Chapter 33 - A Discourse on Yoga

[Full title: A Discourse on Yoga (yoganirupaṇa)]

Nārada said:

1-2. Whatever has been asked by me has been recounted by you of scholarly attainments. A great many miseries of those who are bound by the noose of Saṃsāra (worldly existence) [saṃsāra-pāśa-baddha] also have been described by you). Who is remembered as the person who severs (chedaka) the noose of worldly existence (saṃsāra-pāśa)? O sage, rich in penance, kindly enlighten me in the means whereby liberation from Saṃsāra is achieved.^[1]

3. O excellent sage, series of actions are being performed by living beings every day and are enjoyed also. How can they (Karmas) be destroyed?

4. The embodied soul takes up the body as a result of his Karman; he is bound by lust. As a result of lust he is overwhelmed by avarice and avarice makes him prone to anger.

5. Due to anger, Dharma perishes and the destruction of Dharma leads to misapprehension. A man of confused intellect commits sin again.

6. Hence, the body has its root in sins. It is always engaged in sinful activities. Narrate to me how one attains liberation after eschewing the misconception about the body.

Sanaka said:

7. Well done, O highly intelligent one, well done. Your mind is noble and free of impurities, since you desire to know from us the means of liberation from the misery of worldly existence.

8. O strict observer of religious vows, indeed, it is only that Deity who is the bestower of salvation—the deity at whose behest Brahmā creates the entire universe; Hari protects it anḍ Rudra annihilates it.

9. Know Viṣṇu^[2] to be the bestower of salvation. He is Nārāyaṇa free from ailments. Thanks to his prowess, are born the principles beginning with Ahaṃkāra (the Ego) and ending with Viśeṣa (particularities).

10. All this (visible universe) consisting of the mobile and immobile, is not different from him. One is liberated from misery of saṃsāra by meditating on the mighty Lord, devoid of old age.

11. Verily they call him the Liberator (lit. the means of liberation from Saṃsāra), one above modifications and aberrations, who is unborn, the purest, the self-luminous, the unsullied embodiment of perfect knowledge and of eternal bliss.

12. The groups of deities the first of whom is Brahmā, worship the incarnations and manifestations of that lord. Know him to be Hari the bestower of the eternal abode.

13. Those who have conquered their Prāṇas (vital breaths), those who have controlled their diet, those who are always absorbed in meditation, see him in their hearts. Know him to be the Reality that accords happiness.

14. Though he is devoid of attributes, he is the receptacle of good qualities; he assumes the forms that bless the worlds. He is perfect and is stationed in the middle of the firmament They call him the bestower of salvation unto men.

15. He is the presiding deity and the observer of all activities; he is enthroned in the heart of the embodied soul; he is simply incomparable; he is the support of all. With such a Lord, one should seek refuge.

16. At the end of the Kalpa, he withdraws everything anḍ lies down on the cosmic water. Sages, the perceivers of the truth, call Viṣṇu, the bestower of salvation.

17. The Karmajñas (the knowers of the path of Karmans), who know the meanings of the Vedic passages, worship him through various kinds of sacrifices. He alone is the bestower of the fruits of holy rites to them and salvation to those who perform holy rites without desire of their fruits.

18. They call him the lord, the bestower of salvation—the lord who is unmanifest and who partakes of oblations (offered in sacrificial fire) by assuming the forms of deities anḍ the oblation of food and other offerings to the manes by assuming the forms of Pitṛs (ancestors).^[3]

19. One should worship that merciful Lord who on being meditated upon, or bowed to or worshipped with devotion, bestows the permanent abode (Mokṣa).

20. That immutable Hari, the Supreme Person, the only support of all beings, one free from old age and death, is the bestower of liberation from Saṃsāra.

21. O leading sage, after worshipping his lotus-like feet, the embodied souls immediately attain to immortality (i.e. Mokṣa). They know him to be the Supreme Person.

22. The Brahman is bliss.^[4] He is the greatest splendour, devoid of old age. He is eternal, greater than the greatest. That is the highest region of Viṣṇu.

