62. I am under the impression that no advanced Yogi has ever achieved anything in the realm of matter or contributed to progress outside of writing about high, abstract and introspectionist themes and inspiring a small handful to do likewise.

How then do you regard the production of a seemingly supremely great book like Aurobindo's "The Life Divine", which almost nobody reads, almost nobody understands, or books like "Treatise on Cosmic Fire", or your books, all of which seem so totally unrelated to helping anybody individually or collectively, in a material sense?

It is not correct to think that Yogins merely write, but never do anything for human progress. The help that they give, the common man cannot understand, and man has no right to expect a specific form of help from the Yogins, for the Yogins do what is really good and not what is materially convenient to man.

Books which deal with metaphysical subjects and which faithfully explain the goal of life and the method of attaining it are a great help to struggling humanity. Yogins write such books for the good of others, in the spiritual sense and even in a pragmatic sense. But they do something more, too; they give direct, invisible help.

63. How is Kevala Kumbhak done? The practice is not quite clear. It is said to be a Kumbhak without Purak and Rechak. This is not intelligible, for necessarily before the Kumbhak there has to be either inhalation or exhalation.

Your query on the practice of Kevala Kumbhak is not surprising, for it seems to be impossible to do Kumbhak without doing either Purak or Rechak. However, what is meant is that for Kevala Kumbhak the retention is suddenly performed at any given moment when the mind is just about to get concentrated.

This sudden cessation of Prana at that particular, crucial, psychological moment becomes of immense help to the Yogi in arresting the mind, which is already assuming the mood to Dharana. Hence, Kevala Kumbhak is an invaluable aid to Dhyana. You will, therefore, see that this act of Kumbhak is not preceded by any deliberate process of either inhalation (Purak) or exhalation (Rechak). It may, therefore, be best described as the abrupt stoppage of the breath. The Yogi does not deliberately perform either Purak or Rechak before he does Kevala Kumbhak. He gets into Kevala Kumbhak in whatever state the breathing may be at that moment. It may be in the middle of an inhalation or in the middle of an exhalation. The breath may be partially in or partially out. Or again, the breath may be totally fully inhaled or totally exhaled. Whatever be the condition, the moment concentration supervenes, the meditator immediately arrests his breathing in Kevala Kumbhak. I am sure the matter is perfectly clear now.

64. In my work of spreading the knowledge of Yoga, do you have any special advice to give me?

Side by side with instructions on practical Yogic processes, place always stress upon the great importance of Sadachara, Yama and Niyama. Inspire the students with noble idealism. Spur them on to strive for a life of lofty virtue, active goodness and selflessness. You must stress the need for self-purification and self-mastery. The true inner Yoga is the transformation of the essential nature of man. The lower human nature should gradually give place to an illumined divine nature through a process of spiritualization of the entire being of man. This should be brought home in an effective manner, yet withal with great sympathy, understanding and insight. The aim is to attain divine consciousness.