The experience of trāṭaka: after gazing steadily at the flame, upon closing the eyes a retinal maṇḍala (circle of light) appears. The “veiled darkness” (timiraṃ pihitaṃ) gives way to luminous visions.

The process leads to śānti — peace, stillness, mental calm. The intense concentration required by trāṭaka trains attention and prepares for subtler meditative practices.

The “best of practitioners” (sādhakottamaḥ) indicates that this technique, although simple in appearance, requires dedication and constancy to bear fruit.