Bhagavad Gita Summary: Chapter 12: Bhaktiyoga or The Yoga of Devotion

Chapter 12: Bhaktiyoga or The Yoga of Devotion (20 verses)

This completes the second set of six chapters, which are considered to be related to devotion, giving a clear summary of the sometimes complex relations between action, devotion, knowledge and meditation as explained in the first six chapters and ends with an inspiring section on virtue ethics. 

1- The Worshippers of Isvara and Akshara (1-5)

The Worshippers of Isvara (1-2)

1. Who are superior—the worshippers of Isvara, or the worshippers of Akshara ?

2 . Those who, fixing their thought on Me, contemplate Me, always vendued with supreme faith, these are in my opinion the best Yogins.  

Shri Krishna replied, "The devotees whose faith, pushed by the strength of the past achievement, steadily increases with devotion like a river rising during the rainy season, in whose heart love upsurges, who concentrate their attention on me day and night and offer themselves completely to me are the ones I consider as superior yogis''. (Dnyaneshwari; 12:36-39, transl. M.R. Yardi)

The worshippers of Akshara (3-5) 

3—4. Those who ever contemplate the Imperishable, the Indefinable, the Unmanifest, the Omnipresent and the Unthinkable, the Unchangeable, the Immutable, the Eternal,—having restrained all the senses, always equanimous, intent on the welfare of all beings,—they reach Myself.  

5. Greater is their trouble whose thoughts are set on the Unmanifest ; for, the Goal, the Unmanifest, is very hard for the embodied to reach.

Great indeed is the trouble of those who are engaged in doing works for My sake, and so on ; but greater still is the trouble of those who identify themselves with the Imperishable and contemplate the Supreme Reality,—the trouble arising from the necessity of having to abandon their attachment for the body. The Goal, the Imperishable, is very, hard for the embodied to reach, for those who are attached to their bodies. Therefore" their trouble is greater. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

2- Salvation by worship of Isvara (6-12)

8- Fix thy mind (manas)—thy purposes and thoughts—in Me, the Lord in the Universal Form. 

Fix in Me thy reason (buddhi) also which resolves and determines.—What will be the result ?—Listen : Thou shalt without fail abide in Me as Myself  

Abhyasa-Yoga (9)

9. If thou art unable to fix thy thought steadily on Me, then by yoga of constant practice do thou seek to reach Me, O Dhananjaya.

If you cannot fix your thought on Me steadily in the manner I have mentioned, then seek thou to reach Me in the Universal Form, by yoga of constant practice (abhyasayoga). Practice (abhyasa) consists in withdrawing thought from all quarters and fixing it again and again on one particular object. ' AbhyAsa-yoga ' means samadhana or steadfastness of mind acquired by such practice.  Abhyasayoga: And if you are not able to give your undivided attention along with your mind and intellect to me then do thus. During the entire day, turn your mind to me once at least for a moment. At the very instant your mind enjoys the bliss of the experience of my contact at that moment a dislike for the sense pleasures will be created in your mind and it will slowly come out of the worldly matters.

Then slowly and steadily it will enter in me until it becomes one with me. This is what is called Abhyasayoga or Yoga of practice. There is nothing that cannot be obtained by it. Nothing is difficult if one adopts this yoga of practice. Therefore be one with me by adopting this yoga. (Dnyaneshwari; 12:104-113, transl. M.R. Yardi)

Service of the Lord (10)  

10. (If) thou art not equal to practice either, then be thou intent on (doing) actions for My sake. Even doing actions for My sake, thou shalt attain perfection.

Even if thou doest mere actions for My sake without practising yoga, thou shalt attain perfection ;—thou shalt first attain purity of mind, then yoga or steadfastness, then knowledge, and then perfection (moksha).  Offering actions to God If you do not have the strength to adopt this Yoga of practice then remain as you are. Do not control your sense organs, do not leave your pleasures and do not give up your pride also. Obey the family traditions and the rules of law. You are thus free to behave in this manner but see that whatever you may do or decide to do or say do not claim "I did it". 

