क्षीणवृत्तेरभिजातस्येव मणेर्ग्रहीतृग्रहणग्राह्येषु तत्स्थतदञ्जनतासमापत्तिः ॥४१॥
पदविभाग: क्षीण-वृत्तेः, अभिजातस्य, इव, मणेः, ग्रहीतृ-ग्रहण-ग्राह्येषु, तत्स्थ-तदञ्जनता, समापत्तिः।
अन्वय: क्षीणवृत्तेः अभिजातस्य मणेः इव ग्रहीतृ-ग्रहण-ग्राह्येषु तत्स्थतदञ्जनता समापत्तिः ।
प्रतिपदार्थ: क्षीण-वृत्तेः = of the mind whose fluctuations have dwindled or weakened (क्षीण = weakened/destroyed, वृत्तेः = of the modifications), अभिजातस्य = of a high-quality / flawless / transparent, इव = like, मणेः = of a jewel or crystal, ग्रहीतृ = the knower / the perceiver (the ego-sense or Purusha), ग्रहण = the instrument of knowing (the mind and the senses), ग्राह्येषु = and the knowable (the external objects), तत्स्थ = resting on that / established in that (object), तदञ्जनता = taking on its complete color and form (reflecting it perfectly), समापत्तिः = absolute absorption / cognitive coalescence.
तात्पर्यम्: When the mental fluctuations have dwindled, the mind becomes like a flawless crystal. The perceiver, the instrument of perception, or the object perceived achieve concentratedness and sameness. This complete absorption is called Samapatti.
Further context on the 41st Sutra from Patanjali’s Yogasutras
Imagine a piece of colored glass. If you put a red rose behind blue glass, the rose looks purple. The glass overlays its own impurity onto the object. This is how the normal human mind operates. Our mind is heavily colored by our memories, traumas, ego, and desires. When we look at the world, we do not see the world as it is; we see our own mind projected onto it.
Now, imagine an Abhijāta Maṇi, which is a fully transparent and perfectly cut crystal. If you place a red rose beneath it, the crystal reflects red. If you place it on a black cloth, it reflects black. The crystal has no color of its own. It completely surrenders its identity to reflect the reality of the object it rests upon (Tatstha-tadañjanatā).
The point is to identify the interference of the ego and over time subjugate it.
What is Samapatti?
Samapatti is the technical term for this state. It does not refer to merely thinking about an object. It is a state where the distinction between the observer and the observed collapses, and the mind morphs into a zone of oneness. This might be what J. Krishnamurthi when he said, “The Observer is Observed”.
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