Raja Yoga, also called "meditation yoga", dhyana is "a refined meditative practice", a "deeper concentration of
3465-711: The teachings of the Upanishads and is one of three foundational texts of the Vedanta school of Hinduism, states that Dhyana is not Prativedam (or, one for each Veda), and meditation belongs to all Vedic schools. Adi Shankara dedicates an extensive chapter on meditation, in his commentary on the Brahma-sutras, in Sadhana as essential to spiritual practice. His discussion there is similar to his extensive commentary on Dhyana in his Bhasya on Bhagavad Gita and
3528-500: The text, is towards detaching the mind from sensory distractions and disturbances outside of oneself, submerging it instead on the indwelling spirit and one's soul towards the state of Samadhi , a state of bliss (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6: Yoga of Meditation). The Gita presents a synthesis of the Brahmanical concept of Dharma with bhakti , the yogic ideals of liberation through jnana , and Samkhya philosophy. It
3591-564: The three key books of Vedanta school of Hinduism, states four Marga (paths) to purify one's mind and to reach the summit of spirituality – the path of Unselfish Work, the path of Knowledge, the path of Devotion and the path of Meditation ( Dhyana ). Huston Smith summarizes the need and value of meditation in Gita, as follows (abridged): To change the analogy, the mind is like a lake, and stones that are dropped into it (or winds) raise waves. Those waves do not let us see who we are. (...) The waters must be calmed. If one remains quiet, eventually
3654-561: The truth, not the untruth. Look at what is distant, not what's near at hand. Look at the highest, not at what's less than highest. (...) The fire is meditation (dhyana), the firewood is truthfulness ( satya ), the offering is patience ( kshanta ), the Sruva spoon is modesty ( hri ), the sacrificial cake is not causing injury to living beings ( ahimsa ), and the priestly fee is the arduous gift of safety to all creatures. — Vasistha Dharmasutras 30.1-30.8 The Brahma-sutras , which distills
3717-505: The universal divine Self dwells within the heart, the way to experience and recognize divinity is to turn one's attention inward in a process of contemplative meditation. —William Mahony, The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination The origins of the practice of dhyana , which culminates into samadhi , are a matter of dispute. According to Bronkhorst, the mainstream concept
3780-454: The watching itself. This step prepares one to begin the practice of Dhyana. The Yogasutras in verse 3.2 and elsewhere, states Edwin Bryant, defines Dhyana as the "continuous flow of the same thought or image of the object of meditation, without being distracted by any other thought". Vivekananda explains Dhyana in Patanjali's Yogasutras as, "When the mind has been trained to remain fixed on
3843-568: The winds that ruffle the water will give up, and then one knows who one is. God is constantly within us, but the mind obscures that fact with agitated waves of worldly desires. Meditation quiets those waves (Bhagavad Gita V.28). Meditation in the Bhagavad Gita is a means to one's spiritual journey, requiring three moral values – Satya (truthfulness), Ahimsa (non-violence) and Aparigraha (non-covetousness). Dhyana in this ancient Hindu text, states Huston Smith, can be about whatever
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#17327727716613906-420: The word is dhi , which, in the earliest layer of Vedic texts, refers to "imaginative vision" and is associated with goddess Saraswati , who possesses powers of knowledge, wisdom, and poetic eloquence. This term developed into the variant dhya- and dhyana , or "meditation". Thomas Berry states that dhyana is "sustained attention" and the "application of mind to the chosen point of concentration". Dhyana
3969-490: The yogi, states sutra 3.23. The meditation technique discussed in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is thus, states Mircea Eliade, a means to knowledge and siddhi (yogic power). Ashtalakshmi Stotram The Ashtalakshmi Stotra ( Sanskrit : अष्टलक्ष्मीस्तोत्रम् , romanized : Aṣṭalakṣmīstotraṃ ), also rendered the Ashta Lakshmi Stotram , is a Hindu mantra . It extols the eight aspects of
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