Because only the almighty God knows whether something may be done or not. Without bringing into the mind the thought that the action is complete or incomplete be one with the Self. Giving up the pride of being the doer, avoid loading your mind with thoughts of worldly actions or spiritual actions. Always steady your concentration on me and whatever happens make an offering of it to me. And if your attitude becomes like this then you will be liberated after your death. (Dnyaneshwari; 12:114-124, transl. M.R. Yardi)

Abandonment of the fruits of actions (11-12)  

12. Better indeed is knowledge than practice ; than knowledge is meditation more esteemed; than meditation the abandonment of the fruits of actions; on abandonment, Peace follows immediately.

Arjuna, you must become desireless regarding all your actions. This sacrifice of the actions may appear to be easy but it is the greatest among all the Yogas. The actions which are nullified by surrender do not accumulate and one does not have to take rebirth after death. By practice one can get knowledge, by knowledge one gains success in meditation, and once one is engrossed in meditation, actions (karmas) go away. Once actions go away then the fruits are automatically surrendered and one gets uninterrupted peace. 

Thus this step by step method of practice is the method to achieve peace. Arjuna, Knowledge is superior to practice and meditation is superior to knowledge and renouncing the fruits of actions is superior to meditation and the peace is superior to renunciation of fruits of actions. These are the successive steps in this path which lead to peace or bliss of the Brahman. (Dnyaneshwari; 12:125-136, transl. M.R. Yardi)

It has been said that the Source of all beings is One; that the goal is One; but that the Path varies with each pilgrim. Hence each pilgrim is at a point of evolution or development where one or other of the steps presented is within reach. Each of these steps is shown to be leading in the direction of the goal, but the aspirant must see them as only steps, the condition of his success being that he must ever keep the goal—union with the Higher Self—in view. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 185)  

3- The life of the Akshara-upasakas (13-20)

13-14. He who hates no single being, who is friendly and compassionate to all, who is free from attachment and egoism, to whom pain and pleasure are equal, who is enduring, ever content and balanced in mind, self-controlled, and possessed of firm conviction, whose thought and reason are directed to Me, he who is (thus) devoted to Me is dear to Me. 

Just as consciousness does not differentiate between "mine" and "yours" my true devotee does not possess the feeling of hatred for any creature. He is equally friendly to all and like a loving nursemaid he takes care of them. Egotistic or possessive feelings do not occur in his mind and he is not even conscious of the feelings of pleasure or sorrow. He possesses forgiveness like mother earth and bliss is always apparent in him. Just as ocean is always full whether it rains or not, he is happy without external aids. He restrains his mind with staunch and true determination. In his heart he and the supreme Soul have become one. He who is thus enriched by the wealth of yoga surrenders his mind and intellect in me and having been purified internally and externally by it, is devoted to me with love, is THE devotee, THE liberated one, THE yogi and I like him as a husband likes his wife. (Dnyaneshwari; 12:144-150, transl. M.R. Yardi)

15. He by whom the world is not afflicted and who is not afflicted by the world, who is free from joy, envy, fear and sorrow, he is dear to Me.  

16. He who is free from wants, who is pure, clever, unconcerned, untroubled, renouncing all undertakings, he who is (thus) devoted to Me is dear to Me. 

He is indifferent to the body, the senses, the sense objects and their mutual connections. He is possessed of purity both internal and external. He is able to decide rightly on the spot in matters demanding prompt attention. He does not take the side of a friend and the like. He habitually renounces all actions calculated to secure objects of desire, whether of this world or of the next. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

17. He who neither rejoices, nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires, renouncing good and evil, he who is full of devotion is dear to Me. 

