Table of Contents

Introduction

When we see a book with a title like The Path of Perfection, we may react with a bit of common skepticism: "Oh, another book claiming to give all the answers. One more do-it-yourself enlightenment scheme." And certainly it seems that such skepticism is justified nowadays. Our natural desire for ultimate meaning, happiness, enlightenment, liberation, and salvation has become the most exploited commodity of the twentieth century, creating what one contemporary theologian termed a disastrous "seduction of the spirit." This seduction is, indeed, the most tragic kind of exploitation. And the unfortunate consequence of this exploitation is a kind of deadening cynicism that discourages our search for self-fulfillment and a means to attain it.

The contemporary, thoughtful reader, weary of the many speculative, simplistic books cluttering the bookstore shelves, offering instant formulas for psychological or spiritual salvation, will find The Path of Perfection a welcome relief. Herein one will find a clear, intriguing explanation of the philosophy and practice of mankind's oldest system of spiritual development--yoga.

Now, the word yoga may conjure up an image of some skinny fakir contorted like a human pretzel, or perhaps a room full of corpulent matrons in black leotards struggling to stand on their heads in hope of improving their health, losing weight, or increasing their sexual powers. This is not what we mean by yoga. Here we are referring to an ancient philosophy and meditational system that has been practiced by millions throughout the ages. What has, in modern times, been reduced to a commercially exploited technique of bodily agility and pseudomeditation was once a comprehensive and easily applied form of self-realization.

The path of perfection consists of a historic series of talks--elaborations on a previously published commentary--by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) on India's greatest spiritual classic, the Bhagavad-gita. In these absorbing talks, Srila Prabhupada explores deeply the philosophy of yoga as explained in the Sixth and Eighth Chapters of the Gita, showing clearly how these timeless teachings apply to twentieth century mankind. Srila Prabhupada's talks probe questions concerning the nature of consciousness, techniques of meditation, karma, death, reincarnation, and even spiritual ecstasy.

The Bhagavad-gita, described by one contemporary psychologist as"a remarkable psychotherapeutic session," appears to us in the form of an extraordinary dialogue between Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His warrior disciple Arjuna. Perplexed and confused about his identity and purpose, Arjuna turns to Krsna, who reveals "the path of perfection" to His able student. The essence of Lord Krsna's teachings is that one must become a yogi, that is, one whose life is centered on the practice of yoga. And what is yoga? The Sanskrit word yoga literally means "union," and refers to the union, in love, between the individual consciousness and the Supreme Consciousness, the self and the Superself, the soul and God. Yoga is, indeed, "the path of perfection," because it aims toward this most exalted human attainment.

In the Bhagavad-gita, we discover four basic varieties of yoga described. Karma-yoga refers to the process whereby one performs his work for God, without the selfish desire for personal gain. Jnana-yoga is the process of elevation to spiritual consciousness through the cultivation of philosophical knowledge. The astanga-yoga system, of which the modern "hatha-yoga" is a watered-down version, is a mechanical, meditative practice meant to control the mind and senses and focus one's concentration on the Supreme. These three yoga systems culminate in bhakti-yoga, the yoga of selfless, ecstatic, devotional love of God, Krsna. Lord Krsna Himself states in the last verse of Chapter Six, "Of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all."

In The Path of Perfection, Srila Prabhupada offers a brilliant summary of the methods of bhakti-yoga, revealing the universal applicability of this simple but all-inclusive form of yoga. He shows how even those who are entangled in the complexity and chaos of modern materialistic life can begin an uncomplicated practice which purifies the mind and puts one in touch with the Supreme Consciousness.

This, perhaps, was Srila Prabhupada's greatest contribution to our age. Srila Prabhupada was an acknowledged master scholar of India's ancient spiritual culture and of its linguistic foundation, the Sanskrit language. But he was not merely a textual scholar or a philosopher or theologian engaged in the manufacture of interesting philosophical or theological notions. He was a true spiritual genius who succeeded in bringing to life the essence of India's universal spiritual wisdom in a form which is easy for twentieth century man to understand and practice. This was the unique genius which inspired the late prime minister of India, Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri, to declare openly that the writings of Srila Prabhupada "are a significant contribution to the salvation of mankind." The transforming quality of Srila Prabhupada's writings was also appreciated by sociologist Elwin H. Powell, who commented on Srila Prabhupada's best-selling edition of the Bhagavad-gita: "This transcendental mysticism from the East is now taking root in the 'countercultures' of the West and providing for many a way out of the wilderness of a disintegrating civilization.... If truth is what works, there must be a kind of truth in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, since those who follow its teachings display a joyous serenity usually missing in the bleak and strident lives of contemporary people."

--The Publishers

Chapter One

Yoga as Action

In the Sixth and Eighth Chapters of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, explains that the eightfold yoga system is a means to control the mind and senses. This method, however, is very difficult for people to perform, especially in this age of Kali, an age characterized by ignorance and chaos.

Although this eightfold yoga system is particularly recommended in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, the Lord emphasizes that the process of karma-yoga, action in Krsna consciousness, is superior. In this world, everyone acts to maintain his family, and everyone is working with a view to some self-interest, or personal sense gratification, be it concentrated or extended. But to act perfectly is to act in Krsna consciousness, and this means acting detached from the fruits of labor.

It is our duty to act in Krsna consciousness because we are constitutionally parts and parcels of the Supreme. The parts of the body work for the satisfaction of the entire body, not for the individual parts. The goal is the satisfaction of the complete whole. Similarly, the living entity should act for the satisfaction of the supreme whole, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and not for his own personal satisfaction. One who can do this is the perfect sannyasi and the perfect yogi. In the first verse of the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, the chapter dealing with sankhya-yoga, Bhagavan Sri Krsna states,

anasritah karma-phalam

karyam karma karoti yah

sa sannyasi ca yogi ca

na niragnir na cakriyah

"One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic, not he who lights no fire and performs no work."

Sometimes sannyasis (renunciates) incorrectly think that they have become liberated from all material engagements and therefore no longer have to perform agni-hotra yajnas, or fire sacrifices. This is a mistake. Certain yajnas (sacrifices) have to be performed by everyone for purification. Since sannyasis are not traditionally required to perform yajnas, they sometimes think that they can attain liberation by ceasing to perform the ritualistic yajnas, but actually, unless one comes to the platform of Krsna consciousness, there is no question of liberation. Those sannyasis who cease to perform yajnas are in fact acting out of self-interest, because their goal is to become one with the impersonal Brahman. That is the ultimate goal of the impersonalists (Mayavadis), who have one major goal or demand: to become one with the supreme impersonal Being. The devotees have no such demands. They are simply satisfied in serving Krsna for the satisfaction of Krsna. They do not want anything in return. That is the characteristic of pure devotion.

It was Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu who expressed this devotional attitude so succinctly: na dhanam na janam na sundarim

kavitam va jagad-isa kamaye

mama janmani janmanisvare

bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

"O Almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor to enjoy beautiful women. Nor do I want any number of followers. What I want is only the causeless mercy of Your devotional service in my life, birth after birth." (Siksastaka 4) In essence, this is the bhakti-yoga system. There are many examples of the pure devotional attitude. Once Lord Nrsimhadeva told Prahlada Maharaja, "My dear boy, you have suffered so much for Me. Whatever you want, ask for it." Being a pure devotee, Prahlada Maharaja refused to ask for anything. He said, "My dear Master, I am not carrying out mercantile business with You. I will not accept any remuneration for my service." This is the pure devotional attitude.

