Prakaraṇa II, verse 12 establishes a crucial pedagogical framework within the Yājñavalkya Yoga. The instruction to be taught by the guru – a figure of paramount authority – immediately signifies the importance of transmission and guidance in the path of yoga. Crucially, this guru’s teachings are to be ‘free from what is external to the Vedas,’ indicating a commitment to a core, authentic understanding rooted in the foundational scriptures. This protection against extraneous influences – a concern resonant with Patañjali’s later formulations – is vital for the stability of the yogī’s practice. The mantra itself, when repeated (japa), becomes a remembered act, a practice deeply ingrained through consistent devotion, demonstrating the integration of intellectual understanding with embodied experience, a key component of the rāja yoga system.