Raja-Yoga

32 RAJA YOGA.
ideas stands a generalised, an abstract principle ; grasp
it,
and you have grasped everything. Just as this
whole universe has been generalised, in the Vedas, into
that One Absolute Existence. He who has grasped
that Existence has grasped the whole universe. So all
forces have been generalised into this Prdna, and he
who has grasped the Prdna has grasped all the forces
of the universe, mental or physical. He who has con
trolled the Prdna has controlled his own mind, and all
the minds that exist. He who has controlled the
Prdna has controlled his body, and all the bodies that
exist, because the Prdna is the generalised manifesta
tion of force.
How to control the Prdna is the one idea of Prdndydma.
All these trainings and exercises are for that
one end, and each man must begin where he stands,
must learn how to control the things that are nearest
to him. This body is the nearest thing to us, nearer
than anything in the universe, and this mind is the
nearest of all. The Prdna which is working this mind
and body is the nearest to us of all the Prdna in the
universe. This little wave of the Prdna which repre
sents our own energies, mental and physical, is the
nearest wave to us of all that infinite ocean of Prdna,
and if we can succeed in controlling that little wave,
then alone we can hope to control the whole of Prdna.
Perfection is to be gained by the Yogi who has done
this, and no power is any more his master. He has
become almost almighty, almost all-knowing. We
see sects in every country who have attempted this