Now the familiarization stage: pain-free, air enters the central space.This familiarization, through practice, pierces the knot of Rudra.

The third stage, paricayāvasthā, means familiarization or intimacy.The yogi no longer experiences these practices as something new or alien;has become intimately familiar with the subtle states.Viśoka — free from pain, without affliction — describes the condition of prāṇa that now flows unhindered.

Ākāśamadhyagaḥ — entering the central space — indicates that the prāṇa has completely penetrated its susumnā and ascends towards the higher centers.The “central space” is the axial channel that runs through all the cakras.

Here rudra-granthi, the third and final knot, located in ājñā cakra (the between the eyebrows) is pierced.This knot represents attachment to psychic power, subtle identification with the spiritual ego, and pride in yogic achievements.Its piercing is particularly delicate: many practitioners become trapped here, fascinated by the siddhis and powers that emerge.Svātmārāma emphasizes abhyāsa — continuous practice — as the means to overcome this final obstacle.