In the sacred teachings, it is said that one should contemplate Shiva within the body, absorbing the divine presence directly and equally, until unity is attained and the essence that arises is realized. Those who are wise and established in this equal and direct absorption experience the bliss of Brahman. Here, concentration is measured in twelve stages, and meditation spans twelve such concentrations. Meditation, when practiced up to twelve stages, is known as samadhi. Yet, for the wise, this state may also arise simply through association with those who possess it. Alternatively, both through sustained effort and through grace, samadhi is attained—whether slowly or swiftly, O twice-born. But even after reaching this state, those dedicated to practice encounter renewed obstacles on the path of yoga. These obstacles, however, are destroyed by repeated practice and devotion to the teacher. The first obstacle to arise is laziness, followed by affliction from disease. Then come negligence, doubt, and instability of mind regarding the practice. Lack of faith, inability to perceive, confusion, and threefold suffering also appear. Dejection, unfitness for unsuitable things, and fitness for suitable things are among the challenges faced. In total, ten obstacles to yoga are described for the sage: laziness, inactivity, heaviness of body and mind; diseases from imbalance of bodily elements, actions, and faults; negligence, which is the absence of contemplation on the means to samadhi; doubt about the proper place for practice; and instability of mind, the inability of yogis to establish themselves firmly. Even after attaining a yogic state, the bondage of the mind may cause absence of faith and lack of steadiness in practice. When the mind is fixed on the teacher, knowledge, conduct, Shiva, or similar objects, false knowledge manifests as the perception of error. Mistaking the self for what is not the self, due to ignorance, brings inner suffering, just as suffering arises from external sources. There is also suffering from divine causes, which is considered the third type, and all three are natural. Disturbance of the mind is said to arise from obstruction of desire. Dejection must be restrained by supreme detachment, for dejection touched by darkness and passion is called durmanas. When this dejection arises in the mind, it is durmanas, leading to forced acceptance of things without discernment between what is suitable and what is not. Restlessness for various objects is another obstacle, and these are indeed the obstacles for yogis. However, for one endowed with utmost enthusiasm, they are destroyed without doubt. When these obstacles are overcome, the yogi advances further in practice. Afflictions may arise, all of which are signs of imperfection. The first accomplishment is intuition, the second is hearing. The third, O best of Brahmins, is information; the fourth is vision; the fifth is taste; and the sixth is sensation. True accomplishments for the sage are those that grant realization, not minor supernatural powers. These are intuitive insight, the arising of intuition, and the state called intuition. Discrimination is called intellect—the faculty by which the knowable is understood, whether it concerns subtle, hidden, past, distant, or future matters. Knowledge arises everywhere and always, following intuition. By hearing all words, the yogi understands them effortlessly. Even subtle distinctions of short, long, and protracted sounds, and other secret ones, are perceived, and with this comes the attainment of touch, which is called perception. By seeing divine forms, the yogi attains vision without effort; by awareness of divine taste, enjoyment arises effortlessly. Likewise, through awareness of intellect, yogis perceive the essence of divine fragrances throughout all worlds, up to Brahma's realm. Within this world and the body, sixty-fourfold qualities exist equally, arising from obstacles. These qualities are compounded and distributed among the realms. All that arises from obstacles must always be abandoned by the self: the demonic, the earthly, and the aquatic, as found in the cities of the Rākṣasas, O twice-born. In the Yakṣa realm, the fiery quality prevails; in the Gandharva realm, the airy; in Indra's realm, the ethereal; and in Soma's realm, the mental. In the Prajāpati realm, ego is present; in Brahma's realm, supreme knowledge. In the first, eight forms are found; in the second, sixteen; in the third, twenty-four; in the fourth, thirty-two; in the fifth, forty, composed of the elements. Scent, taste, form, sound, and touch are each established in eightfold ways; in the fifth, this is the accomplishment of Indra, the Lord of a hundred sacrifices. Thus, there are forty-eight, then fifty-six, and finally, the sixty-fourfold Brahmic quality is attained, O best of twice-born. All that arises from obstacles should be abandoned, even up to the world of Brahma. By observing the worlds through yoga, the knower of yoga attains supreme happiness. Grossness, shortness, childhood, old age, youth, and various forms—by four, the embodiment of the body is maintained. Without the earthly element, one is always fragrant and endowed with scent; this eightfold greatness is considered the supreme earthly power. Just as one dwells in water and emerges on land, so too, one who possesses the power of will can drink even the ocean at will, without distress. Wherever he wishes in this world, there he sees water; whatever object he desires to take and enjoy, he does so at will. The sustaining of the bodies of those three, endowed with their respective essences, is like holding a lump of water with the hand, without a vessel. The uninjured state of the body, combined with the earthly element, is called the sixteenfold supreme watery power. Thus, through contemplation, practice, and overcoming obstacles, the yogi advances, attaining powers and realizations, and ultimately reaches supreme happiness and unity with the divine essence.