Salmala (“Silk-Cotton
Tree”) Dvipa
In traditional mythic geography, the
third of the seven concentric landmasses
(dvipas) making up the visible world.
See also cosmology.
Samadhi
(“trance”) In the ashtanga yogafirst
codified by the philosopher Patanjali,
the last of the eight elements of yoga
practice. Along with dharana(“concen-
tration”) and dhyana (“meditation”),
samadhi is one of the three practices
that make up the “inner discipline”
(samyama), the culmination of yogic
training. Samadhi is described as a state
in which the mind is conscious of only
the object of concentration, and is
devoid of any notion of the self as per-
ceiver. Once one has attained samhadi
on the conscious plane, one supposedly
pursues it on more subtle inner planes.
The loss of subjectivity in samadhi is
believed to make people unaware of the
outside world, such that they will not
respond to stimuli and may sometimes
appear almost dead. For this reason, the
burialplaces of deceased ascetics are
usually referred to as samadhi shrines,
since it is popularly believed that
they are not dead, but only rapt in
deep meditation.
Samadhi Shrine
Burialplace of a deceased ascetic. Part
of the process of ascetic initiationis the
initiate’s ritualized death, in which he
(or far more rarely, she) performs his (or
her) own funeral rites, followed by
rebirth with a new name and a new
identity. Consequently, upon the physi-
cal death of an ascetic the funeral rites
(antyeshthi) are not performed, since
the ascetic is (ritually speaking) already
dead. The body is often disposed of by
being weighted down with rocks and
thrown into a river, but well-known and
powerful ascetics are often buried, usu-
ally in a sitting position as if in medita-
tion. Such people are often buried in
places associated with their presence
during their lives—whether a room,
building, or particular outdoor site. In
popular wisdom such ascetics are
believed not to be dead but only rapt in
deep meditation (samadhi). The
samadhi shrines of very renowned
ascetics often have shrines built over
them, which can become places of pil-
grimage for those seeking the ascetic’s
continuing blessings (ashirvad).Samana
In traditional Indian physiology, one of
the five bodily winds considered
responsible for basic bodily functions,
the others being prana, apana, vyana,
and udana. The samana wind is consid-
ered to reside in the navel, and to aid in
the process of digestion.Samasthana
In yogapractice, sitting position in
which the legs are bent, with the soles of
the feet pressed flat against one another
and the outer edges of the feet on the
ground. See utkutikasana.Samavartana (“return”) Samskara
The fourteenth of the life-cycle cere-
monies (samskaras), which marks the
end of a young man’s life as a celibate
student (brahmacharin) and the return
to his parental home. The most impor-
tant element in this rite is a bath, after
which the young man changes into new
clothes, marking his change in status.
The young man is supposed to ask his
guru’spermission before performing
the ceremony, and gives him his
teacher’s fee (dakshina), both as pay-
ment for services rendered and as a sign
of respect. Shortly after his return to his
natal home, the young man usually
gets married. In modern times this
rite is not often observed, due to the
decline of the traditional paradigm
of the brahmacharin stage of life,
although sometimes it is performed in
preparation for a marriage.Samavartana (“return”) Samskara