Yogis and jnanis are demanding to become one with the Supreme because they have such bitter experience suffering the material pangs. They want to become one with the Lord because they are suffering in separation. A pure devotee, however, does not experience this. Although separate from the Lord, he fully enjoys the service of the Lord in separation. The desire to become one with the impersonal Brahman, or to merge with God, is certainly greater than any material desire, but this is not without self-interest. Similarly, the mystic yogi who practices the yoga system with half-open eyes, ceasing all material activities, desires some satisfaction for his personal self. Such yogis are desirous of material power, and that is their conception of the perfection of yoga. Actually, this is not the perfection of yoga, but a materialistic process.

If one practices the regulative principles of yoga, he can attain eight kinds of perfection. He can become lighter than a cotton swab. He can become heavier than a great stone. He can immediately get whatever he likes. Sometimes he can even create a planet. Although rare, such powerful yogis actually exist. Visvamitra Yogi wanted to beget a man from a palm tree. He was thinking, "Why should a man have to live so many months within the womb of his mother? Why can't he be produced just like a fruit?" Thinking like this, Visvamitra Yogi produced men like coconuts. Sometimes yogis are so powerful, they can perform such acts, but these are all material powers. Ultimately such yogis are vanquished, because they cannot retain these material powers indefinitely. Bhakti-yogis are not interested in such powers.

The bhakti-yogi, acting in Krsna consciousness, works for the satisfaction of the whole without self-interest. A Krsna conscious person does not desire self-satisfaction. Rather, his criterion of success is the satisfaction of Krsna; therefore he is considered the perfect sannyasi and the perfect yogi.

A pure devotee does not even want salvation. The salvationists want to be saved from rebirth, and the voidists also want to put an end to all material life. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, requested only devotional service to Lord Krsna, birth after birth; in other words, Caitanya Mahaprabhu was prepared to endure material miseries in one body after another. What, then, was Caitanya Mahaprabhu's desire? He wanted to engage in God's service, and nothing more, for that is the real perfection of yoga.

Whether in the spiritual sky or the material sky, the individual spirit soul is constitutionally the same. It is said that he is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair. This means that our position is that of a small particle. But spirit can expand. Just as we develop a material body in the material world, we develop a spiritual body in the spiritual world. In the material world, expansion takes place in contact with matter. In the spiritual world, this expansion is spiritual.

Actually, the first lesson of Bhagavad-gita is, "I am spirit soul. I am different from this body." I am a living force, but this material body is not a living force. It is dull matter, and it is activated only because spiritual force is present. In the spiritual world, everything is living force; there is no dead matter. There, the body is totally spiritual. One may compare the spirit soul with oil and the body with water. When oil is in water, there is a distinction, and that distinction always remains. In the spiritual sky, there is no question of oil being placed in water. There everything is spirit.

The impersonalists do not want to develop a body. They simply want to remain spiritual particles, and that is their idea of happiness. But we bhakti-yogis (Vaisnavas) want to serve Krsna, and therefore we require hands, legs, and all the other bodily parts. Indeed, we are given these bodies in order to serve Krsna. Just as we develop a material body in our mother's womb, we can similarly develop a spiritual body in the spiritual world.

The spiritual body is developed through the practice of Krsna consciousness. This material body is spiritualized by this bhakti-yoga process. If you place an iron within fire, the iron becomes so hot that it also becomes fiery. When the iron is red hot, it acquires all the qualities of fire. If you touch something with that iron, that iron will act as fire. Similarly, although this body is material, it can become spiritualized through Krsna consciousness and act as spirit. Although copper is just a metal, as soon as it comes in contact with electricity, it becomes electrified, and if you touch it, you will receive an electric shock.

As soon as your body is spiritualized, material activity ceases. Material activity means acting for sense gratification. As you become spiritualized, material demands dwindle until they become nil. How is this possible? In order for an iron to act as fire, it must remain constantly in contact with fire. In order for the material body to become spiritualized, one must remain constantly in Krsna consciousness. When this material body is fully engaged in spiritual activities, it becomes spiritual.

According to the Vedic system, the body of a high personality, a sannyasi, is not burned but buried, because a sannyasi's body is considered spiritual, having ceased to engage in material activities. If everyone in this world engages fully in Krsna consciousness and ceases to work for sense gratification, this entire world will immediately become spiritual. Therefore it is necessary to learn how to work for the satisfaction of Krsna. This requires a little time to understand. If something is used for Krsna's satisfaction, it is spiritual. Since we are using microphones, typewriters, etc., in order to talk and write about Krsna, they become spiritualized. What is the difference between prasada and ordinary food? Some people may say, "What is this prasada? We are eating the same food. Why do you call it prasada?" It is prasada because it has been offered for Krsna's satisfaction and has thus become spiritualized.

In a higher sense, there is no matter at all. Everything is spiritual. Because Krsna is spiritual and matter is one of the energies of Krsna, matter is also spiritual. Krsna is totally spiritual, and spirit comes from spirit. However, because the living entities are misusing this energy--that is, using it for something other than Krsna's purposes--it becomes materialized, and so we call it matter. The purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement is to respiritualize this energy. It is our purpose to respiritualize the whole world, socially and politically. Of course, this may not be possible, but it is our ideal. At least if we individually take up this respiritualization process, our lives become perfect.

In Bhagavad-gita (9.22) Krsna says that He provides for His devotees by giving them what they lack and preserving what they have. People are very fond of saying that God helps those who help themselves, but they do not understand that helping yourself means putting yourself under Krsna's protection. If one thinks, "Oh, I can help myself. I can protect myself," one is thinking foolishly. As long as my finger is attached to my body, it is useful, and I may spend thousands of dollars to preserve it. But if this finger is cut off, it is useless and is thrown away. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Krsna, and helping ourselves means putting ourselves in our proper position as His parts and parcels. Otherwise we are only fit to be cast away. The finger can help itself only when situated properly on the hand and working on behalf of the entire body. If the finger thinks, "I will separate myself from this body and simply help myself," that finger will be cast away and will die. As soon as we think, "I shall live independently of Krsna," that is our spiritual death, and as soon as we engage in Krsna's service, as His part and parcel, that is our spiritual life. Therefore, helping oneself means knowing one's actual position and working accordingly. It is not possible to help oneself without knowing one's position.

Service means activity, for when we serve someone, we are acting. When we serve Krsna, we are preaching Krsna consciousness, or cooking, or cleansing the temple, or distributing books about Krsna, or writing about Him, or shopping for foodstuff to offer Him. There are so many ways to serve. Helping Krsna means acting for Him, not sitting down in one place and artificially meditating. Krsna consciousness means activity. Whatever assets we have should be utilized for Krsna. That is the process of bhakti-yoga. Krsna has given us a mind, and we must utilize this mind to think of Krsna. We have been given these hands, and we must use them to wash the temple or cook for Krsna. We have been given these legs, and we should use them to go to the temple of Krsna. We have been given a nose, and we should use it to smell the flowers that have been offered to Krsna. Through the process of bhakti-yoga, we engage all these senses in the service of Krsna, and in this way the senses are spiritualized.

In Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna was refusing to act, and Krsna was inspiring him to engage in activity. The entire Bhagavad-gita is an inspiration to work, to engage in Krsna consciousness, to act on Krsna's behalf. Krsna never tells Arjuna, "My dear friend Arjuna, don't concern yourself with this war. Just sit down and meditate upon Me." This is not the message of Bhagavad-gita. We are not to refrain from all activity, but only from those activities that impede our consciousness of Krsna. Meditation means stopping all nonsensical activity. Those who are advanced in Krsna consciousness are constantly working for Krsna.

A mother tells only her bad child to sit down and do nothing. If a child can do nothing but disturb his mother, the mother says, "My dear child, just sit down here and keep quiet." But if the child can work nicely, the mother says, "My dear child, will you please help me do this? Will you go over there and do that?" Sitting still in one place is just for those who do not know how to work sensibly. As long as the child sits in one place, he does not raise havoc. Sitting still means negating nonsense; it is not positive activity. In negation, there is no life. Positive activities constitute life, and positive activity is the message of Bhagavad-gita. Spiritual life is not "Don't do this." Spiritual life is "Do this!" In order to act properly, there are certain things that one must know not to do; therefore certain activities are forbidden. The whole Bhagavad-gita, however, is "do." Krsna says, "Fight for Me." At the beginning of Bhagavad-gita, when Arjuna told Krsna, "I will not fight," Sri Krsna said,

kutas tva kasmalam idam

visame samupasthitam

anarya justam asvargyam

akirti-karam arjuna

"My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the progressive values of life. They lead not to higher planets, but to infamy." (Bg. 2.2) Krsna directly tells Arjuna that he is speaking like a non-Aryan--that is, like one who does not know the spiritual values of life. So Krsna consciousness does not mean sitting down idly.

Krsna Himself does not sit down idly. All His pastimes are filled with activity. When we go to the spiritual world, we will see that Krsna is always engaged in dancing, eating, and enjoying. He does not sit down to meditate. Is there any account of the gopis meditating? Did Caitanya Mahaprabhu sit down to meditate? No, He was always dancing and chanting Hare Krsna. The spirit soul is naturally active. How can we sit down silently and do nothing? It is not possible. Therefore, after Sri Krsna outlined the sankhya-yoga system in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna frankly said,

yo 'yam yogas tvaya proktah

samyena madhusudana

etasyaham na pasyami

cancalatvat sthitim sthiram

"O Madhusudana [Krsna], the system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady." (Bg. 6.33) Although Arjuna was highly elevated and was Krsna's intimate friend, he immediately refused to take up this sankhya-yoga system. In essence, he said, "It is not possible for me." How could it have been possible? Arjuna was a warrior, a householder, and he wanted a kingdom. What time did he have for meditation? He flatly refused to practice this type of meditational yoga, saying that the mind is as difficult to control as the wind (Bg. 6.34). That is a fact. It is not possible to control the mind artificially; therefore we must engage the mind in Krsna consciousness. Then it is controlled. If Arjuna found this process more difficult than controlling the wind, then what of us? After all, Arjuna was not an ordinary man. He was personally talking with the Supreme Lord, Sri Krsna, and he proclaimed the mind to be like a great wind. How can we control the wind? We can control the mind only by fixing it on Krsna's lotus feet. That is the perfection of meditation.

No one really wants to sit down and meditate. Why should we? We're meant for positive activity, for recreation, for pleasure. In Krsna consciousness, our recreation is dancing and chanting, and when we get tired, we take prasada. Is dancing difficult? Is chanting difficult? We don't charge anything to dance in the temple. If you go to a ballroom, you have to pay to enter, but we do not charge. It is natural to enjoy music and dancing and palatable foods. These are our recreations, and this is our method of meditation. So this yoga system is not at all laborious. It is simply recreation, susukham. It is stated in the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (9.2) that this yoga is susukham--very happy. "It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed." It is natural, automatic, and spontaneous. It is our real life in the spiritual world.

In Vaikuntha, the spiritual world, there is no anxiety. Vaikuntha means "freedom from anxiety," and in Vaikuntha the liberated souls are always dancing, chanting, and taking prasada. There are no factories, hard work, or technical institutions. There is no need for these artificial things. In Vedanta-sutra it is stated, anandamayo 'bhyasat: God is anandamaya, full of bliss and pleasure. Since we are part and parcel of God, we also possess these same qualities. So the goal of our yoga process is to join with the supreme anandamaya, Sri Krsna, to join His dance party. Then we will be actually happy.

On this earth we are trying to be happy artificially and are therefore frustrated. Once we are situated in Krsna consciousness, we will revive our original position and become simply joyful. Since our actual nature is anandamaya, blissful, we are always searching for happiness. In the cities we are inundated with advertisements. Restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and dance halls are always announcing, "Come on, here is ananda. Here is pleasure." That is because everyone is searching for ananda, pleasure. Our society for Krsna consciousness is also announcing, "Here is ananda," but our standard of pleasure is very different. In any case, the goal--pleasure--is the same.

Most people are hunting for pleasure on the gross material platform. The more advanced search for pleasure in speculation, philosophy, poetry, or art. The bhakti-yogi, however, searches for pleasure on the transcendental platform, and that is his only business. Why are people working so hard all day? They are thinking, "Tonight I shall enjoy. Tonight I will associate with this girl or with my wife." Thus people are going to so much trouble to acquire a little pleasure. Pleasure is the ultimate goal, but unfortunately, under illusion, people do not know where real pleasure is to be found. Real pleasure exists eternally in the transcendental form of Krsna.

Perhaps you have seen pictures of Krsna, and if so, you have noticed that Krsna is always jolly. If you join His society, you will also become jolly. Have you ever seen pictures of Krsna working with a machine? Have you ever seen pictures of Krsna smoking? No, He is by nature full of pleasure, and if you unfold yourself in that way, you will also find pleasure. Pleasure cannot be found artificially.

ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis

tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih

goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Radha, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes (sakhis), embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa." (Brahma-samhita 5.37)

The word rasa means "taste," or "mellow." We enjoy sweets or candy because of their taste. Everyone is trying to enjoy some taste, and we want to enjoy sex because there is some taste there. That is called adi taste. Material tastes are different because they are tasted and quickly finished. Material tastes last only a few minutes. You may take a piece of candy, taste it, and say, "Oh, that is very nice," but you have to taste another in order to continue the enjoyment. Material taste is not unlimited, but real taste is without end. Spiritual taste cannot be forgotten; it goes on increasing. Anandambudhi-vardhanam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, "This taste is always increasing." Spiritual taste is like the ocean in the sense that it is very great. The Pacific Ocean is always tossing, but it is not increasing. By God's order, the ocean does not extend beyond its limit, and if it extends, there is havoc. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that there is another ocean, an ocean of transcendental bliss, an ocean that is always increasing. Anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam. sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. By chanting Hare Krsna, our pleasure potency increases more and more.

One who has realized Sri Krsna is always living in Vrndavana, Vaikuntha. Although a devotee may seem to be living in some place far from Vrndavana, he is always living in Vrndavana, because he knows that Krsna is present everywhere, even within the atom. The Supreme Lord is bigger than the biggest and smaller than the smallest. Once we are fully realized and established in Krsna consciousness, we never lose sight of Krsna, and our bliss is always increasing. This is the true yoga system, bhakti-yoga, as expounded by Lord Sri Krsna Himself in Bhagavad-gita.