23. They know him to be one without a second, devoid of attributes, non-dual and matchless, eternal, incomparable and perfect embodiment of knowledge. He is the deity who enables one to achieve salvation.

24. The Yogin who always worships this Supreme entity of such a nature, through the rites of the Yogic path (yogamārga-vidhānatas), attains the greatest region.

25. The Yogin who has eschewed all contacts and associations, who is endowed with Śama (self-control) and other good qualities and who is devoid of lust and similar bad qualities attains the highest region.

Nārada said:

26. By what holy rite is the achievement of the Yoga attained by the Yogins? O sage the most excellent among the eloquent ones, tell me precisely the means for the same.

Sanaka said:

27. Those who ponder over the meanings of principles (or the Reality) say that the greatest salvation is attainable through perfect knowledge. This perfect knowledge has its root in devotion. Similarly this devotion is engendered in those persons who perform holy rites.

28. Devotion to Hari is generated in that person by whom, in the course of thousands of births, charitable gifts, different kinds of sacrifices and pilgrimages, etc. have been performed.

29. The highest and inexhaustible Dharma is produced even through the slightest of devotion and, piety. All sins perish through the deepest faith.

30. When all the sins are quelled, the intellect becomes free from impurities. That same intellect is declared by wise sages by the word Jñāna (knowledge).

31. They say that knowledge bestows salvation. It is the Yogins who acquire that knowledge. Yoga is said to be of two kinds, differentiated by holy rites and by perfect knowledge.

32. The Jñāna Yoga (path of knowledge) cannot be accomplished without the Kriyā Yoga (path of holy rites). Hence, one who is engaged in the Kriyā Yoga should worship Hari with deep faith.

33. With devotion the following idols of Keśava are to be worshipped; the idols termed as Dvija (Brāhmaṇa), Bhūmi (Earth), Agni (fire), Sūrya (Sun), Ambu (Water) Dhātu (metals or the essential ingredients of body), Hṛt (the heart) and Citra (Picture).

34. Hence, becoming completely averse to (i.e. abstaining absolutely from) inflicting pain on others in thought, word and deed, one, endowed with devotion, should worship Lord Viṣṇu who pervades everything.

35. The following good qualities are common to both types of Yogas—viz. nonviolence, truthfulness, absence of anger, celibacy, non-acceptance of gifts (and non-possession of property), absence of jealousy and mercifulness.

36. Firmly determining mentally that “the eternal Viṣṇu is identical with the universe consisting of the mobile and immobile beings”, one shall practise the two types of Yogas.

37. The learned men who consider all living beings their own Ātman realise the supreme nature of the discus-bearing lord of Devas (viz. Viṣṇu).

38. If a person whose soul is defiled by fury, etc. becomes devoted to worship and meditation, Viṣṇu is not pleased with him, since he is the lord of Dharma.

39. If a person whose soul is defiled by lust, etc. becomes devoted to worship, he should be known as a hypocrite. He is on a par with all sinners.

40. If a person full of envy and jealousy becomes absorbed in austerities, worship and meditation, his austerities, worship and meditation—everything is futile.

41. Hence, a man, eagerly engaged in practising the good qualities of Śama (self-control), etc. and who is absorbed in Kriyā-Yoga^[5] should duly worship Viṣṇu who is the Soul of all (and is one with them), for the purpose of liberation (from Saṃsāra).

42. If a person interested in the welfare of all worlds, mentally, verbally and physically, devoutly worships the lord of Devas, it is called Kriyā Yoga.

43. The person who eulogises through hymns, etc. Lord Nārāyaṇa, the source of the origin of the universe, Viṣṇu, Hari, the immanent soul of everyone, through hymns, etc., he is called, a Karma Yogin.

44. The worship of Viṣṇu through flowers, etc., by means of observance of fasts, etc. as well as listening to Purāṇas (and other forms of devotion), etc., is declared as Kriyā Yoga.

45. All the sins accumulated in the course of previous births of those who are ḍevotionally attached to Viṣṇu and whose minds are absorbed in Kriyā Yoga, perish completely.

