Page 453 - Complete Works of Dr. KCV Volume 1

the place of God, though this man may be the self-styled or really worthy Guru.
If Yoga means the linking of oneself with the Ultimate Reality then, the idea-force, which moves the individual towards union with the Infinite Ultimate should be of the subtlest order and divine. This is not by personal mental effort, or persistent repetition, which simulates remembrance of mantras or the worship of yantras and mudras and so on which form such a large part of ritualism that this union or yoga could be got. It is by the conscious acceptance of the Divine as the only goal of man and one's life, and being one's being. Surrender, of all other goals to this one Goal is the sine qua non or necessity for this inflow of Divine Prana or life-breath. If earlier yogas had stressed on the control of mental modifications by individual effort the more ancient method was to bring about the condition of union with the Ultimate by linking up one's breath or life-force which is more than our breath with the Divine Life-force by the Divine Himself, or through those who had attained this union with the Ultimate earlier by His Grace. Pranahuti is the principle of yoga or divine uniting Idea-Force which the preceptor or the Guru does and thus from the very beginning establishes the seeker in yoga. It is through Yoga that one grows in Yoga and evolves into the perfection of the Yoga. At no time does one get the feeling of being separated from the Divine presence and life force once having been introduced into this yogic condition. Not that some have not turned away from this union, which is subtle and spiritual, and because of its not being appealing to the sense-organs and motor-organs as other methods do, but that does not in any way lead to the attainment of real Union. It has been stated that there are three stages in the Yoga-the gain of salokyata, samipyata, sarupyata the gain of vision of the Ultimate the nearness to the Ultimate, the form of the Ultimate-but all these are gained through Union- Yoga of Pranahuti by the Divine. The final condition of being eternally one with that Ultimate Being is Sayujyata, then does one unite oneself with all even as the Ultimate does with one and all. Surely not through karma, not through jnana not even through mere devotion but by means of integral surrender which links one with the Ultimate does one get this condition by the descent of the Divine Prana itself which gives up itself to the individual for his emancipation and beatitude and irreducible peace.