Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book III

The text defines attention (dharana) as binding the perceiving consciousness to a region, then meditation (dhyana) as prolonged holding of that consciousness, then contemplation (samadhi) as consciousness wholly given to the object and freed from separateness. Exercised together, these three constitute perfectly concentrated Meditation (sanyama). Mastering it brings the illumination of perception. This power is said to be distributed in ascending degrees, attained step by step. The threefold power is called more interior than earlier means of growth, yet still exterior to the unconditioned soul vision. The text then describes the development of Control: excitation of the mind, then Control from within, then perception following. Through repetition an equable flow of consciousness arises. Conquest of the mind's flitting and the power of one-pointedness make the development of Contemplation, attained when controlled tendency and one-pointedness are balanced. Through this power the inherent character, distinctive marks, and conditions of beings and powers are made clear. Every object has past, present, and future characteristics; difference in stage causes difference in development. Meditation on the three stages yields knowledge of past and future. Meditation on the distinction of sound, object, and thought yields understanding of the sounds of all beings. Visible mind-impressions yield understanding of previous births. Meditation on mind-images yields understanding of others' thoughts, though not that on which they rest. Meditation on the body's form yields invisibility. Meditation on works (Karma) yields knowledge of the time of the end; on sympathy, compassion, and kindness, interior union; on power, the power of the elephant. The awakened inner light reveals subtle, concealed, or obscure things. Meditation on the sun yields knowledge of the worlds; on the moon, the lunar mansions; on the pole-star, the motions of the stars; on the lower trunk, the order of bodily powers; on the throat, the cessation of hunger and thirst.

Meditation on the "tortoise-formed" channel yields steadfastness, tied to the center of fear below the throat. Meditation on the light in the head brings the vision of the Masters who have attained. The divining power of intuition brings knowledge of all things. Meditation on the heart brings knowledge of consciousness. The text distinguishes the personal self, which seeks to feast on life, from the spiritual man; meditation on experience for the sake of the Self brings knowledge of the spiritual man. Thereupon are born the intuition, hearing, touch, vision, taste, and smell of the spiritual man. These powers stand in contradistinction to the highest spiritual vision and are called magical. Weakening the causes of bondage transfers consciousness to the other body. Mastery of the upward-life brings freedom from water, morass, and thorny places, and the power of ascension. Mastery of the binding-life brings radiance. Meditation on the correlation of hearing and ether brings spiritual hearing; meditation on the body's correlation with ether, thinking it light as thistle-down, brings power to traverse the ether. When consciousness reaches beyond the body, the veil concealing the light is worn away. Meditation on the five forms of the elements brings mastery over them, followed by the atomic and other powers—eight are listed—and an unassailable body endowed with shapeliness, beauty, force, and the temper of the diamond. Meditation on the fivefold forms of the powers of perception and action brings mastery over them, then power swift as thought and mastery over matter. When disentangled from the psychic body, the spiritual man attains mastery and knowledge of all. Absence of self-indulgence brings pure spiritual being; allurement and pride in the realms must be overcome. Meditation on the divisions of time brings discernment-born wisdom, which distinguishes like things and is starlike, discerning simultaneously. When vesture and spiritual man are alike pure, perfect spiritual life is attained.