Chapter Two

Mastering the Mind and Senses

yam sannyasam iti prahur

yogam tam viddhi pandava

na hy asannyasta-sankalpo

yogi bhavati kascana

"What is called renunciation is the same as yoga, or linking oneself with the Supreme, for no one can become a yogi unless he renounces the desire for sense gratification." (Bg. 6.2)

This is the real purpose of the practice of yoga. The word yoga means "to join." Although we are naturally part and parcel of the Supreme, in our conditioned state we are now separated. Because of our separation, we are reluctant to understand God and to speak of our relationship with Him and are even inclined to think of such discussion as a waste of time. In a church or in a Krsna consciousness temple, we speak of God, but people in general are not very interested. They think it is a waste of time, a kind of recreation in the name of spiritual advancement, and they believe that this time could be better used to earn money or enjoy themselves in a nightclub or restaurant.

Therefore, it is due to sense enjoyment that we are not attracted to God, and therefore it is said that those who are addicted to sense enjoyment cannot become yogis--that is, they are not eligible to participate in the yoga system. One cannot advance in any yoga system if he partakes in sense gratification and then sits down to try to meditate. This is just a colossal hoax. Such contradictory activity has no meaning. First of all, yoga means controlling the senses--yama-niyama. There are eight stages of yoga--yama, niyama, asana, dhyana, dharana, pranayama, pratyahara, and samadhi.

In this Sixth Chapter, in which the Lord speaks of the sankhya-yoga system, He states from the very beginning that one cannot become a yogi unless one renounces the desire for sense gratification. Therefore, if one indulges his senses, he cannot be accepted as a yogi. Yoga demands strict celibacy. In the yoga system, there is no sex life. If one indulges in sex, he cannot be a yogi. Many so-called yogis come from India to America and say, "Yes, you can do whatever you like. You can have as much sex as you like. Just meditate. I will give you some mantra, and you will give me some money." This is all nonsense. According to the authoritative statements of Sri Krsna, one cannot become a yogi unless he renounces the desire for sense gratification. This is explicitly stated as the first condition for yoga practice.

aruruksor muner yogam

karma karanam ucyate

yogarudhasya tasyaiva

samah karanam ucyate

"For one who is a neophyte in the eightfold yoga system, work is said to be the means; and for one who has already attained to yoga, cessation of all material activities is said to be the means." (Bg. 6.3) According to this verse, there are those who are attempting to reach the perfectional stage and those who have already attained that stage. As long as one is not situated on the perfectional platform, he must engage in so many works. In the West, there are many yoga societies attempting to practice the asana system, and therefore they practice sitting in different postures. That may help, but it is only a process by which one can attain the real platform. The real yoga system, in its perfectional stage, is far different from these bodily gymnastics.

It is important to understand, however, that from the beginning, a Krsna conscious person is situated on the platform of meditation because he is always thinking of Krsna. Being constantly engaged in the service of Krsna, he is considered to have ceased all material activities.

yada hi nendriyarthesu

na karmasv anusajjate

sarva-sankalpa-san nyasi

yogarudhas tadocyate

"A person is said to have attained to yoga when, having renounced all material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in fruitive activities." (Bg. 6.4)

This is actually the perfectional stage of yoga, and one who has attained this stage is said to have attained to yoga. This is to say that he has connected, joined, or linked himself with the supreme whole. If a part is disconnected from a machine, it serves no function, but as soon as it is properly attached to the machine, it works properly and carries out its different functions. That is the meaning of yoga--joining with the supreme whole, serving in conjunction with the total machine. Presently we are disconnected, and our material fruitive activities are simply a waste of time. One who engages in such activity is described in Bhagavad-gita as a mudha--that is, a rascal. Although one may earn thousands of dollars daily and be an important businessman, he is described in Bhagavad-gita as a mudha, rascal, because he is just wasting his time in eating, sleeping, defending, and mating.

People do not stop to consider that they are actually working very hard for nothing. One who earns millions of dollars cannot really eat much more than a man who makes ten dollars. A man who earns millions of dollars cannot mate with millions of women. That is not within his power. His mating power is the same as one who earns ten dollars, just as his power of eating is the same. This is to say that our power of enjoyment is limited. One should therefore think, "My enjoyment is the same as that of the man who is earning ten dollars daily. So why am I working so hard to earn millions of dollars? Why am I wasting my energy? I should engage my time and energy in understanding God. That is the purpose of life." If one has no economic problems, he has sufficient time to understand Krsna consciousness. If he wastes this precious time, he is called a mudha, a rascal or an ass.

According to the preceding verse, a person is said to have attained yoga when he has renounced all material desires. Once we are situated perfectly in yoga, we are satisfied. We no longer experience material desires. We no longer act for sense gratification or engage in fruitive activity. When we speak of "fruitive activity," we refer to activities carried out for the purpose of sense gratification. That is, we are earning money in order to gratify our senses. If one is virtuous, he engages in pious activities--he donates money to charities, opens hospitals, schools, etc. Although these are certainly virtuous activities, they are ultimately meant for sense gratification. How is this? If I donate to an educational institution, for instance, I will receive good educational facilities and will become highly educated in my next life. Being thus educated, I will attain a good position and will acquire a good amount of money. Then how will I utilize this money? For sense gratification. Thus these virtuous and fruitive activities form a kind of cycle.

We often hear the expression "a better standard of life," but what does this mean? It is said that the standard of life in America is superior to that in India, but in both countries there is eating, sleeping, defending, and mating. Of course, in America the quality of food may be better, but the eating process is there. A superior standard of life does not mean superior spiritual realization. It just means better eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. This is called fruitive activity, and it is based on sense gratification.

Yoga has nothing to do with sense gratification or fruitive activity. Yoga means connecting with the Supreme. Dhruva Maharaja underwent severe austerities in order to see God, and when he finally saw God, he said, svamin krtartho 'smi varam na yace.: "My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I am not asking for anything more. I do not want any further benediction from You." Why didn't Dhruva Maharaja ask for benedictions? What is a "benediction"? Generally, benediction means receiving a great kingdom, a beautiful wife, palatable food, and so forth, but when one is actually connected with God, he does not want such "benedictions." He is fully satisfied. Svamin krtartho 'smi varam na yace.

Actually, Dhruva Maharaja initially searched for God in order to attain his father's kingdom. Dhruva Maharaja's mother was rejected by his father, and his stepmother resented his sitting on his father's lap. Indeed, she forbade him to sit on his father's lap because Dhruva Maharaja was not born in her womb. Although only five years old, Dhruva Maharaja was a ksatriya, and he took this as a great insult. Going to his own mother, he said, "Mother, my stepmother has insulted me by forbidding me to sit on my father's lap." Dhruva Maharaja then started to cry, and his mother said, "My dear boy, what can I do? Your father loves your stepmother more than he loves me. I can do nothing." Dhruva Maharaja then said, "But I want my father's kingdom. Tell me how I can get it." "My dear boy," his mother said, "if Krsna, God, blesses you, you can get it." "Where is God?" Dhruva Maharaja asked. "Oh, it is said that God is in the forest," his mother said. "Great sages go to the forest to search for God."

Hearing this, Dhruva Maharaja went directly to the forest and began to perform severe penances. Finally he saw God, and when he saw Him, he no longer desired his father's kingdom. Instead, he said, "My dear Lord, I was searching for some pebbles, but instead I have found valuable jewels. I no longer care for my father's kingdom. Now I am fully satisfied." When one is actually connected with God, he is totally satisfied. His satisfaction is infinitely greater than so-called enjoyment in this material world. That is the satisfaction resulting from God realization, and that is the perfection of yoga.

