Etymology

The Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 prefix nir- means without.

The term "Bija

Bija

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the Sanskrit term बीज bīja , literally seed, is used as a metaphor for the origin or cause of things and cognate with bindu....

" carries the specific meaning of a syllable that is used as a mantra

Mantra

A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...

 or otherwise as the object of meditation

Meditation

Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....

. Bija

Bija

In Hinduism and Buddhism, the Sanskrit term बीज bīja , literally seed, is used as a metaphor for the origin or cause of things and cognate with bindu....

 can also mean any object of meditation.

Synonyms

The term Nirvikalpa Samadhi refers to a specific type of dhyana

Dhyana in Hinduism

According to the Hindu Yoga Sutra, written by Patanjali, dhyana is one of the eight limbs of Yoga, ....

, or meditation, as a "seedless meditation".

Synonymic Sanskrit transliterations in contemporary use are "Savija" or "Saviija" for "With seed", and "Nibija" "Nirvija" or "Nirviija" for "With no seed".

Meditation without seed

The samadhi

Samadhi

Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....

 without seed is a concept used to indicate a spontaneously arrived at state of meditation or Dhyana, considered by Patanjali to be the ultimate goal of Yoga

Raja Yoga

Rāja Yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.Raja yoga was first described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is part of the Samkhya tradition.In the context of Hindu...

. In Patanjali

Patañjali

Patañjali is the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice. According to tradition, the same Patañjali was also the author of the Mahābhāṣya, a commentary on Kātyāyana's vārttikas on Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī as well as an unspecified work of medicine .In...

's Yoga Sutras it is said, "But these three Samyama

Samyama

Samyama . Combined simultaneous practice of Dhāraṇā , Dhyāna & Samādhi . A tool to receive deeper knowledge of qualities of the object...

 are only external means compared to the samadhi 'without seed' " [Book 3, 8th Sutra]. Meditation without seed is considered a likely, though unforeseeable, outcome of regularly and properly conducted meditation with object or seed (bija).

In contemporary Yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

, the mental state accompanying Nirbija Samadhi, one of heightened energy and prescient awareness, is generally referred to as the activation of Kundalini

Kundalini

Kundalini literally means coiled. In yoga, a "corporeal energy" - an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force or Shakti, lies coiled at the base of the spine. It is envisioned either as a goddess or else as a sleeping serpent, hence a number of English renderings of the term such as 'serpent...

, and is seen as a kind of spiritual reward for the yogic practice of Yamas

Yamas

Yamas, and its complement, Niyamas, represent a series of "right living" or ethical rules within Hinduism and Yoga. These are a form of moral imperatives, commandments, rules or goals...

 or Niyamas. Actually, in its psychological co-effect, it is similar to, if not the same as Samādhi

Samadhi

Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....

. Pantanjali seems to indicate that mastery of this state is the supreme end of Yoga. The mundane and observable effect may be the body's reaction to freedom from habitual mentation, amongst other health benefits.

Links to Yoga Texts online

Yoga Sutras in English.http://www.haryana-online.com/Culture/yoga_sutras.htmhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/yogasutr.htmhttp://hrih.hypermart.net/patanjali/library/3.htmhttp://www.santosha.com/philosophy/samadhi-pada1.htmlhttp://www.north-india.in/culture/yoga_sutras.htmhttp://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupid?key=olbp25882http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/patanjal/patanyog.htm http://www.dailyreadings.com/sutras_1.htmhttp://www.sofiatopia.org/equiaeon/clasyoga.htm

Yoga Sutras with Interlineaer Translation http://www.swamij.com/index-yoga-meditation-yoga-sutras.htm