From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 8

"After the vibration has pierced the last knot
[the agna chakra], the forehead's center [of consciousness], it rises to the divine place. With this the

fourth stage sets in, where one hears the sound of the flute and the vina"

Let us stop analyzing. Our experience does not suffice to understand the meaning of the sound of the
flute of Krishna, or the vina of the divine messenger, Narada. Those who have experienced this high
state have become teachers from whose lips flowed the Vedas, the Eddas, the Avestas, the Sermon of
the Mount, the Koran. The sounds now grow ever more subtle, yet more powerful. They are sounds
that proclaim the Eternal Wisdom of God, the power of Ultimate Truth undisturbed and unimpeded
by the word. Nothing is understood, everything known. The gates of the Kingdom of Heaven fly
open, the eternal light is manifest) the music of the spheres rings out.

"When the mind becomes unified, this is raja yoga. The yogi, now master of creation and
destruction, becomes one with God. −−Whether or not you call it liberation, here is eternal bliss. The
bliss of dissolution [laya] is obtained only through raja yoga. −−There are many who are merely
hatha yogins, without the knowledge of raja yoga. They are simple practicers who will never reap
the [real] fruits of their efforts. I believe that concentration on the space between the eyebrows is
the best way to reach samadhi in a short time. For those of small intellect this is the easiest means to
attain to raja yoga."

The state of dissolution [laya] arising from the [inner sound] nada creates this spontaneous
experience. −−[All] yogis who have reached the state of samadhi through this concentration on nada
have experienced a bliss in their hearts that surpasses all description and can be known only by a
god. −−The silent ascetic, having closed his ears, listens [attentively] to the sound in his heart until
he attains the state of oneness with all [samadhi]. −−The power of inner sound gradually surpasses
the external sounds. Thus the yogi can overcome the weakness of the mind and reach his goal in 15
days.
The power of the internal sound, its meaning as an audible designation of our personality, is a
thousand times stronger than the logical combination of the sounds of letters which has really no
meaning at all. The pronouncing of the name−word is purely inner sound.
Now the mantra is that name which is the common property of both the jivatman and the
paramatman (the self and the Self).
At first it is separateness that impinges upon our ears. There is still an I and a Thou, the one who
perceives and the one who is perceived: the dynamic mind is active. In the inner sense, however, all
separative tendencies, all sound−conditioned differentiations cease according to the degree of their
inner refinement, i.e. the degree to which they sink and become one with the static mind. The mantra
becomes the true name.
At the beginning of an acquaintance a name only tells us who the person is. Later on it stands for the
sum total of what the person is, what we have experienced with that person. The name then does not
merely speak of the "Thou," but equally of the "I" and its relationship to "Thou."

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 7

"Dissolution [laya] depends on nada. Laya produces prana. Prana is the lord of the mind [mano]; mind is the
lord of the senses [indriyas]. When mind is absorbed in itself it is called moksha [liberation]. Call it

this or that; when mind and prana are absorbed in each other the immeasurable joy of samadhi
ensues."


We enter a church and feel the sattva element that governs the lofty sacred room. Something like a
shiver of enchantment pene−
trates us. It is bindu that (for a moment) transfigures us. We know that it has to do with the divine, to
which this place is dedicated. We know it, but the inner concept of this "divine" is more than the
word; it is that which speaks within us, nada. Let us recognize this: not the specific term "the divine"
exercises its power, but the "inner something" that vibrates with this concept. Then the concept as
such, with its thought content, dissolves (laya), and what remains is the experience of the spirit. This
phrase, "experience of the spirit," already contains the duality: prana (experience) and spirit.
So much for our everyday experience. For the yogi approaching samadhi, the process is reversed: he
has recognized the meaningful germ, bindu, within himself, and knows that the divine vibrations in
him were merely released by the sattva element in the outside stimulation.
Therefore, like the ancient master mystics, he turns inward and finds liberation in detachment from
the releasing element. For liberation means "nothing but" freedom from exterior influences.

From Hatha yoga pradipika with Hans Ulrich Rieker commentary -Quote 1

"When the nadis are purified, certain signs quite naturally manifest: the body becomes light and
bright.
As soon as the nadis are purified the yogi is able to retain the breath longer, the gastric fire is

activated, nada [the inner sound] becomes audible and he enjoys perfect health."

Perfect health alone is reason enough to concern ourselves with nadi purification. About the gastric
fire and the nada sound we will learn more later. But it is the art of retention of breath that is so
essential in the development of pranayarna.
How is it that the power to hold the breath for a considerable length of time should depend on the
purity of the nadis rather than on the capacity of the lungs?
Breath gets short when the air held in the lungs has lost its prana. If the nadis areimpure (as is
common), then the flow of prana is impeded and is soon unable to reload the breath. The breath
becomes stale like a carbonated drink when it has lost its fizz. If the nadi path is pure, however, the
prana flow can keep breath "alive" for a longer time.
A yogi who can subsist on one breath for days−−as has been demonstrated−−causes the river of
prana to circulate in the body and does not allow the prana to escape. He absorbs oxygen through his
pores.

From Hamsa Upanishad

(Nada) is (begun to be heard as) of ten kinds.

The first is chini (like the sound of that word) ; the second is

chini-chini ; the third is the sound of bell ; the fourth is that of

conch ; the fifth is that of tantri (lute) ; the sixth is that sound

of tala (cymbals) ; the seventh is that of flute ; the eighth is that

of bheri (drum) ; the ninth is that of mrdanga (double drum) ; and

the tenth is that of clouds (viz., thunder). He may experience

the tenth without the first nine sounds (through the initiation of

a guru). In the first stage, his body becomes chini-chini ; in the

second, there is the (bhanjana) breaking (or affecting) in the

body ; in the third, there is tho (bhedana) piercing ; in the fourth,

the head shakes ; in the fifth, the palate produces saliva ; in the

sixth, nectar is attained; in the seventh, the knowledge of the

hidden (things in the world) arises; in the eighth, Paravak is

heard ; in the ninth, the body becomes invisible and the pure

divine eye is developed; in the tenth, he attains Parabrahman

in the presence of (or with) Atma which is Brahman. After

that, when manas is destroyed, when it which is the source of

sankalpa and vikalpa disappears, owing to the destruction of these

two, and when virtues and sins are burnt away, then he shines

as Sadasiva of the nature of Sakti pervading everywhere, being

effulgence in its very essence, the immaculate, the eternal,

the stainless, and the most quiescent Om.