Hear now the sacred lineage of those whose very essence is sound, and the hosts of inner lords, named in summary: Vaivasvata, Ṛkāra, Manu, Krishna, and Sureśvara. Among these, let me speak to you of the seventh—those yogis who have appeared throughout the cycles of time, in past kalpas and in those yet to come. At present, in the seventh interval, Varaha is to be known, along with the yogic incarnations of the Lord and the lineages of his devoted disciples. If one observes the passage of ages and the succession of yogis, in the first cycle there was Shveta; in the age of Kali, Rudra; then Sutara, and Madana as well. Suhotra and Kaṅkaṇa followed, as did Lokākṣi, O best of sages; Jaigīṣavya of great brilliance, and the blessed Dadhivāhana. Ṛṣabha, the wise sage, came next, along with Ugra, Atri, and Subālaka; Gautama, revered by all the gods, stood among them. Vedaśīrṣa, Gokarṇa, the cave-dweller and bearer of the crest; Jaṭāmālī, Ṭṭahāsa, Dāruka, and Lāṅgalī—all these were noble yogis. The great-bodied sage Śūlī, Daṇḍī, and Muṇḍīśvara himself; Sahiṣṇu, Somaśarmā, and Nakulīśa, who is known as the teacher of the world, are remembered in this line. In the interval of Vaivasvata, the incarnations of the Supreme Soul as teachers of yoga have been rightly spoken, each upholding good vows through all cycles. In Dvapara, Vyasa and the foremost sages appeared, and in that age, four imperishable disciples of the lords of yoga were present. Among these were Shveta, Shvetaśikhaṇḍī, Shvetāśva, and Shvetalohita; Dundubhi, Shatarūpa, Ṛcīka, and Ketumāṃ. Viśoka, Vikeśa, Vipāśa the destroyer of sin; Sumukha, Durmukha, Durdama, and Duratikrama followed. Then came Sanaka, Sananda, Prabhu, and Sanātana; Ṛbhu, Sanatkumāra, Sudhāmā, and Viraja. There were also Śaṅkhapād, Vairaja, Megha, Sārasvata, Suvāhana the foremost sage, and Meghavāha of great splendor. Kapila, Asuri, Pañcaśikha, and Vālkala the great yogi, righteous and full of energy, are recalled. Parāśara, Garga, Bhārgava, and Āṅgirasa; Balabandhu, Nirāmitra, Ketuśṛṅga, and Tapodhana—all these are honored. He is also known as Lambodara, Lamba, Lambākṣa, Lambakeśaka; all-knowing, even-minded, Sādhya, and Sarva. Sudhāmā, Kāśyapa, Vāsiṣṭha, Virajā, Atri, Devasada, Śravaṇa, Śraviṣṭhaka, Kuṇi, Kuṇibāhu, Kuśarīra, and Kunetraka are all remembered in this tradition. Kaśyapa, Uśanā, Cyavana, Bṛhaspati, Utathya, Vāmadeva the great yogi, and the mighty one were among the wise. Vācaśravā, Sudhīka, Śyāvāśva, the lord of ascetics, Hiraṇyanābha, Kauśalya, Logākṣi, and Kuthumi as well are counted among the sages. Sumantu, the wise Barbarī, Kabandha, Kuśikaṃdhara, Plakṣa, Dālbhyāyaṇi, Ketumān, and Gopana, too, are included. Bhallāvī, Madhupiṅga, Śvetaketu the treasure of austerity, Uśika, Bṛhadaśva, Devala, and the poet are honored among them. Śālihotra, Agniveśa, Yuvanāśva, Śaradvasu, Chagala, Kuṇḍakarṇa, Kumbha, and Pravāhaka are remembered in this noble tradition. Ulūka, Vidyuta, Maṇḍūka, Āśvalāyana, Akṣapāda, Kumāra, Ulūka, and Vatsa as well have preserved the teachings. Kuśika, Garbha, Mitra, and Kauruṣya are among the noble disciples of all yogic traditions. Pure and firmly established in Brahman, devoted to the path of knowledge and yoga, these accomplished Pāśupatas are covered in sacred ash. Their disciples and grand-disciples, by the hundreds and thousands, having attained Pāśupata yoga, are established in the realm of Rudra. From the gods down to piśācas, all beings are known as paśus, for Bhava is their lord and thus called Paśupati. This yoga, known as Pāśupata, was established by Rudra, the lord of beings, for the attainment of both the highest and the lowest powers. Now, let me briefly explain the seats of yoga as established by Śiva himself for the welfare of the worlds. That which lies a span below the throat and above the navel is the highest seat of yoga; below the navel is the lower seat, and at the center of the brows is the middle seat. The accomplishment of all knowledge for the self is called yoga; by his grace, one always attains one-pointedness. The true nature of grace, self-experienced, O best of twice-born, cannot be described even by Brahmā and the other gods; it arises gradually in people. By the word ‘yoga’ is meant the supreme state of Maheśa, called nirvāṇa; its cause is the seer’s knowledge, and that knowledge comes by his grace. One should burn away sin through knowledge, always restraining the senses from their objects; from the restraint of sense activities, yoga perfection will arise. Yoga is the restraint of the mind’s activities, O best of twice-born, and its means for attainment are described as eightfold. Yama is declared as the first, niyama as the second; the third is posture, and then comes breath control as the fourth. Withdrawal is the fifth, concentration the sixth, meditation the seventh, and absorption is remembered as the eighth. Austerity and restraint are called yama; non-harming is the first cause of yama, O best of those who practice restraint. Truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possessiveness are also the roots of niyama; indeed, yama is its foundation, without doubt. Thus is the sacred tradition of yoga and its noble lineages, as established and blessed by the Lord himself, for the welfare and liberation of all beings.