In the yogic system of Patanjali, Samadhi is the final limb—the culmination of all prior practice. It’s defined as the state in which the mind becomes completely still, and the object of meditation alone shines forth. In the deepest forms of Samadhi, even that object may dissolve, leaving only awareness itself—pure, unbounded, and without thought. This is sometimes described by modern teachers as an experience of infinite consciousness.
While Patanjali’s Yoga maintains a dualistic structure—between the witness (Purusha) and the world (Prakriti)—the experience of Samadhi is universally described as expansive, luminous, and free of ego. It is the point where the practitioner no longer identifies with the body or mind, but rests in a state of pure presence. Whether one names it Purusha, Self, or simply awareness, the essence of Samadhi is this: freedom from all mental fluctuation, and the dawning of insight into the true nature of consciousness.
