| Almost everyone has experienced the fact that when | | | | This is a stage that the person reaches after |
| one starts concentrating his mind on any immediate | | | | practicing concentration for some time. At the start of |
| object or an idea, the mind starts wandering. It is very | | | | dhyana, the mind is steadier and only a single thought |
| difficult to keep the mind busy with a single thought. | | | | about the object arises in the mind. Now it is safe to |
| The ancient sages too encountered the same | | | | say that the state of dhyana is reached. Here the mind |
| problems. Arjuna, in Gita had mentioned that controlling | | | | becomes very stable like the flame of a lamp in the |
| the mind is the impossible thing on the earth. Hence, he | | | | calm atmosphere and its contact with the object of |
| was advised by Krishna that though mind control is | | | | experience becomes intense and complete. |
| difficult, it can be made silent and steady by regular | | | | There are two varieties of dhyana called |
| practice of vairagya and abhyasa. However, he has | | | | sagunadhyana or nirgunadhyana. In the first dhyana, |
| warned that yoga is very difficult for people whose | | | | the stillness of mind is associated with an object of |
| minds are not steady and controlled. Pantanjali, in Yoga | | | | experience which can be experienced through the |
| Sutra has emphasized these two qualities to achieve | | | | sense organs. The second one is completely mental. It |
| mind control. Hence these are the very qualities that | | | | implies complete absorption of mind into itself. Here |
| make the essence of yoga. | | | | mind is not associated with any external object. It |
| Mind is like a disturbed pond with many impurities. First | | | | becomes completely still in this state. This mind is |
| you need to stop the inflow of fresh impurities and | | | | supposed to remain still, silent and sensitive such that it |
| then remove the existing impurities to clean the mind. | | | | can understand any past, present and future event |
| Abhyasa is the one of the practices for purifying the | | | | that might have happened anywhere in the universe. |
| mind. Dhyana is one of the sub practices of abhyasa. | | | | |