PLATE SEVEN
Real meditation means to achieve a state in which the mind is saturated with God consciousness. The easiest process of meditation in this age is to chant the holy names of God, but in past ages, as we see here, the process was silent meditation within. The Vedic scriptures describe this mystic yoga process as follows: “First one should go to a secluded, sacred place, lay  kuśa  grass on the ground, and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat should be neither too high nor too low. Then one should sit on it very firmly and practice yoga by controlling the senses and the breathing, purifying the heart, and fixing the mind on one point. One should hold his body, neck, and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon the form of Lord Viṣṇu within the heart. Lord Viṣṇu is eternally very beautiful, ever youthful, and always eager to bestow His blessings upon those who meditate on Him and serve Him. One should therefore meditate on the eternal form of the Lord until the mind becomes fixed. Then, by the Lord’s causeless mercy, He will become manifest before one’s purified vision.” ( pp. 158–64 )