46. One whose intellect is purified through the destruction of sins, desires the excellent knowledge. Perfect knowledge should be known as the bestower of salvation. I shall narrate to you the means thereof.

47. In the company of saintly persons who are adepts in the interpretation of scriptural texts, the intelligent man shall deeply ponder over what is permanent and what is non-permanent in the world consisting of the mobile and immobile beings.

48. All the sense objects are evanescent. Only Hari is eternal. One should eschew the non-eternal objects and resort only to the eternal one (viz. Hari).

49. He should also be unattached to the pleasures of this as well as of the other world. He who is not detached becomes involved in the cycle of worlḍy existence.

50. Never can he be severed from the bond of worldly existence,—the man who is passionately attached to non-eternal objects.

51. Only he who is richly endowed with self-control and other good qualities and who is desirous of liberation can practise knowledge. One who is wanting in self-control never realizes the spiritual knowledge.

52. He who is devoid of lust and hatred, is richly endowed with self-control and is perpetually absorbed in the meditation on Hari, is called a Mumukṣu (one who is desirous of liberation).

53. One who possesses these four means is called a man of pure intellect. One who is absorbed in the feelings of compassion towards all living beings should ponder over Viṣṇu. who is omnipresent.

54. O Brāhmaṇas if any one realises this that Nārāyaṇa abides pervading the universe consisting of the perishable and the imperishable, they say, it is the knowledge arising from Yoga.

55. Henceforth, I shall recount the means for the acquisition of Yoga, the means that makes this metempsychosis, recede. The knowledge that is pure is Yoga. The wise know that this knowledge is the bestower of salvation.

56. They say that the Ātman is two-fold as differentiated as the Para (Higher) and the Apara (lower). The Atharva Veda says—“Two Brahmans are to be known”^[6]

57. That which is devoid of attributes (Nirguṇa) is spoken, of as Para. The Apara is that which is combined with the Ahaṃkāra (Ego). The realization of their non-ḍifference is called Yoga.

58. That which is stationed in the heart as Sākṣin (the witness) in the body constituted by the five elements, is called Apara while the Supreme Ātman is remembered as Para by the saintly people.

59. The body is called Kṣetra (field) that which is stationed therein is called Kṣetrajña) (The individual soul). He is said to be unmanifest, Supreme, pure and perfect.

60. O excellent sage, when the non-ḍifference between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul is realised, the bonds of the Aparātman (the lower i.e. the individual soul) are-snapped.

61. The Paramātman (the Supreme Soul) who is pure, imperishable, eternal and identical with the universe appears like one differentiated, in view of the difference of perception, among men.

62. That which is the greatest and eternal Brahman is-the only one without a second (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.2.1) O-Brāhmaṇa, it is thus sung about by the Vedāntic passages. There is nothing greater than that.

63. That attributeless great Ātman has no function or rite to perform. It has neither form nor colour. It is neither an agent nor an enjoyer.

64. That which is the cause of all causes, that splendour which is greater than every other brilliance, that without which, nothing exists, should be known for the sake of salvation.

65. O Brāhmaṇa, that which is Śabda Brahman (Brahman in the form of sound) is the Mahā Vākya^[7] etc. (the great statements such as tat tvam asi ‘That Thou art’. The perfect knowledge arising out of meditating over the same great statement is the greatest means of salvation.

66. O Brāhmaṇa, the universe appears to be of diverse kinds to those who are devoid of perfect knowledge. To those endowed with the supreme (spiritual) knowledge, it is one with the greatest Brahman.

67. The only greatest bliss, the attributeless one, the greater than the greatest, the unchanging one, appears to be assuming many forms due to difference iṇ perception.

68. O excellent one among the Brāhmaṇas, people perceive difference in the Paramātman due to the Māyā of the wielder of the Māyā. Hence a Mumukṣu (one desirous of liberation) should eschew the Māyā through the Yogic power.

69. The Māyā is neither of the form of the non-existence nor of that of the existence nor is it of the form of both. Hence it should be understood as being unspecifiable. It gives (creates) the idea of difference,

70. O excellent sage, it is the Māyā alone that is understood by the word Ajñāna^[8] (ignorance). Hence, only those who have conquered Māyā can have the riddance from Ajñāna. (Only they can get rid of it).