He does not rejoice on attaining what is desirable. He does not fret on attaining what is undesirable. He does not grieve on having to part with a beloved object, he does not desire the unattained.  (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

18- He who is the same to foe and friend, and also in honor and dishonour; who is the same in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain: who is free from attachment: to whom censure and praise are equal; who is silent, content with anything, homeless, steady-minded, full of devotion : that man is dear to Me. 

He has no attachment for objects of any kind. He is content with the bare means of bodily sustenance. It is said (in in the Mahhharata), 'Who is clad with anything, who is fed on any food, who lies down anywhere, him the Gods call a brahmana (Santi-parva, Moksha-Dharma,243-12). 

He has no fixed abode, he is 'houseless' as has been said in another smriti. His thought is fixed steadily on the Supreme Reality. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901

Bhagavad Gita Summary: Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshanayoga or The Yoga of the Vision of the Cosmic Form

Chapter 11: Vishvarupa Darshanayoga or The Yoga of the Vision of the Cosmic Form  (55 verses)

This chapter is a culmination of sorts, of the previous chapters and is perhaps the most evident example of why Blavatsky has called the Gita a text of spiritual initiation.

1- Arjuna's prayer for a vision of the Universal Form (1-8) 

3. So it is, as Thou, O Supreme Lord, hast declared Thyself to be. (Still) I desire to see Thy form as Isvara, O Purusha Supreme. 

8. Thou art not indeed able to see Me with this thy eye alone ; I give thee a divine eye ; behold My lordly Yoga.

Here, it is evident that the body Krishna spoke of was a spiritual one, since it required the divine eye to see it, and that Arjuna could not perceive this highest form unless he himself possessed similar sight. Body implies form and substance, and in this relation must mean the highest conceivable primordial matter or substance, which to us might be comprehended as “luminosity and energy,” the source of all light and power. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 170-71)

2-The Lord's manifestation of the Universal Form. (9-30) 

12. If the splendour of a thousand suns were ever to present itself at once in the sky, that would be like the splendour of that Mighty Being. 

18. Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being worthy to be known. Thou art the great Abode of this Universe; Thou art the undying Guardian of the Eternal Dharma, Thou art the ancient Purusha, I deem. 

20. This space betwixt heaven and earth and all the quarters are filled by Thee alone. Having seen this. Thy marvellous and awful form, the three worlds are trembling, O High-souled Being. Thee in Thy Universal Form. 

22. The Rudras, Adityas, Vasus, and Sadhyas, Visvas and Asvins, Maruts and Ushmapas, hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas, they are all looking at Thee, all quite astonished.

Arjuna's vision of the defeat of the enemy. (25-29) 

29. As moths hurriedly rush into a blazing lire for destruction, just so do these creatures also hurriedly rush into Thy mouths for destruction. 

30. Thou lickest up devouring all worlds on every side with Thy flaming mouths, filling the whole world with flames. Thy fierce rays are blazing forth, O Vishnu.

3- The Lord as World-Destroying Time (30-34) 

32. I am the mighty world-destroying Time, now engaged in destroying the worlds. Even without thee, none of the warriors arrayed in hostile armies shall live. 

“I am Time matured, come hither for the destruction of all these creatures.” “Time matured” means the completion of cycles; everything that begins in time, ends in time; every action has its own cycle or period of return, or re-action; it is action and actions that produce cycles, and these latter range from those of momentary duration to those of a “great age,” as they are produced by separate entities, classes of beings, or the collectivity of actions by all beings of every grade concerned in any particular stream of evolution. The general reference here is to the impermanence of all forms or combinations of them. Change is necessitated by progress, for without change there would be stagnation; hence the constant disintegration and re-integration of elements in ever changing relation and form, all brought about by the requirements of the Perceiver— the Real Man within—, who is the sole survivor through all changes. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 174-75)

33. Therefore do thou arise and obtain fame. Conquer the enemies and enjoy the unrivalled dominion. By Myself have they been already slain; be thou a mere instrument, O Savyasachin.