When a person is fully engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he is pleased in himself, and thus he is no longer engaged in sense gratification or in fruitive activities. Otherwise, one must be engaged in sense gratification, since one cannot live without engagement. It is impossible to cease all activity. As stated before, it is our nature as living entities to act. It is said, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." If we have no Krsna conscious engagement, we will engage in sense gratification or fruitive activity. If a child is not trained or educated, he becomes spoiled. If one does not practice the yoga system, if he does not attempt to control his senses by the yoga process, he will engage his senses in their own gratification. When one is gratifying his senses, there is no question of practicing yoga.

Without Krsna consciousness, one must be always seeking self-centered or extended selfish activities. But a Krsna conscious person can do everything for the satisfaction of Krsna and thereby be perfectly detached from sense gratification. One who has not realized Krsna must mechanically try to escape material desires before being elevated to the top rung of the yoga ladder.

One may compare the yoga system to a stepladder. One yogi may be situated on the fifth step, another yogi may be on the fiftieth step and yet another on the five-hundredth step. The purpose, of course, is to reach the top. Although the entire ladder may be called the yoga system, one who is on the fifth step is not equal to one who is higher up. In Bhagavad-gita, Sri Krsna delineates a number of yoga systems--karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. All of these systems are connected with God, Krsna, just as the entire ladder is connected to the topmost floor. This is not to say that everyone practicing the yoga system is situated on the topmost floor; only he who is in full Krsna consciousness is so situated. Others are situated on different steps of the yogic ladder.

uddhared atmanatmanam

natmanam avasadayet

atmaiva hy atmano bandhur

atmaiva ripur atmanah

"A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well." (Bg. 6.5) The word atma denotes body, mind, and soul--depending on different circumstances. In the yoga system, the mind and the conditioned soul are especially important. Since the mind is the central point of yoga practice, atma refers here to the mind. The purpose of the yoga system is to control the mind and to draw it away from attachment to sense objects. It is stressed herein that the mind must be so trained that it can deliver the conditioned soul from the mire of nescience.

In the astanga-yoga system, these eightfold yogas--dhyana, dharana, etc.--are meant to control the mind. Sri Krsna explicitly states that a man must utilize his mind to elevate himself. Unless one can control the mind, there is no question of elevation. The body is like a chariot, and the mind is the driver. If you tell your driver, "Please take me to the Krsna temple," the driver will take you there, but if you tell him, "Please take me to that liquor house," you will go there. It is the driver's business to take you wherever you like. If you can control the driver, he will take you where you should go, but if not, he will ultimately take you wherever he likes. If you have no control over your driver, your driver is your enemy, but if he acts according to your orders, he is your friend.

The yoga system is meant to control the mind in such a way that the mind will act as your friend. Sometimes the mind acts as a friend and sometimes as an enemy. Because we are part and parcel of the Supreme, who has infinite independence, we have minute, or finite, independence. It is the mind that is controlling that independence, and therefore he may either take us to the Krsna temple or to some nightclub.

It is the purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement to fix the mind on Krsna. When the mind is so fixed, he cannot do anything but act as our friend. He has no scope to act any other way. As soon as Krsna is seated in the mind, there is light, just as when the sun is in the sky, darkness is vanquished. Krsna is just like the sun, and when He is present, there is no scope for darkness. If we keep Krsna on our mind, the darkness of maya will never be able to enter. Keeping the mind fixed on Krsna is the perfection of yoga. If the mind is strongly fixed on the Supreme, it will not allow any nonsense to enter, and there will be no falldown. If the mind is strong, the driver is strong, and we may go wherever we may desire. The entire yoga system is meant to make the mind strong, to make it incapable of deviating from the Supreme.

Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh. One should fix his mind on Krsna, just as Ambarisa Maharaja did when he had a fight with a great astanga-yogi named Durvasa Muni. Since Ambarisa Maharaja was a householder, he was a pounds-shillings man. This means that he had to take into account pounds, shillings, and sixpence, or dollars and cents. Apart from being a householder, Maharaja Ambarisa was also a great king and devotee. Durvasa Muni was a great yogi who happened to be very envious of Maharaja Ambarisa. Durvasa Muni was thinking, "I am a great yogi, and I can travel in space. This man is an ordinary king, and he does not possess such yogic powers. Still, people pay him more honor. Why is this? I will teach him a good lesson." Durvasa Muni then proceeded to pick a quarrel with Maharaja Ambarisa, but because the king was always thinking of Krsna, he managed to defeat this great yogi. Durvasa Muni was consequently directed by Narayana to take shelter at the feet of Maharaja Ambarisa. Durvasa Muni was such a perfect yogi that within a year he could travel throughout the material universe and also penetrate the spiritual universe. Indeed, he went directly to the abode of God, Vaikuntha, and saw the Personality of Godhead Himself. Yet Durvasa Muni was so weak that he had to return to earth and fall at the feet of Maharaja Ambarisa. Maharaja Ambarisa was an ordinary king, but his one great qualification was that he was always thinking of Krsna. Thus his mind was always controlled, and he was situated at the highest perfectional level of yoga. We also can very easily control the mind by keeping it fixed on the lotus feet of Krsna within. Simply by thinking of Krsna, we become victorious conquerors, topmost yogis.

Yoga indriya-samyamah. The yoga system is meant to control the senses, and since the mind is above the senses, if we can control the mind, our senses are automatically controlled. The tongue may want to eat something improper, but if the mind is strong, it can say, "No. You cannot eat this. You can only eat krsna-prasada." In this way the tongue, as well as all the other senses, can be controlled by the mind. Indriyani parany ahur indriyebhyah param manah. The material body consists of the senses, and consequently the body's activities are sensual activities. However, above the senses is the mind, and above the mind is the intelligence, and above the intelligence is the spirit soul. If one is on the spiritual platform, his intelligence, mind, and senses are all spiritualized. The purpose of this Krsna consciousness process is to actualize the spiritualization of senses, mind, and intelligence. The spirit soul is superior to all, but because he is sleeping, he has given power of attorney to the fickle mind. However, when the soul is awakened, he is once again master, and the servile mind cannot act improperly. Once we are awakened in Krsna consciousness, the intelligence, mind, and senses cannot act nonsensically. They must act in accordance with the dictations of the spirit soul. That is spiritualization and purification. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate. We must serve the master of the senses with the senses. The Supreme Lord is called Hrsikesa, which means that He is the original controller of the senses, just as a king is the original controller of all the activities of a state, and the citizens are secondary controllers.

Bhakti means acting spiritually in accordance with the desires of Hrsikesa. How can we act? Since we must act with our senses, we must spiritualize our senses in order to act properly. As stated before, sitting in silent meditation means stopping undesirable activity, but acting in Krsna consciousness is transcendental. The cessation of nonsensical action is not in itself perfection. We must act perfectly. Unless we train our senses to act in accordance with Hrsikesa, the master of the senses, our senses will again engage in undesirable activities, and we will fall down. Therefore we must engage the senses in action for Krsna and in this way remain firmly fixed in Krsna consciousness.

