This verse, attributed to the brahmavid (one who knows Brahman) Yājñavalkya, immediately establishes a profound ethical and epistemological foundation. The phrase “ityukto brahmavādinya brahmavidbrāhmaṇaḥ” – “thus spoken by she who speaks of Brahman, the brahmavid brāhmaṇa” – signifies that the yogī’s understanding has been fully illuminated by direct experience of the ultimate reality. The act of “looking at her with compassion” (tām samalokya kṛpyā) is not merely a sentimental gesture, but a crucial step in the nadi-shodhana – the purification of the nāḍīs. This purification, central to any systematic approach to prāṇāyāma and subsequent meditative practice, represents the clearing of the subtle channels through which prāṇa flows, preparing the instrument of consciousness for deeper states of samādhi. The compassionate gaze symbolizes the teacher’s own embodied realization, offering a model for the student’s own journey towards union with Brahman.