4- Arjuna's adoration of the Universal Form. (35-44) 

37. And how should they not, O Mighty Being, bow to Thee, Greater (than all else), the Primal Cause even of Brahma, O Infinite Being, O Lord of Gods, O Abode of the Universe ; Thou art the Imperishable, the Being and the non-Being, That which is the Supreme. 

Arjuna's prayer for the Lord's forgiveness. (41-44) 

41-42. Whatever was rashly said by me from carelessness or love, addressing Thee as " O Krishna, O Yadava, O friend," looking on Thee merely as a friend, ignorant of this Thy greatness,— in whatever way I may have insulted Thee for fun while at play, on bed, in an assembly, or at meals, when alone, O Achyuta, or in company— that I implore Thee, Immeasurable, to forgive.

Here in this ancient scripture is pictured the ‘fatal error made again and again by mankind in the failure to recognize a divine teacher when he appears among them in human guise. Buddha, Jesus, and many others before and after them, were treated by their contemporaries as ordinary human beings actuated by similar motives as the rest of mankind. They were opposed by the established interests, religious and otherwise, because the doctrines they taught were destructive of the hard and fast conclusions upon which those interests were founded; their speech and acts, although intended to instruct, enlighten, and benefit, were construed as violations of law and custom, and were frequently characterized as criminal in nature. Even among their immediate disciples, suspicion, doubt, jealousy, fear, resentment and self-interest were to be found, none of which could have had existence had the real nature of the teacher been understood. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 177-79)

5- The Lord resumes His usual form. (45-55) 

47. By Me, gracious to thee, O Arjuna, this Supreme Form has been shown,—by my sovereign power—full of splendour, the All, the Boundless, the Original Form of Mine, never before seen by any other than thyself.

54. But by undistracted devotion can I, of this Form, be known and seen in reality, and entered into, O harasser of thy foes.

Now the essential teaching of the whole Gita-Sastra which conduces to Highest Bliss will be summed up here, the teaching being such as every one should follow : 

55. He who does works for Me, who looks on Me as the Supreme, who is devoted to Me, who is free from attachment, who is without hatred for any being, he comes to Me, O Pandava. 

Shri Krishna asked, " Have you forgotten my instruction to first love the Cosmic form and then only come in person to meet my four-armed form? ". There are no worldly means of reaching my Cosmic form.  Remember that it can be found by only one means and that is by filling your mind with devotion. But that devotion must be like a river flowing towards sea and does not stop until it meets it. 

Thus the devotee must be ceaselessly devoted to me with all his feelings in order to reach me and become one with me. Real devotion is that which sees my presence everywhere right from a small ant onwards and in all living and non-living things. And when he sees thus, then he will experience my form and with that naturally see me. As soon as one experiences my form his ego is destroyed and duality vanishes. Then he realises the natural oneness between me, himself and the entire universe. 

What is more, by becoming one with me, he gets absorbed in Me. All actions of such a devotee are for my sake and there is nothing in this world he loves apart from Me. He considers Me alone as the fruits of his actions in this world and the next and considers Me as his goal in life. He forgets the word "creatures" because he sees me in everything and thus with an attitude of equality and without enmity he worships everything. Such a devotee, when he leaves his material body, reaches Me and remains unified with Me." (Dnyaneshwari; 11: 673-699, transl. M.R. Yardi)

In the closing portion of the chapter Krishna says: “I am not to be seen, even as I have shown myself to thee, by study of the Vedas (scriptures), nor by mortifications, nor alms giving, nor sacrifices. I am to be approached and seen and known in truth by means of that devotion which has me alone as the object.”

