Understand, then, that the practice known as śūnyaka prāṇāyāma must be performed in its proper, established form. For if it is not, truly, one is beset by great and terrifying diseases. But when it is followed rightly, a person is freed from all sins and attains the abode of Brahman. Once the senses have been gathered and restrained, this is called pratyāhāra—the withdrawal of the senses. Those who master this discipline journey to the supreme Brahman, that highest realm from which there is no return. But know that if the mind is clouded by delusion, then meditation cannot succeed for such a person. Withdrawing the senses and holding them steady is called dhāraṇā, or concentration. Upon this foundation, one should meditate on the supreme Self—the unfailing sustainer of all the elements—whose eyes are like blossoming lotus petals, adorned with beautiful earrings, clad in yellow garments, divine, and wearing a golden sacred thread. Upon his chest shines the mark of Śrīvatsa, and he is honored by both gods and demons. Yet, beyond all forms, one should also meditate on the Self as unmanifest, supreme beyond the supreme, and all-pervading. Even a moment’s true meditation upon this reality grants the highest liberation. Through such meditation, Hari—the Lord—becomes pleased, and through unwavering concentration, all purposes are fulfilled. When the soul is satisfied by this meditation, Hari himself grants liberation. Eventually, in the depth of this practice, meditation, the object of meditation, and the meditator’s own sense of self all dissolve into unity. Through uninterrupted meditation, the realization of non-difference arises, and when the yogi becomes steady and still, like a lamp sheltered from the wind, that state is called samādhi. In this state, the yogi neither smells, touches, nor speaks anything, O noble one. Freed from all limitations, he shines unwavering, his consciousness steady. When ignorance is destroyed, reality appears as it always was—established and undistorted. In that moment, pure Brahman reveals itself to the wise, present within all beings as the inner ruler. The foremost among the knowers perceive that which is supreme beyond the supreme, the most pure. This ancient, primeval Person is celebrated as the Sound-Brahman: blissful, pure, peaceful, and called the Supreme Brahman. He is changeless, unborn, and ever pure. For those scorched by the heat of worldly existence, this realization is like a shower of nectar. It is of the nature of sound, incomparable, and established above even the half-syllable. The syllable 'ma' is of the form of Rudra; the half-syllable is of the nature of the Supreme. O wise one, their conjunction brings about the realization of the Supreme Brahman. The relation of the signifier and the signified, O twice-born, is figurative in both, but by joining with the practice, the supreme liberation is attained. One should meditate within oneself on a radiance as pure as ten million suns. Whatever removes sin, that alone should be contemplated in the heart. Knowing this, the lord of yogis attains the highest liberation, and freed from all sins, he reaches the same world as Hari. Then, a seeker approaches and says: “Now, O all-knowing one, whatever I ask, let that be revealed to me. He with whom the Lord of all is pleased—his devotion is eternal. Tell me of this, O all-knowing sage, O ocean of compassion.