Virāma-pratyayābhyāsa-pūrvaḥ saṁskāra-śeṣo ’nyaḥ
Patanjali now takes us one step beyond the state described in Sutra 1.17.
In Samprajñāta Samadhi, the mind becomes deeply absorbed in an object of meditation. There is still a subtle process of knowing — whether through reasoning, contemplation, bliss or the sense of “I-am-ness.”
But what happens when even this subtle support is left behind?
Patanjali describes another state of Samadhi, known as Asamprajñāta Samadhi.
It is a state in which the modifications of the mind have subsided through sustained practice, while only the latent saṁskāras — subtle impressions or conditioning — remain.
From absorption to cessation
In Samprajñāta Samadhi, there is still something for the mind to rest upon.
For example, imagine a practitioner meditating deeply on Shiva. At first, the mind may move around the image, its qualities, its meaning and its symbolism. With practice, the mind becomes completely absorbed in the chosen object.
But in Asamprajñāta Samadhi, even this support is relinquished.
There is no longer an object such as Shiva, the breath, a mantra or an image for the mind to hold on to.
The mind’s modifications have come to a profound cessation.
This is an important distinction:
Samprajñāta: the mind becomes deeply absorbed in an object.
Asamprajñāta: even that object of absorption is left behind.
Does this mean making the mind blank?
Not exactly.
This is where the Sutra can easily be misunderstood.
Asamprajñāta Samadhi is not achieved by forcefully fighting every thought:
“A thought has come — push it away.”
That would itself create another mental struggle.
Nor is it simply becoming blank, dull or unconscious.
There is a profound difference between stillness and suppression.
If someone simply avoids thinking, becomes passive, sleepy or mentally dull, that is not Samadhi. It may actually reflect Tamas — heaviness, inertia or lack of alertness.
True inner cessation requires tremendous clarity, awareness and mastery.
The mind is not being made unconscious. Rather, its habitual modifications have become quiet through deep practice and non-attachment.
What remains? Saṁskāra
Patanjali uses the expression saṁskāra-śeṣa — the remainder of latent impressions.
Saṁskāras are the subtle impressions created by our experiences, thoughts, actions and repeated patterns. They can remain beneath conscious awareness and influence the way the mind functions.
The Sutra does not require us to interpret these specifically as memories from previous births. The broader teaching is that even when conscious mental activity has become extremely quiet, subtle latent impressions can still remain.
This is why the journey is so profound.
We may think:
“I have controlled my thoughts.”
But Patanjali takes us deeper:
What about the impressions beneath those thoughts?
The danger of confusing suppression with Samadhi
This distinction is extremely important for anyone practising Yoga.
Suppose someone decides:
“I don’t want any thoughts. I will simply stop thinking.”
If this is done through force, avoidance or withdrawal, the result may be dullness rather than awareness.
A person may become inactive, disconnected or excessively passive and mistake that state for spiritual advancement.
But authentic Samadhi is not weakness.
It requires immense steadiness, alertness and mastery of the mind.
There is a vast difference between:
“I have stopped thinking because I am dull.”
and
“The mind has become profoundly still because I have cultivated awareness and non-attachment.”
One is inertia.
The other is mastery.
From the object to complete letting go
This Sutra also takes us back to Vairagya, which Patanjali discussed earlier.
In Sutra 1.15, we explored freedom from craving for objects and experiences.
In Sutra 1.16, we moved toward Para Vairagya — freedom even from attachment to the Gunas through knowledge of Purusha.
Now, in Sutra 1.18, we see an even subtler letting go.
The practitioner does not cling even to the beautiful, peaceful and profound experience of meditation.
Even the meditation object is released.
Even the experience of absorption is not grasped.
There is nothing to possess.
Nothing to prove.
Nothing to hold on to.
A practical takeaway for us
Most of us are not practising at the level of Asamprajñāta Samadhi, and Patanjali is not asking us to force ourselves into such a state.
But we can understand the principle.
During meditation, notice how quickly the mind wants to hold on to an experience:
“I had such a peaceful meditation today.”
“I felt something extraordinary.”
“I want that experience again.”
Even this can become attachment.
Instead, practise being present without demanding that meditation produce a particular experience.
Experience it. Learn from it. Let it go. Return to awareness.
That is a small but meaningful movement toward Vairagya.
The deeper teaching
Sutra 1.17 showed us a mind deeply absorbed in an object.
Sutra 1.18 takes us further — toward a state where even that support is relinquished, while latent saṁskāras remain.
It is not a state of mental emptiness created by force.
It is not sleep.
It is not dullness.
It is not running away from life.
It represents an extraordinary degree of inner steadiness, awareness and non-attachment.
The journey of Yoga is therefore not simply:
“How can I stop my thoughts?”
It is much deeper:
“Can I become so established in awareness that I no longer need to cling to any thought, object or experience to know myself?”
From the gross object, to subtle absorption, to letting go even of the support of meditation — Patanjali is gradually taking us beyond the mind’s habitual dependence on something to hold.
For your website series, I would not use “the soul is travelling through past-birth memory imprints” here. That goes beyond what this particular Sutra says and could make the explanation philosophically less precise. The stronger point is conscious cessation vs suppression—that distinction will also connect beautifully with the next Sutras.