The following, written by one of the Teachers, may serve as an explanation of the foregoing paragraph. “Ishwara, the spirit in man, is untouched by any troubles, works, fruit of works, or desires, and when a firm position is assumed, with the end in view of reaching union with spirit through concentration, He (that spirit) comes to the aid of the lower self and raises it gradually to higher planes.” The “firm position” and concentration are one and the same; it means a lifetime’s devotion, an acting for and as the Self in all things. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 177-79)

Bhagavad Gita Summary: Chapter 10: Vibhutiyoga or The Yoga of Divine Manifestations

 Chapter 10: Vibhutiyoga or The Yoga of Divine Manifestations

This chapter explains the nature of the path of devotion to the all-encompassing divinity and the resplendent nature thereof as a prelude to the vision of the transcendent divine vision.

1- The Lord is the source of all manifestations. (1-6)

3. He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, as the great Lord of the worlds, he among mortals is undeluded, he is liberated from all sins. 

Though I am difficult to realise, he who gives up the worldly life with ease turning his back to the sense organs, and even though he were to lead a worldly life goes beyond the realm of the five elements by giving up the ego and the I-am-the-body attitude and by remaining steady in this condition of mind, sees my beginningless form in the light of Self-realisation and understands that I am the original power behind the universe is, among all men, a part of Me. Even though he may appear outwardly to be an ordinary person, he is not affected by gross things and his sins get automatically nullified. He who knows Me becomes freed of all desires. (Dnyaneshwari; 10:72-80, transl. M.R. Yardi)

4-5. Intelligence, wisdom, non-illusion, patience, truth, self-restraint, calmness, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear, and security ; innocence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, beneficence, fame, shame ; ( these ) different kinds of dispositions of beings arise from Me alone.

Intelligence (buddhi) is the power which the inner sense (antah-karana) has of understanding subtle objects of thought. He, indeed, is said to be intelligent who is possessed of this power. Wisdom is the knowledge of the Self and other such things. Non-illusion consists in acting with discrimination when any thing has to be done or known at the moment. Patience : not being agitated in mind when assaulted or abused. Truth : giving utterance to one's own actual experience of things, as heard or seen, with a view to impress it on the mind of another. Self-restraint: quieting the external senses. Calmness: the tranquillity of the inner sense or anta-karana. Innocence: not injuring living beings. Contentment : being satisfied with one's present acquisitions. Austerity: bodily torture accompanied with the restraint of the senses. Beneficence : sharing (one's own things) with others as far as one's own means may permit. Fame : due to dharma. Shame : due to adharma. All these different dispositions of living beings mentioned above, such as intelligence, arise from Me alone, the Lord (Isvara), according to their respective karma. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

2- Knowledge of the Lord's Glory conduces to Yoga. (7-11)

9. With their thought on Me, with their life absorbed in Me, instructing each other, and ever speaking of Me, they are content and delighted. 

I am in everything Therefore Arjuna, these aspects are my divine manifestations with which this universe is filled. Therefore from Brahmadeo down to an ant there is nothing in this universe which is not occupied by Me. One who understands this wakes up to the realisation and he is free from the thoughts of differences like big and small, good and bad. He who experiences through yoga that I, my divine manifestations and creatures showing these manifestations are all same, becomes without doubt one with Me. I surrender myself to the devotee who worships Me with the feeling of oneness with Me. Thus the Yoga of devotion with the realisation of oneness about which I told you before goes on uninterrupted. As I have explained in the sixth chapter, it is beneficial even if a seeker dies while leading his life with such devotion. Now I shall tell you the nature of the devotion with oneness with Me.

Arjuna, just as waves are generated in water, remain in water and are dissipated also in water so is the creation and sustenance of this universe done by Me. Just as the waves cannot occur without water there is nothing in this universe without Me. Those Self-realised persons who, knowing my all pervading nature are devoted to Me with true love, and remaining aware of the fact that place, time and the present are not different from Me, live happily in these three worlds while keeping their minds occupied with Me, considering every creature they meet to be the God. Such persons are the followers of the real Bhakti (devotion) path. (Dnyaneshwari; 10:104-118, transl. M.R. Yardi)

The Lord endows His devotees with wisdom. (10-11)

10. To these, ever devout, worshipping Me with love, I give that devotion of knowledge by which they come to Me.

11. Out of mere compassion for them, I, abiding in their self, destroy the darkness born of ignorance, by the luminous lamp of wisdom. 

