2. The Great Teacher, Brahma, accepting Asvalayana as a student, told  him: “The Knowledge you are seeking is something that you have to learn by yourself  by means of faith, devotion and meditation”.

Faith means absolute faith in the  Knowledge that one seeks, and in one’s ability to gain that Knowledge and reach  the destination together with the attitude of constant meditation and  contemplation on the Purusha. Devotion is love directed towards a higher ideal  whereby the devotee gains unfoldment. The implication is that the knowledge  sought can be obtained only through a special process of integrating the head  and the heart which is to be cultivated by the student for himself.

3 & 4. The teacher says “The Destination that you want to  reach, namely The Abode of that Purusha, The state of Immortality, The state of  Total Freedom from any change, time and death, that state of Immortality is  reached not by doing any action, not by the services to other people, nor by  any kind of material wealth. But it is gained only by an attitude of  renunciation, by giving up identifications with one’s body, mind and intellect,  and actions and their results.

What is that state of  Immortality? It is that state which is far higher than all the heavenly joys.  It is The State of Eternal Infinite Bliss. Where is that State? That state of  Bliss lies hidden in the cave of one’s own intellect not accessible to one’s  recognition because of internal obstructions.

That which shines in your intellect  as “Pure I”, “The Self”, without any adjuncts  like body, mind, etc., is indeed that Purusha,  which is what you want to reach, and which is what you have to learn to  recognize, in yourself, by yourself.

The Enlightened Ones, The Rishis,  striving through the path of renunciation reach and enter into that state of  Eternal Immortal Bliss”.

Now, who are those Enlightened  Ones? How did they become Mahatmas and Rishis? The Enlightened Ones are those who  have well ascertained, doubt-free, Vedantic Knowledge, gained through their  exclusive pursuit of Purusha . Those Enlightened Ones at the time of their  natural death of their body vehicles, because of their already gained State of  Immortality, are totally liberated from all their karmas. All their vasanas, lingering  impressions, having disappeared, they are free from any rebirth. They are  Immortal. They have already become ONE with The Purusha forever.
  So saying, the teacher then  proceeds to describe how to get started in such a path of meditation and then  tells what is to be meditated upon.

5-10. This is a short exposition  on Dhyana Yoga - meditation  and contemplation on the Paramatma..

Describing the process of  successful meditation, the teacher tells Asvalayana: In a quiet place, at a  quiet time, with a quiet mind and intellect free from agitations of any kind,  one should be seated comfortably, with a good posture, so that one does not get  disturbed requiring constant change of positions during meditation.

One should be clean, both inside  and outside.  It is relatively easy to be  clean outside - take bath, wear clean clothes, and choose clean surroundings;  that is having outside cleanliness. Having inside cleanliness is not that easy.  It is usually achieved through some kind of prayer or ritual, prior to meditation,  to imbibe a feeling of tranquility in the mind.  Inside cleanliness is not a one-shot affair  but a constant daily routine.

In further preparation for such  meditation, one should sit erect with the neck, head and trunk forming one  straight line. Also, for the period of meditation, one should be in the last  Ashrama of life i.e. sannyasa ashrama in terms of mental attitude.

The sannyasa ashrama is the stage  of absolute retirement from all worldly involvements. At this stage of life,  one naturally frees oneself from playing any role in society. One is just oneself,  and nothing more. One does whatever happens to be one’s duty, but one has no  identification with any role, any relationship, any possession, etc. One spends  one’s time entirely in meditation and contemplation on Paramatman even while  being actively engaged in one’s daily business of life. Such meditation and  contemplation will be possible only if the preparation for this stage of life  starts very early in life. It is implied that one should know how and when to  retire in life but not from life.

The teacher says: “For The period  of meditation, even if it is only for a very few minutes, one should be in such  an attitude, which means one should completely detach oneself from all worldly  roles, relationships and possessions. That is being in ‘Atyashram.’

Withdrawing all organs of  perception and action, including mind and intellect from all sense objects,  saluting one’s own teacher with reverence one should start to meditate within the  lotus of the heart, upon that Unmanifest, Untainted, Clear and The Griefless Pure  Consciousness because of which alone one is conscious of anything and everything,  including nothing.

Can one really meditate upon  something which is unmanifest? Yes, one can. By one’s intellect, by knowledge  and through pointers to that Knowledge.

