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ACTIVITY AND ITS CONTROL
171 scious of his defects. He is seriously as well as sincerely anxious to break the bondage of karmic shackles.
The third stage is called balā. It is, evidently, possessed of more distinct enlightenment. The inclination for the realisation of spiritual emancipation, at this stage, is more strong. It is particularly the stage of the control of various postures. It exactly corresponds to the āsana stage of Yoga.
One gets control over breath at the fourth stage of self-discipline called dīprä. It consists in regulating inhalation, retention, and exhalation of breath. The person belonging to this stage attaches more importance to spiritual realisation than to life. On arising a conflict between his duty and life, he readily gives up his life for the sake of his duty. He believes that it is the fruit of good or evil activity alone that accompanies death. Everything else is perished with this physical body. These four stages are unsteady and fallible as has already been mentioned. The following four stages are not of this nature. They are not affected by fallibility and unsteadiness. We now come to them.
The fifth stage is called sthiră meaning thereby steady. One possessing this stage of self-discipline is capable of deep and subtle thinking. He also possesses auspicious conduct. His senses are withdrawn from their respective objects. He attaches no importance to external objects. For him, they are nothing more than a game of children.
At the sixth stage called kāntā the individual concentrates his mind on spiritual investigations. His personality at this stage is so developed that it attracts others, although none can attract him. He has love for all creatures irrespective of any preference to any one.
At the seventh stage known as prabhā the individual develops self-meditation. He is always possessed of peace of mind. His faculty of right discrimination is fully developed. For him, self-dependence is the greatest happiness and other-dependence is the greatest misery.
Now, we come to the last stage of spiritual realisation known as parā meaning thereby the highest. The individual now attains ecstasy. His activities are pure and perfect. He gradually annihilates all the obscuring (ghātin) karmas and attains omniscience. The
