But by the northern path, through austerity, celibacy, faith and knowledge, seeking the Ātman, they conquer the sun. This, verily, is the support of all lives, this is immortal, this is fearless, this is the supreme refuge. From this they do not return. From this there is obstruction. Of this there is this verse.

Here the path of liberation is described. The tools are four: tapas (discipline), brahmacarya (conservation of energy), śraddhā (deep faith) and vidyā (knowledge of the Self).

The objective is Āditya, the sun, which symbolizes the Ātman — the supreme consciousness. This is:

• Āyatana — the support, the base of all lives
• Amṛta — immortal, beyond death
• Abhaya — fearless, since death has no dominion
• Parāyaṇa — the ultimate refuge, the final destination

The phrase etasmān na punarāvartante — “from this they do not return” — is the classical definition of mokṣa. Whoever reaches this state does not return to the cycle of births and deaths.

Nirodha means “impediment, restriction, control.” Here it refers to the control of tendencies that lead to rebirth. The yogī practices nirodha of the vṛttis (mental fluctuations) in Patañjali’s yoga-sūtra.

This is the path that every genuine yogī aspires to follow: not that of meritorious works that produce temporary results, but that of direct knowledge which liberates forever.