Non-violent but severe austerities such as:

*restraint,
*religious observance,
* the appropriate posture of sitting,
*serenity of breath,
*withholding of the mind along with the physical organs,
*retention,
*meditation
and
* perfect absorption of thought in the Supreme Spirit,
are
indicated as the eightfold features of yog.

Meditation is just last but one stage to perfect absorption of thought in the Supreme Spirit. This can be reached after attaining all the six conditions prior to this as mentioned above.

The man, who has balanced his pran and apan, conquered his senses, mind and intellect, freed himself from desire, and fear and anger, perfected contemplative discipline, and taken refuge in salvation, is ever-liberated and achieves the stage of meditation.

That sage is liberated for ever through meditation who shuts out of his mind all objects of sensual pleasure, keeps his eyes centered between the two brows, regulates his pran and apan, conquers his senses, mind and intellect,
and whose mind is fixed on salvation.

Such Yogi crosses the six stages of eightfold features of yog and then reaches to the point of meditation which leads to perfect absorption of thought in the Supreme Spirit.

Bhagavad Gita sings:

“The yogi, who has purified his heart and mind through several births...by intense meditation and thus rid himself of all sins, attains to the ultimate state of realizing God.”

• Only an endeavour made over a number of lives effects this ultimate accomplishment.
• The yogi who practices diligent meditation is well rid of all kinds of impiety and then attains to the final beatitude. This is the way of attainment.
• Setting out on the path of yog with but a feeble effort and initiated into it when the mind is yet restless, he is admitted to the family of an accomplished teacher and, with the undertaking of meditation in life after life, he at last arrives at the point called salvation-the state in which
  the Soul is merged into God.
• Lord Krishn says that the seed of this yog is never annihilated. If we just take a couple of steps, the merits earned from them are never destroyed.
• A man of true faith can embark upon the ordained action in every circumstance of worldly life.

Whether one is a woman or a man, of whatever race or culture, if one is simply a human being, can achieve this stage.

As expounded by Swami Adgadanand Paramhans,
most revered Gurudev.

_/l\_
Humble Wishes!!!