71. The greatest eternal Brahman is denoted by the word Jñāna (the spiritual knowledge). Indeed the greatest Ātman shines continuously ṃ the hearts of those endowed with Jñāna.

72. O excellent sage, the Yogin must destroy ignorance through Yoga. The Yoga is achieved through eight ancillaries. I shall mention them factually.

73-74. O leading sage, O excellent sage, the ancillaries (aids) of Yoga are these: viz.: Yamas (Restraints), Niyamas (observances), Āsanas (physical postures), Prāṇāyāma (control of breath), Pratyāhāra (withdrawal) of senses, Dhāraṇā (fixed attention—Retention), Dhyāna (meditation and Samādhi (Trance).^[9] I shall succinctly relate the characteristics of these in order, O excellent sage.

75. The Yamas (Restraints) are in brief the following: Ahiṃsā (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacarya (celibacy), Aparigraha (non-acceptance of monetary gifts), Akrodha (absence of fury) and Anasūyā (absence of jealousy).^[10]

76. Abstention from inflicting pain on all living beings is called Ahiṃsā (Non-Violence) by good men. It is the bestower of Yogic achievements.

77. O excellent sage, statement of the actual fact after discriminating between Dharma (righteousness) and Adharma (unrighteousness), they call Satya (truth). Now listen to Asteya (non-stealing).

78. Taking away the wealth of others through force or stealth is called Steya (stealth) by good men. The opposite of the same is non-stealing (Asteya).

79. Eschewal of sexual intercourse in regard to everyone is glorified as Brahmacarya (celibacy). Due to the abandonment of celibacy, even a person endowed with knowledge, becomes a sinner.

80. He who professes to be one refraining from intimate contact with all, but continues to indulge in sexual intercourse, should be known as one on a par with a Cāṇḍāla. He is excommunicated from all castes.

81. O Brāhmaṇa, if anyone engaged in the practice of Yoga harbours a craving for sensuous objects, other men are affected by the sin of Brahmahatyā (Brāhmaṇa-slaughter) even by talking to him.

82. If a person who eschews all intimate contacts resumes the contacts once again, one attains the defect of a great sin (Mahāpāpa) even by means of contact with those who touch them.

83. O leading sage, non-acceptance of moneys even in emergencies, is called Aparigraha. It leads to the achievement of Yogic power.

84. If as a result of one’s own superior position one indulges in harsh speech, knowers of Dharma call it Krodha (fury). Akrodha is its opposite.

85. Severe heart-burn and mental agony that one suffers, on seeing others superior to him in wealth, etc. is called Asūyā (jealousy) by good men. Its abandonment is Anasūyatā (absence of jealousy).

86. O Nārada, the most excellent among enlightened ones, the Yamas (Restraints) have thus been succinctly recounted. I shall narrate, Niyamas (observances) also to you. Listen.

87. Austerities, self-study (of Vedas), contentment, purity (cleanliness), worship of Hari and the offering of Sandhyā prayers—these are mentioned as main observances (Niyamas).^[11]

88. Where the body is ḍesicateḍ through Cāndrāyaṇa and other (expiatory rites), it is called Tapas (Austerity) by good men. It is an excellent means of Yoga.

89-90. The Japa (prayerful repetitions) of Praṇava, the Upaniṣad passages, the twelve-syllabled or eight-syllabled Mantras (viz. oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya / oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya and the Japa (repeated recitation) of the collections of great statements (Mahāvākyas such as tat tvam asi, etc.) is called Svādhyāya (self-study). It is an excellent means of Yoga. The foolish one who abandons Svādhyāya does not achieve Yogic power..

91. Even without the (other ancillaries of) Yoga, men’s sins are quelled through Svādhyāya. On being propitiated through Svādhyāyas, the deities become delighted.

92. Japa (Prayerful repetition) is said to be of three types: Vācika (verbal and voluble), Upāṃśu (indistinct or mumbling) and Mānasa (mental). O leading Brāhmaṇa, the later ones in these three types are better than the earlier ones.