Out of men compassion : out of mercy, anxious as to how they may attain bliss. I dwell in their anta-kharana which is engaged, in thinking exclusively of the Self and destroy the darkness of ignorance,—that illusory knowledge which is caused by the absence of discrimination,—by the lamp of wisdom, by the lamp of discriminatory knowledge, fed by the oil of pure Devotion (Bhakti-prasada), fanned by the wind of earnest meditation on Me, furnished with the wick of right intuition purified by the cultivation of piety, chastity and other virtues, held in the antah-karana which is completely detached from all worldly concerns, placed in the wind-sheltered enclosure of the mind which is withdrawn from the sense-objects and untainted by attachment and aversion, and shining with the light of right knowledge generated by incessant practice of concentration and meditation. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

3- The Lord's enumeration of His manifestations. (12-42)

Arjuna's question about the Lord's manifestations. (12-18)

15. Thou Thyself knowest Thyself as the Self, O Purusha Supreme, O Source of beings, O Lord of beings, O God of Gods, O Ruler of the world.

The Lord's enumeration of His manifestations. (19-42)

20. I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the heart of all beings; I am the beginning and the middle, as also the end, of all beings. 

39 I am what is the seed of all beings, that also am I. O Arjima. There is no being whether moving or unmoving;. that can exist without me. 

Divine Glory described in brief (41-42)

41. Whatever being is glorious, prosperous, or strong, that know thou to be a manifestation of a part of My Splendour. 

Arjuna had asked Krishna under what particular form should the Self be worshipped. Krishna’s reply was “under all forms”, that there is nothing in the universe, animate or inanimate, which is without the Self. The seeker for Truth and knowledge must see the One Self in all things, and all things in the Self, and then act for and as the Self of All. All sacred writings are addressed to the individual, for it is from within the individual, and the individual alone, that reformation can begin and must be consummated. The study and application of the Gita tends to break down all ideas based upon separateness, and impresses upon the student that the way of true knowledge of the divine perfections lies in universal service, without distinction of caste, creed, sex, color or race. “Self-Knowledge is of loving deeds the child” (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 169)

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras Summary: Book 1: On Samādhi

 

Book 1: On Samādhi

1- The Modifications of the Mind and the cessations thereof (1-16)

The planes of the mind are:-1-Wandering (Ksipta); 2-Forgetful (Mudha) ; 3-Occasionally steady or distracted (Viksipta) ; 4-One-pointed (Ekagra) ; and 5-Restrained (Niruddha). (1)

The mind is possessed of the three qualities: illumination, activity and inertia. (2)

The latent impressions (saṁskārāḥ) of that kind are brought about by the vṛttis or mental modifications --both Kliṣṭa and Akliṣṭa, and new mental modifications or vṛttis are produced by these latent impressions (saṁskāraiḥ). Thus, the wheel (cakram) of mental modifications (vṛtti) and latent impressions (saṁskāra) turns round and round incessantly. Therefore, a mind (cittam) of that kind --i.e. with that wheel revolving and revolving within it--abides in itself (ātma-kalpena) or becomes reabsorbed in its matrix or Prakṛti, where the three Guṇas are in equilibrium, when the function or operation of those Guṇas has been terminated or ended (5)

The five modificiations of the mind: 1- Correct knowledge (pramāṇa), perception (pratyakṣa), inference (anumāna) and testimony --āgama-- (āgamāḥ) are the Pramāṇas 2- false knowledge (viparyaya), 3- verbal knowledge about something that is nonexistent (vikalpa), 4- (deep) sleep (nidrā) and 5- recollection --smṛti-- (smṛtayaḥ)

