The Stages of Yoga:-

WHEN a person first begins to practice Yoga, he is able to stabilize his mind on God for some seconds while, during other moments, his thoughts are scattered in all directions and towards many objects. There are some practicants who are able to control and calm down their mind in a trice and they bring it to focus on God without much efforts whereas others take time to do it but, in either case, the efforts are quite rewarding. When the mind is stabilised on God even for a split second, it brings so much inner peace and such an ecstasic taste to the mind that it is drawn again and again towards God so as to have more such experience. Even though the moments of concentration be few and short, this practice is at least an attempt to control the mind and to subdue it and bring it to a point, which in itself is a great thing and of great use even in the worldly life. So, one should not get frustrated or become ill-at ease with one-self if, during the initial attempts, one notices in one’s self the inability to control the mind for a couple of minutes at a stretch. For, even the idea of taking the mind to God is golden and rewarding in itself; millions of people are poorer in their minds because of the lack of this idea in them.

Meditation: Concentration:-

In this second stage, one is easily able to switch on one’s mind to God, as one would switch on the light. One only thinks of God with the deep emotion that He is the most beloved Guide and Friend and Mother-Father, and one’s mind goes in that direction, and only a very small fraction of one’s thoughts fritters away. One begins to feel ecstasy and becomes intoxicated with the divine love and bliss. However, the full blaze of yoga has yet to be lit. That would be the third stage, called ‘Concentration.’

Realisation:-

In this stage, a man finds light, peace, bliss and might, descend- ing on him and spreading through him into the world. It is such a wonderful experience that one feels that all the treasures of the world fade into insignificance in the face of this attainment. At this stage. love, peace and bliss do not remain merely stale and feelingless dic- tionary words, but one takes a dip into their essence, or one is drenched in them. These penetrate through one’s very being so deeply that their effect lasts over long periods even after this period of intense meditation is over.