In material existence one is subjected to the influence of the mind and the senses. In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world because of the mind's ego, which desires to lord it over material nature. Therefore the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by the glitter of material nature, and in this way the conditioned soul may be saved. One should not degrade oneself by attraction to sense objects. The more one is attracted by sense objects, the more one becomes entangled in material existence. The best way to disentangle oneself is to always engage the mind in Krsna consciousness. The word hi in verse 5, Chapter Six (Bhagavad-gita), is used to emphasize this point--namely, that one must do this. It is also said,

mana eva manusyanam

karanam bandha-moksayoh

bandhaya visayasango

muktyai nirvisayam manah

"For man, mind is the cause of bondage and mind is the cause of liberation. Mind absorbed in sense objects is the cause of bondage, and mind detached from the sense objects is the cause of liberation." (Visnu Purana 6.7.28) The mind which is always engaged in Krsna consciousness is the cause of supreme liberation. When the mind is thus engaged in Krsna consciousness, there is no chance of its being engaged in maya consciousness. In Krsna consciousness, we remain in the sunlight, and there is no chance of our being obscured by darkness.

Because we have freedom, or liberty, we can stay within a dark room or go out into the broad daylight. That is our choice. Darkness can be eradicated by light, but light cannot be covered by darkness. If we are in a dark room and someone brings in a lamp, the darkness is vanquished. But we cannot take darkness into the sunlight. It is not possible. The darkness will simply fade away. Krsna surya-sama maya haya andhakara. Krsna is like sunlight, and maya is like darkness. So how can darkness exist in sunlight? If we always keep ourselves in the sunlight, darkness will fail to act upon us. This is the whole philosophy of Krsna consciousness: always engage in Krsna conscious activities, and maya will be dissipated, just as darkness is dissipated when there is light. This is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.7.4):

bhakti-yogena manasi

samyak pranihite 'male

apasyat purusam purnam

mayam ca tad-apasrayam

"When the sage Vyasadeva, under the instruction of his spiritual master, Narada, fixed his mind, perfectly engaging it by linking it in devotional service (bhakti-yoga) without any tinge of materialism, Vyasadeva saw the Absolute Personality of Godhead, along with His external energy, which was under full control."

The word manasi refers to the mind. When one is enlightened in bhakti-yoga, the mind becomes completely freed from all contamination (samyak pranihite 'male). When Vyasa saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he saw maya in the background (mayam ca tad-apasrayam). Whenever there is light, there is also the possibility of darkness being present. That is, darkness is the other side of light, or darkness is under the shelter of light, just as if I hold my hand up to the light, the top part of my hand will be in light, and the bottom part will be shaded. In other words, one side is light and the other darkness. When Vyasadeva saw Krsna, the Supreme Lord, he also saw maya, darkness, under His shelter.

And what is this maya? This is explained in the next verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.7.5):

yaya sammohito jiva

atmanam tri-gunatmakam

paro 'pi manute 'nartham

tat-krtam cabhipadyate

"Due to the external energy, the living entity, although transcendental to the three modes of material nature, thinks of himself as a material product and thus undergoes the reactions of material miseries." Thus the illusory energy has temporarily covered the conditioned souls. And who are these conditioned souls? Although finite, the conditioned spirit souls are as full of light as Krsna. The problem is that the conditioned soul identifies himself with this material world. This is called illusion, false identification with matter. Although the individual spirit soul is transcendental, he engages in improper activities under the dictation of maya, and this brings about his conditioning or false identification. This is very elaborately explained in the Seventh Chapter, First Canto, of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

In conclusion, our actual position is that of spiritual sparks, full of light. Now we are temporarily covered by this illusory energy, maya, which is dictating to us. Acting under the influence of maya, we are becoming more and more entangled in the material energy. The yoga system is meant to disentangle us, and the perfection of yoga is Krsna consciousness. Thus Krsna consciousness is the most effective means by which we can disentangle ourselves from the influence of the material energy.

Chapter Three

Learning How to See God

bandhur atmatmanas tasya

yenatmaivatmana jitah

anatmanas tu satrutve

vartetatmaiva satru-vat

"For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest enemy." (Bg. 6.6)

The purpose of the yoga system is to make the mind into a friend instead of an enemy. In material contact, the mind is in a kind of drunken condition. As stated in Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 20.117),

krsna bhuli' sei jiva--anadi-bahirmukha

ataeva maya tare deya samsara-duhkha

"Forgetting Krsna, the living entity has been attracted by the Lord's external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy (maya) gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence." The living entity is constitutionally spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. As soon as the mind is contaminated, the living entity, because he has a little independence, rebels. In this state, the mind dictates, "Why should I serve Krsna? I am God." Thus one labors under a false impression, and his life is spoiled. We try to conquer many things--even empires--but if we fail to conquer the mind, we are failures even if we manage to conquer an empire. Even though emperors, we will have within us our greatest enemy--our own mind.

jitatmanah prasantasya

paramatma samahitah

sitosna-sukha-duhkhesu

tatha manapamanayoh

"For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquillity. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same." (Bg. 6.7)

Actually, every living entity is intended to abide by the dictation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated in everyone's heart as Paramatma. When the mind is misled by the external illusory energy, one becomes entangled in material activities. Therefore, as soon as one's mind is controlled through one of the yoga systems, one is to be considered as having already reached the destination. One has to abide by superior dictation. When the mind is fixed on the superior nature, he has no alternative but to follow the dictation of the Supreme. The mind must admit some superior dictation and follow it. When the mind is controlled, one automatically follows the dictation of the Paramatma, or Supersoul. Because this transcendental position is at once achieved by one who is in Krsna consciousness, the devotee of the Lord is unaffected by the dualities of material existence--distress and happiness, cold and heat, etc. This state is called samadhi, or absorption in the Supreme.

jnana-vijnana-trptatma

kuta-stho vijitendriyah

yukta ity ucyate yogi

sama-lostrasma-kancanah

"A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogi [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything--whether it be pebbles, stones, or gold--as the same." (Bg. 6.8)

Book knowledge without realization of the Supreme Truth is useless. This is stated as follows:

atah sri-krsna-namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

"No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality, and pastimes of Sri Krsna through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality, and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him." (Padma Purana)

There are men in the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance, and to reclaim all these conditioned souls, there are eighteen Puranas. Six Puranas are meant for those in the mode of goodness, six for those in the mode of passion, and six for those in the mode of ignorance. The Padma Purana is written for those in the mode of goodness. Because there are many different types of men, there are many different Vedic rituals. In the Vedic literatures there are descriptions of rituals and ceremonies in which a goat may be sacrificed in the presence of the goddess Kali. This is described in the Markandeya Purana, but this Purana is meant for the instruction of those in the mode of ignorance.

It is very difficult for one to give up his attachments all at once. If one is addicted to meat-eating and is suddenly told that he must not eat meat, he cannot do so. If one is attached to drinking liquor and is suddenly told that liquor is no good, he cannot accept this advice. Therefore, in the Puranas we find certain instructions that say in essence, "All right, if you want to eat meat, just worship the goddess Kali and sacrifice a goat for her. Only then can you eat meat. You cannot eat meat just by purchasing it from the butcher shop. No, there must be sacrifice or restriction." In order to sacrifice a goat to the goddess Kali, one must make arrangements for a certain date and utilize certain paraphernalia. That type of puja, or worship, is allowed on the night of the dark moon, which means once a month. There are also certain mantras to be chanted when the goat is sacrificed. The goat is told, "Your life is being sacrificed before the goddess Kali; you will therefore be immediately promoted to the human form." Generally, in order to attain the human form, a living entity has to pass through many species of life on the evolutionary scale, but if a goat is sacrificed to the goddess Kali, he is immediately promoted to the human form. The mantra also says, "You have the right to kill this man who is sacrificing you." The word mamsa indicates that in his next birth, the goat will eat the flesh of the man who is presently sacrificing him. This in itself should bring the goat-eater to his senses. He should consider, "Why am I eating this flesh? Why am I doing this? I'll have to repay with my own flesh in another life." The whole idea is to discourage one from eating meat.

