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## Appendix
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Appendix
The Essence of Icchaya Yoga, Shastra Yoga and Sama Yoga
A truly aspiring soul, a selfless being, on the path to liberation, touches upon three stages: Icchaya Yoga, Shastra Yoga and Sama Yoga, in succession, before attaining liberation. To understand the essence of these stages, let's use a simple analogy.
Imagine a traveler, representing the soul, lost in a terrifying forest, representing the world. First, he desperately wants to escape this forest, to attain liberation. He searches and searches, and finally, he finds a knowledgeable guide, a Sadguru. He learns from the guide and develops faith. Thus, he starts walking on the path of liberation, guided by knowledge and faith. However, he sometimes makes mistakes. This is the stage of Icchaya Yoga, where he progresses on the path of liberation.
During this journey, the guide, representing the scriptures, remains with him. Following the guide's instructions, he gains complete and unwavering knowledge of the scriptures. With the help of the scriptures, he sees the path clearly and progresses with faith, to the best of his ability, without making mistakes.
Eventually, he crosses the terrifying forest and reaches a beautiful highway, a straight path. The destination of liberation appears like a beacon in the distance. Now, the guide, the scriptures, are no longer needed to guide him. He leaves the guide behind, but continues to follow the general instructions. With his own self-power, he progresses with great enthusiasm and speed, this is the stage of Sama Yoga.
With the light of knowledge, he sees the path clearly and overcomes the obstacles, the negative tendencies, with his own self-power. He climbs the ladder of liberation, crossing the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th stages with great speed, and reaches the 13th stage. He attains Keval Jnana, the perfect knowledge, and directly sees the true nature of reality. The city of liberation appears before him. He feels he has reached his destination! He then enjoys the fruits of his knowledge for some time (according to his lifespan) and shares his knowledge with others, benefiting the world. When his lifespan comes to an end, he renounces the body, speech, and mind, and enters the city of liberation through a magnificent door, like a mountain peak, a state of complete detachment. He becomes a Siddha Purusha, a liberated soul, and dwells in eternal bliss, in infinite samadhi, for an infinite period.
## The Essence of the Eight Stages of Consciousness
Friend, Tara, Mala, Diya, Sthira, Kanta, Prabha, Para - these are the eight stages of consciousness, each representing a higher level of self-awareness. They represent increasing levels of light, like a spark, a flame, a fire, etc.