INTRODUCTION.

The importance of a practical Yogi A practitioner who has mastered the techniques of Yoga through experience rather than just theory. as a guide to a student of Yoga cannot be overestimated; and without such a teacher it is next to impossible for him to achieve anything. The methods followed by the founders of the system and followed ever afterwards by their followers, have been wisely and advisedly kept secret; and this is not without a deep meaning. Looking to the gravity of the subject and the practices which have a very close relation with the vital organs of the human body, it is of paramount importance that the instructions should be received by students of ordinary capacity, through a practical teacher only, in order to avoid any possibility of mistake in practice. Speaking broadly, all men are not equally fitted to receive the instructions on equal terms. Man inherits on birth his mental and physical capitals, according to his actions in past births, and has to increase them by manipulation, but there are, even among such, different grades. Hence, one cannot become a Yogi in one incarnation One single lifetime in the cycle of rebirth., as says Śri Kriṣṇa "At the end of many births, the man of knowledge attains Me" original: "बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान्मां प्रपद्यते" (Bhagavad Gita 7.19). This suggests that spiritual perfection is the culmination of efforts spanning many lifetimes.; and again "Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection; even among those who strive and are successful, only one, perhaps, knows Me in essence. —Gita" original: "मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये। यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः॥ गीता॥" From the Bhagavad Gita (7.3), highlighting the rarity of true spiritual realization..

There are men who, impelled by the force of their actions of previous births, go headlong and accomplish their liberation in a single attempt; but others have to earn it in their successive births. If the student belongs to one of such souls and being earnest, desires from his heart to get rid of the pains of birth and death, he will find the means too. It is well-known that a true Yogi is above temptations and so to think that he keeps his knowledge secret for selling it to the highest bidder is simply absurd. Yoga is meant for the good of all creatures, and a true Yogi is always desirous of benefitting as many men as possible. But he is not to throw away this precious treasure indiscriminately. He carefully chooses its recipients, and when he finds a true and earnest student, who will not trifle with this knowledge, he never hesitates in placing his valuable treasure at the disposal of the man. What is essential in him is that he should have a real thirst for such knowledge—a thirst which will make him restless till satisfied; the thirst that will make him blind to the world and its enjoyments. He should be, in short, fired with desire for liberation original: "मुमुक्षुत्व" (Mumukshutva). This is the intense longing for final spiritual emancipation from the cycle of rebirth. or desire for emancipation. To such a one, there is nothing dearer than the accomplishment of this object. A true lover will risk his very life to gain union with his beloved like Tulasidâs A famous 16th-century poet-saint known for his extreme devotion. The text uses him as an analogy for the intensity a student must feel for spiritual truth.. A true lover will see everywhere, in every direction, in every tree and leaf, in every blade of grass his own beloved. The whole of the world, with all its beauties, is a dreary waste in his eyes, without his beloved. And he will court death, fall into