Fifty-third dhāraṇā. First perception technique. Radical: vahneḥ viṣasya madhye — in the midst of fire or poison. In what normally produces pain or death. Cittaṃ sukhamayaṃ kṣipet — cast there the mind made of bliss.

Not masochism. It is consciousness’s capacity to remain in its blissful nature even before extreme stimuli. Fire burns the body. It does not burn consciousness. Poison destroys tissue. It does not destroy presence.

Smarānandena yujyate — one is united with the bliss of remembrance. “Remembrance” here is pratyabhijñā — the re-cognition of one’s own nature. In the extreme moment, when all else fails, what remains is pure consciousness. The technique trains this capacity with less extreme situations first.