MOKSHA YOGAS

        The Yoga is of four kinds accrording to sivasamhita :-- First Mantra-Yoga, second Hatha-Yoga, third Laya-Yoga, fourth Raj-Yoga, which discards duality and the aspirants are of four orders:-- mild, moderate, ardent and the most ardent-- the best who can cross the ocean of the world.

 Men of small enterprise, oblivious, sickly and finding faults with the teachers; avaricious, sinful, gluttons, and attached helplessly to their wives; fickle, timid, diseased, not independent, and cruel; those whose characters are bad and who are weak - know all the above to be mild sadhaks. With great efforts such men succeed in twelve years. Them the teachers should know fit for Mantra-Yoga.

 Liberal-minded, merciful, desirous of virtue, sweet in their speech; who never go to extremes in any undertaking -- these are the middling. These are to be initiated by the teacher in Laya-Yoga.

 Steady minded, knowing the Laya-Yoga, independent, full of energy, magnanimous, full of sympathy, forgiving, truthful, courageous, full of faith, worshippers of the lotus-feet of their Gurus, engaged always in the practice of Yoga,-- know such men to be competent (adhimatra). They obtain success in the practice of Yoga within six years, and ought to be initiated in Hatha-Yoga and its branches.

 Those who have the largest amount of energy, are enterprising, engaging, heroic, who know the sastras, and are persevering, and not easily confused, who are in the prime of their youth, moderate in their diet, rulers of their senses, fearless, clean, skillful, charitable, a help to all; competent, firm, talented, contented, forgiving, good-natured, religious, and are the practitioners of every kind of Yoga --undoubtedly, they obtain success in three years; they are entitled to be initiated in all kinds of Yoga, without any hesitation.

 The invocation of his Pratika (shadow) gives to the devotee the objects seen as well as unseen; undoubtedly, by its very sight, a man becomes pure. In a clear sun-lit sky, behold with a steady gaze your own divine reflection; whenever this is seen even for a single second in the sky, you behold God at once in the sky. He who daily sees his shadow in the sky will get his years increased and will never die an accidental death. When the shadow is seen fully reflected in the field of the sky, then he obtains victory; and conquering the air (vayu), he goes everywhere. At the time of the rising sun, or by moon, let him steadily fix his gaze on the neck of the shadow he throws; then, after sometime, let him look into the sky; if he sees a full grey shadow in the sky, it is auspicious.  He who always practices this and knows the Paramatma, becomes fully happy, through the grace of his shadow. At the time of commencing travel, marriage, or auspicious work, or when in trouble, it is of great use. This invocation of the shadow destroys sins and increases virtue.

 By practicing it always, he begins at last to see it in his heart, and the persevering Yogi gets liberation. Let him close the ears with his thumbs, the eyes with index fingers, the nostrils with the middle fingers, and with the reaming four fingers let him press together the upper and lower lips. The Yogi, by having thus firmly confined the air, sees his soul in the shape of light. When one sees, without obstruction, this light for even a moment, becoming free from sin, he reaches the highest end. The Yogi, free from sin, and practicing this continually, forgets his physical, subtle and causal bodies, and becomes one with that soul.  He who practices this in secrecy, is absorbed in the Brahman, though he had been engaged in sinful works.