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Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā He Kevalam... Mallyā Dīnī Sukandherī Madhav Dhyāne Vipto Sare Paśpanim Bhojarādam Pradigayādan This is a spiritual lecture about Yoga in the Indian tradition. The practice begins with the body, with the physical postures known as Āsana. This is the foundation. But if one remains only in Āsana, it is merely physical exercise. The true purpose is to go inward. From Āsana, one must proceed to Prāṇāyāma, the regulation of the vital breath. This steadies the mind. Then comes Pratyāhāra, the withdrawal of the senses from their external objects. The mind, now collected, is fit for Dhāraṇā, concentration. When concentration becomes unbroken, it is Dhyāna, meditation. Yet, even deep meditation has an object. There is still a meditator and the meditated upon. The final stage is Samādhi, where this duality dissolves. In Samādhi, the knower, the knowing, and the known become one. This is Turīya, the fourth state of consciousness, beyond waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. But what is the ultimate goal? It is to realize that which is beyond even Turīya. The scriptures point to Turīyātīta, that which transcends the fourth. This is not a state to be attained; it is our very essence, the Chetan Puruṣa, the Conscious Principle. It is the Ātmā, the Self, which is Sat-Chit-Ānanda—Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss absolute. All practices—Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Dhyāna—are merely the boat to cross the river. Once you reach the other shore, you do not carry the boat on your head. You leave it behind. Similarly, all techniques are ultimately to be transcended to abide in your own true nature, which is peace, which is freedom, which is the Self.