The next day he asked about .
M.: according to is:
This is . This vichāra brings about the desired result.
For one not so advanced as to engage in it, some meditation brings about suspension of breath and the mind ceases to be restless. Control of mind spontaneously effects control of breath; rather (spontaneous retention of breath, without attention to inhalation or exhalation) results.
For one unable to do this also, regulation of breath is prescribed for making the mind quiescent. Quiescence lasts only so long as the breath is controlled. So it is transient. The goal is clearly not . It extends on to pratyāhāra, dhārana, and . Those stages deal with the control of mind. Such control becomes easier for the man who had earlier practised prānāyāma. Prānāyāma leads him to the higher stages involving control of mind. Therefore control of mind is the aim of yoga also.
A more advanced man will naturally go direct to control of mind without wasting his time in practising control of breath. A simple development of alone may confer which so many hanker for.
When asked if there are any food restrictions, Śrī Bhagavān said: “Mita hita bhuk”—agreeable food in moderate quantity. When asked about the efficacy of , Śrī Bhagavān said: So long as there is vibhakti, there must be bhakti. So long as there is viyoga, there must be . So long as there is duality, there must be God and devotee. Similarly also in . So long as there is vichāra, there is duality too. But merging into the Source, there is unity only. So it is with bhakti too. Realising the God of devotion, there will be unity only. God too is thought of in and by the Self. So God is identical with the Self. If one is told to have bhakti for God and he does so straightaway, it is all right. But there is another kind of man who turns round and says, “There are two, I and God. Before knowing the far-off God, let me know the more immediate and intimate ‘I’.” For him the vichāra-mārga has to be taught. There is in fact no difference between bhakti and vichāra.