93. If the Mantra is uttered well making the syllables anḍ words clearly articulated, the Japa is called Vācika (Verbal). It bestows the benefits of all Yajñas.

94. When the Mantra is uttered, if the words are only slightly distinct from one another, that Japa is said to be Upāṃśu. It is twice more beneficial than the previous one.

95. If the respective meanings of the series of syllables, (in the Mantra) are pondered over, that Japa is said to be Mānasa (mental). It bestows all Yogic achievements.

96. The deity becomes delighted with one who eulogises, continuously through Japa. Hence, one who is richly endowed with the practice of Svādhyāya realises all his desires.

97. Satisfaction with obtaining what comes spontaneously is called Santoṣa (contentment). A disgruntled man does not get pleasure anywhere.

98. Never does lust subside by the enjoyment of the pleasures of lust.^[12] The lustful desire “When will I get more than this?” ever goes on increasing.

99. Hence, one should leave off lust that causes the desiccation and dissipation of the body. One should be contented with the effortless spontaneous acquisitions and be absorbed in Dharma.

100. Cleanliness is of two types as differentiated by its external and internal applications. The external cleanliness is through clay and water. The internal cleanliness is emotional purity.

101. O leading sage, the different kinds of sacrifices performed by those who are devoid of internal purity, do not bear fruit like the sacrificial oblation poured on ashes.

102. All the rites of those who are devoid of emotional purity are futile. Hence, one should eschew passionate attachment and similar emotions and be happy.

103. A man whose soul is defiled is one similar to a Cāṇḍāla, though be might have externally washed himself with ten million potful of water and thousands of Bhāras (1 Bhāra = 20 Tulas or 2000 Palas) of clay.

104. If a person devoid of internal purity becomes engaged in the worship of a deity, he vitiates that deity and falls into a hell.

105. He who is devoid of internal purity but strives for external cleanliness does not attain calmness like an embellished liquor pot (which remains impure internally).

106. Holy centres do not sanctify those who perform pilgrimages without mental purity, just as the river cannot purify the liquor pot.

107. If a person mentally yearns for a sinful thing even as he expatiates on righteousness, O excellent sage, know him to be the most villainous among the great sinners.

108. If those persons whose minds are pure perform only their excellent duties, know that the benefit thereof is imperishable and pleasure-bestowing.

109. If devotion to Hari is stabilised by means of worships, eulogies and listening (to Purāṇas, etc.) mencally, verbally and physically, it is called the real Haripūjā (worship of Hari).

110. The Yamas and the Niyamas have been taught succinctly. They (the knowers) know that salvation is within the reach of those whose minds are purified by means of those (observances).

111. One who has conquered his sense-organs and stabilised his intellect through the observance of Yamas and Niyamas should begin the practice of Āsanas (postures) duly. It is an excellent means of achieving Yoga.

112-115. The Āsanas (postures) mentioned by leading sages are thirty in number.^[13] They are—Padmaka, Svastika, Pīṭha, Saiṃha, Kaukkuṭa, Kauñjara, Kaurma, Vajrāsana, Vārāha, Mṛga, Cailika, Krauñca, Nālika, Sarvatobhadra, Vārṣabha, Nāga, Mātsya, Vaiyāghra, Ardhacandraka, Daṇḍavāta, Śaila, Śvabhra, Maudgara, Mākara, Traipatha, Kāṣṭha, Sthāṇu, Vaikarṇika, Bhauma and Vīrāsana. These are instrumental to the achievement for Yoga.

116. The follower of Yoga with full faith and devotion to his spiritual preceptor should bind (fully stabilise himself) in one of these postures and transcending the dvandvas^[14] (opposite pairs like pleasure and pain) and eschewing jealousy (from his mind) should attain control over his vital breaths.

117. He should sit facing the east, north or the west. He should control the vital breaths by means of practice in a quiet place unfrequented by people.

118. Prāṇa is the wind stationed within the body. Its Āyāma means restraint. Thus Prāṇāyāma means breath control. It is of two types.