Thus, because there are different types of men, there are eighteen Puranas to guide them. The Vedic literatures are meant to redeem all men, not just a few. It is not that those who are meat-eaters or drunkards are rejected. A doctor accepts all patients, and he prescribes different medicines according to the disease. It is not that he gives the same medicine for all diseases or that he treats just one disease. No, he offers a specific type of medicine to whomever comes, and the patient receives gradual treatment. However, the sattvic Puranas like the Padma Purana are meant for those in the mode of goodness, for those who immediately are capable of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In Brahma-samhita it is stated, isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: "The supreme controller is Krsna, who has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body." This is the Vedic pronouncement, and we thus accept Sri Krsna as the Supreme Lord. Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance attempt to imagine the form of God, and when they are confused, they say, "Oh, there is no personal God. God is impersonal, or void." This is just the result of frustration. Actually, God has His form. And why not? According to the Vedanta-sutra, janmady asya yatah: "The Supreme Absolute Truth is He from whom everything emanates." It is easy to see that we have different types of bodies, different types of forms. We must consider where these forms are coming from. Where have these forms originated? We have to use a little common sense. If God is not a person, how can His sons be persons? If your father is just a void, if he is not a person, how can you be a person? If your father has no form, how can you have form? This is not very difficult; it is just a common sense question. Unfortunately, because people are frustrated, they try to imagine some form, or they conclude that because this material form is temporary and troublesome, God must be formless. Indeed, because all forms in this material world must perish, God, of necessity, must be formless.

Brahma-samhita specifically states that this conception is a mistake. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. God has form, but His form is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Sat means "eternal," cit means "knowledge," and ananda means "pleasure." God has form, but His form is eternal and is full of knowledge and pleasure. We cannot compare His form to our form. Our form is neither eternal, full of pleasure, nor full of knowledge; therefore God's form is different.

As soon as we speak of form, we think that form must be like ours, and we therefore conclude that the eternal, all-knowing, and all-blissful God must be without form. This is not knowledge but the result of imperfect speculation. According to Padma Purana, atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih: "One cannot understand the form, name, quality, or paraphernalia of God with one's material senses." Since our senses are imperfect, we cannot speculate on Him who is supremely perfect. That is not possible.

Then how is it possible to understand Him? Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. By training and purifying our senses, we may come to understand and see God. Presently we are attempting to understand God with impure, imperfect senses. It is like someone with cataracts trying to see. Just because one has cataracts, he should not conclude that there is nothing to be seen. Similarly, we cannot presently conceive of God's form, but once our cataracts are removed, we can see. According to Brahma-samhita, premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti: "The devotees whose eyes are anointed with the ointment of love of God can see God within their hearts twenty-four hours a day." Purification of the senses is what is required; then we can understand the name, form, qualities, and pastimes of God. Then we'll be able to see God everywhere and in everything.

These matters are discussed thoroughly in the Vedic literatures. For instance, it is said that although God has no hands or legs, He can accept whatever we offer (apani-pado javano grhita). It is also stated that although God has neither eyes nor ears, He can see and hear everything. These are apparent contradictions, but they are meant to teach us an important lesson. When we speak of seeing, we think of material vision. Due to our material conception, we think that the eyes of God must be like ours. Therefore, in order to remove these material conceptions, the Vedic literatures say that God has no hands, legs, eyes, ears, etc. God has eyes, but His vision is infinite. He can see in darkness, and He can see everywhere at once; therefore He has different eyes. Similarly, God has ears and can hear. He may be in His kingdom, millions and millions of miles away, but He can hear us whispering, because He is sitting within. We cannot avoid God's seeing, hearing, or touching.

patram puspam phalam toyam

yo me bhaktya prayacchati

tad aham bhakty-upahrtam

asnami prayatatmanah

"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it." (Bg. 9.26) If God does not have senses, how can He accept and eat the offerings that are presented to Him? According to ritual, we are offering Krsna food daily, and we can see that the taste of this food is immediately changed. This is a practical example. God eats, but because He is full, He does not eat like us. If I offer you a plate of food, you will eat it, and it will be finished. God is not hungry, but He eats, and at the same time, He leaves the food as it is, and thus it is transformed into prasada, His mercy. Purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate. God is full, yet He accepts all the food that we offer. Still, the food remains as it is. He can eat with His eyes. As stated in Brahma-samhita, angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti: "Every sense of the Lord's body has all the potencies of the other senses." Although we can see with our eyes, we cannot eat with our eyes. The senses of God, however, being infinite, are different. Simply by looking at the food that is offered to Him, He eats it.

This may not be understood at the present moment; therefore the Padma Purana states that when one becomes spiritually saturated by rendering transcendental service to the Lord, the transcendental name, form, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord are revealed. We cannot understand God by our own endeavor, but out of mercy God reveals Himself to us. If it is night, and you want to see the sun, you will have to wait for the sun to appear in the morning. You cannot go outside with a big torch and say, "Come on, I will show you the sunlight." In the morning, when the sun rises of its own will, we can see it. Because our senses are imperfect, we cannot see God by our own endeavor. We have to purify our senses and wait for the time when God will be pleased to reveal Himself to us. That is the process. We cannot challenge God. We cannot say, "O my dear God, my dear Krsna. Please come. I want to see You." No, God is not our order supplier. He is not our servant. When He is pleased, we will see Him; therefore this Krsna consciousness is a process by which we can please God so that He will reveal Himself to us.

Because people cannot see God, they readily accept anyone who says, "I am God." Because people have no conception of God, they are eager to accept any rascal who comes along and proclaims himself to be God. People are fond of saying, "I am searching after the truth," but in order to search for the truth, we must know what the truth is. Otherwise, how can we search it out? If we want to purchase gold, we must at least theoretically know what gold is, otherwise we will be cheated. Consequently, having no conception of the truth or of God, people are being cheated by so many rascals who say, "I am God." In a society of rascals, one rascal accepts another rascal as God, and this is all the result of rascaldom. But all this has nothing to do with God. One has to qualify himself to see and understand God, and that process of qualification is called Krsna consciousness. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah: by engaging ourselves in God's service, we become qualified to see God. Otherwise it is not possible. We may be great scientists or scholars, but our mundane scholarship will not help us see God.

This Bhagavad-gita is the science of Krsna consciousness, and in order to understand Krsna, we must be fortunate enough to associate with a person who is in pure Krsna consciousness. We cannot understand Bhagavad-gita simply by acquiring an M.A., Ph.D., or whatever. Bhagavad-gita is a transcendental science, and it requires different senses in order to be understood. Our senses must be purified by the rendering of service, not by the acquiring of academic degrees. There are many Ph. D.'s, many scholars, who cannot understand Krsna. Therefore Krsna appears in the material world. Although He is unborn (ajo 'pi sann avyayatma), He comes to reveal Himself to us.

