Listen, O noble one, to the sacred path that leads to liberation. True knowledge alone is the key to release from bondage, and I shall reveal to you the means by which it is attained. A wise person must reflect deeply, engaging in thoughtful discussion with learned souls who understand the essence of the scriptures. By turning away from all that is impermanent and seeking shelter only in what is eternal, the seeker finds the right direction. However, one who remains attached to worldly things continues to wander in the cycle of birth and death, never finding release from this endless turning. Without the qualities of tranquility and similar virtues, knowledge does not bear fruit. But one who is ever devoted to meditating upon Hari, the Supreme Lord, is truly a seeker of liberation. Such a person contemplates Viṣṇu as pervading all existence and cultivates compassion for all living beings. O brāhmaṇa, know that one who perceives in this way possesses knowledge born of yoga—a knowledge that is pure and liberating. Indeed, yoga itself is pure knowledge, and such knowledge is known to bestow liberation. The Atharvan scriptures proclaim that there are two forms of Brahman to be known. The realization that these two are not different is called yoga. The wise speak of one as the lower, and the other as the higher, which is the Supreme Self. This Supreme is described as unmanifest, utterly pure, and completely full. At the moment of this realization, O best of sages, the bonds of separate individuality are cut away. Among people, differences of understanding give rise to the appearance of division, but as declared in the Vedānta, there is truly nothing higher than this. The Supreme Self, being without qualities, is neither doer nor enjoyer. Since nothing else exists apart from That, all that is to be known for the sake of liberation is That alone. The knowledge arising from such inquiry is the supreme means to liberation. For those of the highest understanding, this is the very nature of the Supreme Brahman. Yet, due to differences in perception, the imperishable appears in many forms. Therefore, O best of the twice-born, the seeker of liberation should abandon māyā through yoga. Māyā is to be known as indescribable, for it gives rise to the notion of difference. Thus, those free from illusion should strive to destroy ignorance. For the wise, the Supreme Self shines ceaselessly within the heart. Yoga, the path to this realization, is accomplished through eight limbs, which I will now explain to you. These limbs are: prāṇāyāma (regulation of breath), pratyāhāra (withdrawal of the senses), dhāraṇā (concentration), and dhyāna (meditation). Hear now, O lord of sages, their characteristics in brief. Yamas, the restraints, are non-anger and absence of envy. Non-violence, praised by the virtuous, is said to bring success in yoga. Truthfulness is extolled, and the opposite of non-stealing must be understood: the wise declare that taking what belongs to another is theft, and not stealing is its opposite. Even a learned man becomes sinful if he abandons celibacy; such a one is to be regarded as an outcaste, excluded from all social classes. Merely conversing with such a person is considered as grave a sin as killing a Brahmin, and those who associate with his associates also incur great sin. Non-acceptance of gifts, known as aparigraha, is a discipline that leads to perfection in yoga. The knowers of dharma declare anger to be a vice, and its opposite—a calm spirit—to be a virtue. Likewise, the wise describe envy as a fault, and its abandonment as non-envy. Thus, O seeker, is the path of knowledge and yoga, leading to the highest liberation.