119. Out of the Agarbha and the Sagarbha types of breath-control the latter is the better of the two. The Agarbha is the curbing of the breath without Japa and meditation while in the Sagarbha control of breath, we have them (i.e. Japa and Dhyāna) both.

120. The restraint of breath has been mentioned by learned men to be of four kinds: Recaka (exhalation of air), Pūraka (inhalation of air), Kumbhaka (retention of the inhaled air), and Śūnyaka (a breathless stage) (see below 124-126).

121. The tubular organ or artery (the channel of the vital air) on the right hand side of the creatures is mentioned as Piṅgalā. The sun is its deity. It is well known as the source of the origin of the Pitṛs.

122. The artery or the channel of the vital air well known as the source of the origin of Devas is on (flows through) the left (nostril). It is the vein called Iḍā. O excellent sage, know that the moon is its presiding deity.

123. In the middle of these two is the vein Suṣumnā. It is very subtle and the most mysterious one. It should be known as having Brahman for its deity.

124. The breath should be expelled through the left nostril. Recana means exhaling and hence this is called Recaka. The intake of breath must be through the right nostril. Pūraṇa means filling up. Hence this is called Pūraka.

125. One restrains the wind that fills the body and does not exhale it. He stands like a pitcher filled with water. Hence, it is well known as Kumbhaka.

126. If there is neither inhalation nor exhalation of the external or the internal wind, know that to be the Prāṇāyāma of the name of Śūryaka. There is a perfect standstill.

127. The vital breaths are to be conquered slowly, like lordly elephants in their rut that have to be tamed slowly. Otherwise, terribly great ailments are bound to effect.

128. The Yogin devoid of sins shall make use of the wind gradually. He should be liberated from all sins. He shall attain the region of the Brahman.

129. O leading sage, if one withdraws the sense-organs involved in the sensuous objects and restrain them, it is called Pratyāhāra^[15] (withdrawal of senses).

130. O Brāhmaṇa, noble-souled men though devoid of meditation, but who have conquered their sense organs attain the greatest Brahman from which it is difficult to return.

131. If anyone tries to get absorbed in meditation before completely conquering the sense-organs, know him to be stupefied in mind. Even his meditation cannot be successfully accomplished.

132. Whatever he sees he sees to be like his self within his Ātman. The retention of the withdrawn sense-organs is Dhāraṇā.

133. One who has conquered the groups of sense-organs by means of Yoga shall completely withdraw them from the field of operation. He should then deeply meditate in the heart on the Supreme Ātman, Acyuta, the creator and supporter of all.^[16]

134-137. In the lotus of the heart that extends to twelve Aṅgulas and that has eight petals, he should meditate on lord Viṣṇu, the embodiment of entire universe, the sole cause of all worlds, His eyes resembling the petals of the blooming lotus;—Lord Viṣṇu who is bedecked with charming earrings, whose arms are long, limbs elegant; who is embellished with all ornaments; who wears yellow robes, and a golden sacred thread, Tulasī garlands; who shines with the Kaustubha jewel; who bears the Śrīvatsa mark on his chest; who is bowed to by Devas and Asuras; who is the unmanifest Ātman and the lord greater than the greatest.

138. It has been stated by saintly men that Dhyāna (meditation) is perception with attention^[17] and concentration. By performing meditation even for a Muhūrta, a man attains the highest salvation.

139. Siṅs perish, thanks to meditation, one attains liberation (from Saṃsāra) due to meditation; Hari becomes pleased through meditation; all objects are realised through meditation.

140. With great concentration one should meditate on every form of Mahāviṣṇu. Delighted with that meditation, Hari shall indeed bestow salvation.

141. O excellent one, one should make the mind steady in the object of meditation so that the state of being the meditator, the object of meditation, and the act of meditation every thing ceases to be completely.

142. Then immortality is achieved by resorting to the nectar of knowledge. The nondifference is realised by continuous meditation.

143. If the devotee (who meditates) feels the greatest bliss as in sleep, if all his sense organs become subdued, if he stands steady like the flame of the lamp in a place devoid of wind in motion, it is called Samādhi (trance).