The teacher proceeds to give  several such pointers to help Asvalayana, the meditator, to recognize that  innermost objectless Pure Consciousness within oneself. That Pure Consciousness  is virajam, visuddham, visadam and visokam. 
1.virajam - untainted by the  agitations of the mind and disturbances of the intellect.
2.visuddham - It is absolutely Pure, Being the Whole, ONE  without a second. It has nothing other than itself, and hence it is absolutely pure.
3.visadam - It is absolutely  clear, being ONE which illuminates everything else.
4.visokam - It is absolutely free from any sorrow or grief,  being independent of one’s mind.

Further, it is:
1.achintyam - It is not an object of thought. It is  beyond the reach of thoughts.
2.avyaktam - It is not an object recognizable by senses
3.anantaroopam - Its form is endless and unlimited, being in everything and  everywhere at all times in Unmanifest state.
4.sivam - It is ever-auspicious, Absolute Happiness
5.prasantam - It is Absolute Peace, being  ever-quiet, alert and vigilant
6.amrutam - It is ever-Immortal, never subject  to change, never subject to time
7.brahmayonim - It is the very womb (source)  of The Creator, meaning, It is the cause for this entire creation; the first  cause; the cause for the cause.
8.aadi madhya antha viheenam - It is  without any beginning, middle or end, being infinite in all dimensions
9.ekam - It is ONE without a second.
10.vibhum - It is all-pervading. It is everywhere, in everything.
11.chidanandam - It is Total Awareness, Pure  Consciousness, The Pure SELF, whose very nature is Absolute Bliss
12.aroopam - It is Formless, Limitless
13.adbhutam - It is Wonder beyond all description
14.Uma sahaym, parameswaram - It is also Uma and Parameswara  together, prakriti and purusha together, The Manifest and Unmanifest  together
15.Prabhum, trilochanam, neelakantham, prasantam - It is also the Ever Peaceful, Ever Auspicious Lord Siva, whom we worship in the  name and form as Trilochana (three-eyed) and Neelakantha (one with a  blue-throat).

So meditating upon That Innermost  Consciousness the meditator goes to, reaches the cause of all beings, The Brahman,  which is The Ever-present Witness of everything, and which is beyond both  darkness and light. As Pure Awareness, one is beyond darkness and light, being  aware of both. That Pure Awareness, The Innermost Self in you is indeed that Paratpara  Purusha one seeks.

Further, pointing to The Pure Consciousness,  The Pure Awareness, and The Pure Self in oneself, the teacher says:
1.That is The Creator
2.That is Lord Shiva in whom ultimately everything  gets resolved
3.That is Lord Indra whom we worship in all  rituals
4.That is The Changeless Eternal Truth
5.That is The Supreme Absolute Reality
6.That is Infinite Consciousness that functions in  every Being.
7.That is Self-luminous
8.That is The All-pervading Maha Vishnu
9.That is Prana, life in every living Being
10.That is Time
11.That is Agni - The Fire
12.That is The Moon.

In other words, That is  everything.

Further sa eva sarvam yadbhootam yachcha bhavyam  sanaatanam - That Transcendental Consciousness alone is all that was in the  past, and all that will ever be in the future - That is Eternal .

jnaatva tam mrtyum atyeti -  The person who comes to recognize and reach That Awareness, who becomes ONE  with That and who comes to recognize everything in The plane of Infinite  Consciousness, that person crosses death. That person becomes Immortal. There  is no other way for Total Liberation. Recognition of The Great Self in oneself,  transcending all that is transient in this body, is the only way to gain Amritatvam  - The state of Immortality, Total Liberation.

Again, clearly seeing, recognizing  ONESELF in all beings, and all beings in ONESELF one goes, one reaches That  Limitless Brahman, Paratpara Purusha and not by any other means. Thus, if on  meditation the seeker sees the world of perceptions, emotions and thoughts  dissolve into one world of Consciousness, he even in his empirical existence of  daily living cannot lose sight of that eternal Reality but at all times  experience the play of that One Consciousness in and through the multiple  forms. This kind of total experience of the Self is termed in this Upanishad as samapasyan and asserts that this is the only way by which The Supreme  can be experienced and that there is no other means - na anyena hetuna.  Such recognition is possible only by one’s  Knowledge of Brahman as satyam, jnanam, anatam brahma.

These Sanskrit terms are  purposely used here as they are not only music to the ears but also an  energizing food for thought to the mind.

Listening to, and totally  following the content of all these teachings, Asvalayana is still in deep  meditation.