Mental modifications are stopped by Abhyāsa --practice-- and Vairāgya –renunciation (lower and higher) (12)

Sthiti (is) a continuity of calmness and tranquility (praśāntavāhitā) in a mind devoid of vṛtti-s or fluctuations. Obtaining that (state of mental serenity) requires: 1-the effort (prayatnaḥ), 2-the energy (vīryam) (and) 3- the strength of resolution (utsāhaḥ) along with 4-a desire to accomplish (sampipādayiṣayā) that (goal) (13)

2- The three levels of samādhi and ninefold degrees of commitment (17-22) 

There are three levels of Samadhi: Samprajñātasamādhi, Asamprajñātasamādhi, Nirvījasamādhi, mild, middling, intense.

Samprajñātasamādhi (samprajñātaḥ) (is achieved) by means of (anugamāt) 1- Vitarka (Gross enjoyment), 2- Vicāra (Subtle Enjoyment), 3- Ānanda (Happiness, Bliss) and 4- Asmitā (Self-awareness)

Nirvījasamādhi  is preceded (pūrvakaḥ) by 1-  faith (śraddhā), 2- vigor (vīrya), 3- recollection (smṛti), 4- full concentration (samādhi) (and) 5- true knowledge (prajñā)

There are nine levels of yogis divided into mild, middling and intense energy based, further sub-divided into mild, middling and intense consciousness of supremacy (and further into Mild-intense, middling-intense and intense-intense).

3- Isvara and the Pranava (23-28)

An important means to abstract meditation is to meditate on Iswara, feeling the omnipresence of God and this is achieved by reciting Om, the Pranava mantra.

4- The nine obstacles on the yogic path and the eight means of their removal (29-39)

There are nine main obstacles to concentration: 1- disease (Vyahdhi) 2- languor (Santyana)  3- indecision (Samsaya)  4- carelessness (Pramada)  5- sloth (Alasya)  6- sensuality, want of non-attachment (Avirati)  7- mistaken notion (Bhranti)  8- missing the point, not being able to see a place which is just seen (Darsana-alabdhabhumikatva)  9- stability (Anavasthitatva)

Pain (Duhkha), dispair, dejection (Daurmanasya), shakiness (Angarnejayatva), inspiration(Svasa), and expiration (Prasvasah)  are the companions of these distractions. (32)

Eight meditation methods are given for preventing the obstacles: 1- concentration on a single principle 2- contemplating on the feelings of friendship (maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), sympathy in joy (muditā) or indifference --upekṣā 3- by exhalation and retention of Prāṇa 4- a higher perception relating to objects 5- a higher perception that is luminous and free from sorrow (viśokā) 6- contemplation on the mind belonging) to a sage who is free from passions 7- the support of the knowledges --in the form of words and/or images experienced in dreams 8- by meditating on whatsoever suitable

5- The four varieties of Samāpatti or Engrossment and objectless concentration (Nirvījasamādhi) (40-51)

There are four stages of object-oriented contemplation (seeded meditation) Savījasamādhi: 1- Savitarkā indistinct Engrossment, Union of knower and known, 2-  distinct Engrossment, Nirvitarkā Samāpatti  3- Savicārā Samāpatti, Subltle  and 4-Nirvicārā Samāpatti,  ultra-meditative.

The deep understanding or knowledge (prajñā) obtained in that state of Nirvicārasamādhi or Nirvicārā Samāpatti is called Ṛtambharā (48)

On the cessation of that --i.e. of the latent impression born of the aforesaid Prajñā—too, there is Nirvījasamādhi --or the perfect concentration which is objectless or "nirvīja", i.e. no object or "vīja" is utilized as a support for one's own mind to become one-pointed-- (nirvījaḥ samādhiḥ) through the suppression of all mental modifications or fluctuations (51) (See sutras 17-22)