144. O excellent one, in the state of Samādhi (trance) the Yogin neither hears nor sees, neither smells nor touches nor does he utter anything.

145. The Ātman is free of impurities, it is pure; it is Existence, Knowledge and Bliss incarnate. It is devoid of all conditioning factors; it appears steady to Yogins.

146. The Supreme Lord, though devoid of attributes, appears, due to ignorance, to be endowed with attributes. He appears steady and attributeless as before, when ignorance disappears.

147. The immeasurable Ātman, that supreme brilliance appears to be deflected by Māyā to those affected by Māyā.

O scholar, when the Māyā (illusion) is destroyed, the Brahman free from impurities shines resplendent.

148. It is one without a second; is the Supreme unsullied light. It is abiding in all living beings as the immanent soul.

149. He is minuter than the minutest atom;^[18] he is greater than the greatest being; he is the eternal Ātman; he is the cause of the entire universe; those who are the most excellent among the possessors of perfect knowledge observe him who is greater than the greatest and very pure.

150. That primordial beginningless ancient Puruṣa is sung about as the Śabdabrahman comprised within the letters of the alphabet beginning with ‘A’ and ending with ‘Kṣa’.

151. It is sung about as the greatest Brahman that is extremely pure, imperishable, eternal, perfect, situated in the middle of the firmament, and as the bliss devoid of impurities and quiescent.

152. The Yogins perceive the eternal Supreme Ātman in their hearts. It is changless, unborn, pure and is sung about as the greatest Brahman.

153. O excellent sage, listen. I shall narrate in details another type of meditation. It is as though like a shower of nectar to the men scorched by the distress of worldly existence.

154. One should contemplate upon Nārāyaṇa, the greatest Bliss stationed in the Praṇaua Oṃ in the form of Nāda (the spiritual sound) incomparable and as situated over half the Mātrā.

155. The syllable ‘A’ is the form of Brahmā; the letter ‘U’ is the form of Viṣṇu; the letter ‘M’ is the form of Rudra and half the Mātrā is of the greatest Ātman.^[19]

156. O Brāhmaṇa, three Mātrās (of Oṃ) are mentioned as having Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva as their deities. Their collective form indicates the greatest Brahman.

157. The Supreme Brahman is the Vācya (that which is to be expressed), the Praṇava is called the Vācaka (the expression). O Brāhmaṇa, their relation as Vācya and Vācaka is a formality.

158. Those who continuously perform the Japa of Praṇava are liberated from all sins. Those who have its constant practice, attain the greatest salvation.

159. Performing the Japa of the Praṇava Mantra of the form of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, one shall meditate on a pure brilliance like that of ten million suns in the Ātman.

160. Or one should ponder over any holy object that quells sins—such as the Śālagrāma stone or an idol.

161. O leading sage, what has been mentioned to you is the perfect knowledge pertaining to Viṣṇu. On knowing this, the prominent Yogin attains excellent salvation.

162. He who listens to this or reads it with concentration shall be freed from all sins. He shall attain the Sālokya (having the same world) with Hari.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

After the terrible description of Saṃsāra, Nārada naturally asks Sanaka the way out of this terrific cycle of births and deaths. It is on the background of the last chapter that this Vaiṣṇava-Jñāna is explained by Sanaka. Though the heading of the chapter is ‘A discourse on Yoga’, the Yoga path of Patañjali finds a secondary place here. It is a synthesis of spiritual knowledge, Bhakti & Karma. Yoga is the means of realization of the identity between the individual soul and the Supreme soul. It is this realization which relieves a person from Saṃsāra.

[2]:

Here Viṣṇu is identified with the Brahman and Hari the protector of the Universe only as one of the dieties in the Trinity along with gods Brahmā and Śiva, and is thus regarded on a lower level (vide V.8 above). All the epithets in verses 8-23 describe Viṣṇu as being the Para Brahman and as such a bestower of Mokṣa.

[3]:

Havya is the oblation or offering (generally poured in the sacrificial fire) to gods while Kavya is the oblation of food to the deceased ancestors. But it is Lord Viṣṇu who is the real recipient of both these offerings.

