Argument:—The three stages of the seekers of Liberation, and the three others of the Liberated.
MANU continued:—Enlightenment of the understanding by the study of the sástras and attendance on holy and wise men, is said to be the first stage of yoga by yogis. (These seven stages have been spoken of before in other words in the Utpatti-prakarana).
2. Discussion and reconsideration of what has been learnt before, is second stage of yoga; the third is the rumination of the same in one's self and is known under the name of nididhyásana or self-communion of meditation. The fourth is silent meditation in which one loses his desires and darkness in his presence before the light of God. (This is called the atmásakshyat kara also; and all these four stages are expressed in the vedic text. [Sanskrit: átmáváre svítavá mantabá nididhyásitava karttavasveti]).
3. The fifth stage is one of pure consciousness and felicity, wherein the living-liberated-devotee remains in his partly waking and partly sleeping state. (This is half hypnotism).
4. The sixth stage in one's consciousness of ineffable bliss, in which he is absorbed in a state of trance or sound sleep. (This is known as samádhi or hypnotism).
5. One's resting in the fourth and succeeding stages, is called his liberation, and then the seventh stage is the state of an even and transparent light, in which the devotee loses his self consciousness.
6. The state above turya or fourth stage, is called nirvána or extinction in God; and the seventh stage of perfection relates to disembodied souls only and not to those of living beings.
7. The first three stages relate to the waking state of man, and the fourth stage concerns the sleeping state, in which the world appears in the manner of a dream.
8. The fifth stage is the stage of sound sleep, in which the soul is drowned in deep felicity; and the unconsciousness of one's self in the sixth stage, is also called his turya or fourth state: (because it is beyond the three states of waking, sleeping or dreaming and sound sleep [Sanskrit: jagatnidrasusuptáh]).
9. The seventh stage is still above the turya state of self-unconsciousness; and which is full of divine effulgence, whose excellence no words can express nor the mind can conceive.