Trāṭaka (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: त्राटक "look, gaze") is a yogic purification (a

shatkarma The shatkarmas (Sanskrit: षटकर्म ''ṣaṭkarma'', literally ''six actions''), also known as shatkriyas,meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

that involves staring at a single point such as a small object, black dot or candle flame.

Description

The practitioner may fix attention on a symbol or

yantra Yantra (; 'machine'/'contraption') is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; and for the benefits believe ...

, such as the Om symbol, a black dot, the image of some deity or guru, a flame, a mirror or any point, and stare at it. A

candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

should be three to four feet (1 metre plus) away, the flame level with the eyes. The practitioner relaxes but keeps the spine erect and remains wakeful and vigilant.

Description

References

Further reading