[4]:

Verses 22.23 echo the Upaniṣadic epithets of the Brahman, vide Tait.Up. 3.6.1, Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4.4,25, etc.

[5]:

Verses 41-44 emphasize that devotion to and worship of Viṣṇu is the Kriyā-Yoga and it absolves one of all accumulated sins.

[6]:

This refers to the Maitrāyaṇī Up. and not to the Maitrī Upaniṣad as given in Jacob’s Concordance.

But the Maitrāyaṇī 6.22 states that Śabda and Para are two Brahmans and one who is expert in Śabda brahman attains to Para Brahman:

dve brahmaṇī veditavye śabda-brahma paraṃ ca yat /
śabda-brahmaṇi niṣṇātaḥ paraṃ brahmādhigacchati //—VI-22.

But the Nārada Purāṇa (verses 57-60) states that apara brahma is that which is combined with ahaṃkāra (ego) i.e. it is the individual soul or Kṣetrajña and NOT Śabdabrahman as stated in the Maitrāyaṇī above.

[7]:

Mahāvākya literally means ‘a sentence conveying great import’ (mahad = mahadartha—prakāśakaṃ vākyam). And the term is used according to the main interest of the user. Thus to Viśvanātha (in the Sāhitya-darpaṇa) it connotes ‘any long continuous composition or literary work.’

The Nārada Purāṇa, however, implies the 12 sacred utterances of the Upaniṣads, e.g.

tat-tvam-asi (Chāndogya Upaniṣad VI.8.7) and
aham brahmāsmi (Br.Up. 1.4.10)
satyaṃ jñānam anantam brahma (Tai-Up. II-l, 1) and others.

[8]:

In translating this term I emended the text of the Nārada Purāṇa as—māyaivajñā-naśabdena by māyaivājñāna-sabdena, etc. The Venkat press text of the Nārada Purāṇa is obviously wrong and a probable misprint as can be seen from its context. Nārada Purāṇa chapter 33 and Brn. chapter 31 are textually identical.

And Brn. 31.71 reads:

māyaivājñāna-śabdena śabdyate muni-sattama /

Hence the validity of my emendation. The textual identity between Nārada Purāṇa Part I and Brn. is too well known to need daboration here.

[9]:

vide YS.II.29.

[10]:

YS.II.30 gives only five Yamas to which the NR adds two more, viz, akrodha (absence of anger) and anasūyā (non-jealousy).

[11]:

Cf.—śauca-santoṣa-tapaḥ-svādhyāyeśvara-praṇidhānāni niyamāḥ,—YS. II.32. The Nārada Purāṇa adds here ‘performance of Sandhyā prayers’ as a niyama.

[12]:

An echo of king Yayāti’s famous words of repentance:

na jātu kāmaḥ kāmānām upabhogena śāmyati /
haviṣā kṛṣṇa-vartmeva bhūya evābhivardhate //—Mahābhārata-Ādi. 85.12

[13]:

The bodily postures mentioned here are described (sometimes under different names) in hand books on yogic practice like the Yoga-pradīpikā and others and as such their description here is superfluous. It is interesting to note that Vyāsa in his com. on YS. II.46 recommends most of these.

[14]:

Cf. YS.II.48 which states that as a result of mastering the postures, he is unassailed by extremes (like heat and cold).

[15]:

Cf. YS.II.54: “The wiṃdrawal of the senses is, as it were, the imitation of the mind-stuff itself on the part of the organs, by disjoining themselves from their objects.”

As the Commentator Vyāsa explains: “When there is no conjunction with their own objects, the organs in imitation of the mind-stuff, as it is in itself, become as it were restricted.”

[16]:

Verses 133-137 describe what form of god Viṣṇu should be the object of meditation.

[17]:

Cf. YS. III.2.—tatra pratyayaikatānatā dhyānam /

[18]:

Cf. Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.20, Śvet. 3.20, Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad 8.3.

[19]:

The identity of the trinity of gods (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva) with the three mātrās of Om has been a popular concept in later Upaniṣads like the Nṛsiṃhottara-Tāpanīya and in Purāṇas.