There are seven stages by which the spiritual seeker rises progressively. The first stage is Subhechha or the good intention to pursue the right path of knowledge.
The second is Vicharana or a rational investigation into the ways of acquiring knowledge.
The third is Tanumanasi or the attenuation of the mind due to the subtlety attained by the practice of meditation. These three stages constitute the condition of Sadhana or spiritual seeking.
The fourth stage is Sattvapatti or the realisation of spiritual equilibrium on account of the attainment of the highest mental purity.
Thefifth is Asamsakti or non-attachment to and non-contact with externality or objectivity of any kind due to the vision of universality.
The sixth is Padartha-Abhavana or the nonperception of materiality or individuality due to the realisation of the Divine Existence.
The seventh is Turiya or the ultimate state of the experience of the Absolute. The last four stages constitute the condition of realisation or perfection.
Turiya is also called Jivanmukti, wherein established, one has the experience of Supreme Perfection, even though one is residing in the body for the time being due to the operation of Prarabdha-karma. When the Prarabdha is exhausted, the body drops, and the Jivanmukta becomes a Videhamukta or liberated beyond the body. One who is liberated while yet living is indeed the greatest soul on earth (Mahatma). His actions are universal (Mahakarta), his enjoyments are universal (Mahabhokta), and his renunciation, too, is universal (Mahatyagi).
The Yoga-Vasishtha is not a book to be read by the beginner. It is regarded as a text meant for the perfected ones or Siddhas and not for the seekers or Sadhakas. The method of teaching employed in the Yoga-Vasishtha is in answer to the needs of the human mind. Generally, the doctrine is stated in the beginning, and is illustrated by a story which instils the philosophy into the mind, effectively.
Swami Krishnanand
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