Yoga Practice

Returning back again to the Yoga meditation we find that as samadhi advances, knowledge advances too; for the reason why our knowledge is imperfect is that the states of our knowledge are continually flowing and passing and there is no opportunity for us to go into the heart of things. As the concentration becomes deeper and more steady the real and perfect knowledge of things begins to flash before the mind's eye. Thus it is that as the plane of samadhi rises higher and higher, knowledge also becomes clearer and clearer, so that by the time the Yogin reaches the nirvicara stage the steady light of perfect knowledge burns, and this is the highest and the truest knowledge known as rtambhara prajna. Thus the prajna proceeding from samadhi differs from the knowledge that we derive from the scriptures and inference, as those are based upon concepts which only take notice of the general characteristics of things, and thus are only symbols which can never take us to the heart of reality. Perception also can take note only of gross things and is absolutely helpless with regard to the subtler essences of things. As the right knowledge of samadhi is gradually more and more sustained, the potencies of imperfect knowledge and ignorance of ordinary consciousness are superseded. These potencies being superseded, those states of consciousness cannot manifest themselves, and thus samadhi becomes strengthened and by the strengthening of samadhi, comes further prajna; new potencies of prajna come to be accumulated, and these bring in the prajna states, and thus further strengthen their potencies. Thus the potencies of ordinary consciousness being gradually rooted out, the Yogin remains in a new world of right knowledge or prajna consciousness. But it is the peculiarity of this prajna consciousness. that neither it nor its potencies serve to bind the purusha except by loosening the knots of avidya which gradually tend to disintegrate the citta and dissociate it from the purusha.

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