Thus Krsna is realized by the grace of Krsna or by the grace of a Krsna conscious person who has realized Krsna by the grace of Krsna. We cannot understand Him through academic knowledge. We can only understand Krsna by acquiring the grace of Krsna. Once we acquire His grace, we can see Him, talk with Him--do whatever we desire. It is not that Krsna is a void. He is a person, the Supreme Person, and we can have a relationship with Him. That is the Vedic injunction. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam: "We are all eternal persons, and God is the supreme eternal person." We are all eternal, and God is the supreme eternal. Presently, because we are encaged within these bodies, we are experiencing birth and death, but actually we are beyond birth and death. We are eternal spirit souls, but according to our work and desires, we are transmigrating from one body to another. It is explained in the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (2.20),

na jayate mriyate va kadacin

nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah

ajo nityah sasvato 'yam purano

na hanyate hanyamane sarire

"For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain."

Just as God is eternal, we are also eternal, and when we establish our eternal relationship with the supreme, complete eternal, we realize our eternality. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. God is the supreme living entity among all living entities, the supreme eternal among all eternals. By Krsna consciousness, by purification of the senses, this knowledge will be realized, and we will come to see God.

A Krsna conscious person has realized knowledge, by the grace of Krsna, because he is satisfied with pure devotional service. By realized knowledge, one becomes perfect. By transcendental knowledge one can remain steady in his convictions, but by mere academic knowledge one can be easily deluded and confused by apparent contradictions. It is the realized soul who is actually self-controlled, because he is surrendered to Krsna. He is transcendental because he has nothing to do with mundane scholarship. For him, mundane scholarship and mental speculation, which may be as good as gold to others, are of no greater value than pebbles or stones.

Even if one is illiterate, he can realize God simply by engaging himself in submissive, transcendental loving service. God is not subjected to any material condition. He is supreme spirit, and the process of realizing Him is also beyond material considerations. Therefore, one may be a very learned scholar and still not be able to understand God. One should not think that because he is very poor he cannot realize God; nor should one think that he can realize God just because he is very rich. God may be understood by an uneducated person and misunderstood by one with great education. The understanding of God, like God Himself, is unconditional (apratihata).

In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6) it is stated,

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhoksaje

ahaituky apratihata

yayatma suprasidati

"The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self." Cultivation of love of God: that is the definition of first-class religion. Just as there are three gunas, or three qualities, in the material world, there are various religions, each situated in one of the three modes. We are not, however, concerned with analyzing these religious conceptions. For us, the purpose of religion is to understand God and to learn how to love God. That is the real purpose of any first-class religious system. If a religion does not teach love of God, it is useless. One may follow his religious principles very carefully, but if one does not possess love of God, his religion is null and void. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6) real religion must be ahaituki and apratihata: without selfish motivation and without impediment. By practicing such a religion, we will become happy in all respects.

Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Another name for God is adhoksaja, which means "one who cannot be seen by materialistic attempts." That is to say that God conquers all our attempts to see Him materially. The word aksaja refers to experimental knowledge, and adhah means "unreachable." So God cannot be reached through experimental knowledge. We have to learn to contact Him in a different way: through submissive hearing and the rendering of transcendental loving service.

True religion teaches causeless love of God. It does not say, "I love God because He supplies me nice objects for my sense gratification." That is not love. God is great, God is our eternal father, and it is our duty to love Him. There is no question of barter or exchange. We should not think, "Oh, God gives me my daily bread; therefore I love God." God gives daily bread even to the cats and dogs. Since He is the father of everyone, He is supplying everyone food. So loving God for daily bread is not love. Love is without reason. Even if God does not supply us our daily bread, we should love Him. That is true love. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, aslisya va pada-ratam pinastu mam adarsanan marma-hatam karotu va: "I know no one but Krsna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me broken-hearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally." That is the sentiment of one who is established in pure love of God. When we attain that stage of love of God, we will find that everything is full of pleasure; God is full of pleasure, and we also are full of pleasure.

suhrn-mitrary-udasina-

madhyastha-dvesya-bandhusu

sadhusv api ca papesu

sama-buddhir visisyate

"A person is said to be still further advanced when he regards all--the honest well-wisher, friends and enemies, the envious, the pious, the sinner, and those who are indifferent and impartial--with an equal mind." (Bg. 6.9) This is a sign of real spiritual advancement. In this material world we are considering people friends and enemies on the bodily platform--that is, on the basis of sense gratification. If one gratifies our senses, he is our friend, and if he doesn't, he is our enemy. However, once we have realized God, or the Absolute Truth, there are no such material considerations.

In this material world, all conditioned souls are under illusion. A doctor treats all patients, and although a patient may be delirious and insult the doctor, the doctor does not refuse to treat him. He still administers the medicine that is required. As Lord Jesus Christ said, we should hate the sin, not the sinner. That is a very nice statement, because the sinner is under illusion. He is mad. If we hate him, how can we deliver him? Therefore, those who are advanced devotees, who are really servants of God, do not hate anyone. When Lord Jesus Christ was being crucified, he said, "My God, forgive them. They know not what they do." This is the proper attitude of an advanced devotee. He understands that the conditioned souls cannot be hated, because they have become mad due to their materialistic way of thinking. In this Krsna consciousness movement, there is no question of hating anyone. Everyone is welcomed to come and chant Hare Krsna, take krsna-prasada, listen to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita, and try to rectify material, conditioned life. This is the essential program of Krsna consciousness. Therefore, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,

yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa

amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desa

"Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna as they are given in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land." (Cc. Madhya 7.128)

yogi yunjita satatam

atmanam rahasi sthitah

ekaki yata-cittatma

nirasir aparigrahah

"A transcendentalist should always try to concentrate his mind on the Supreme Self; he should live alone in a secluded place and should always carefully control his mind. He should be free from desires and feelings of possessiveness." (Bg. 6.10)

In this chapter, in which the Lord is teaching the principles of the yoga system, He here points out that a transcendentalist should always try to concentrate his mind on the Supreme Self. "The Supreme Self' refers to Krsna, the Supreme Lord. As explained before (nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam), God is the supreme eternal, the supreme living entity, the Supreme Self. The purpose of the entire yoga system is to concentrate the mind on this Supreme Self. We are not the Supreme Self. That should be understood. The Supreme Self is God. This is dvaita-vada--duality. Duality means that God is different from me. He is supreme, and I am subordinate. He is great, and I am small. He is infinite, and I am infinitesimal. This is the relationship between ourselves and God as we should understand it. Because we are infinitesimal, we should concentrate our mind on the infinite Supreme Self. In order to do this, we should live alone, and "living alone" means that we should not live with those who are not Krsna conscious. Ideally, this means that one should live in a secluded place, like a forest or a jungle, but in this age such a secluded place is very difficult to find. Therefore "secluded place" refers to that place where God consciousness is taught.

The transcendentalist should also carefully control his mind, and this means fixing the mind on the Supreme Self, or Krsna. As explained before, Krsna is just like the sun, and if the mind is fixed on Him, there is no question of darkness. If Krsna is always on our minds, maya, or illusion, can never enter. This is the process of concentration.

The transcendentalist should also be free from desires and feelings of possessiveness. People are materially diseased because they desire things and want to possess them. We desire that which we do not have, and we lament for that which we have lost. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma. One who is actually God conscious does not desire material possessions. He has only one desire--to serve Krsna. It is not possible to give up desire, but it is possible to purify our desires. It is the nature of the living entity to have some desire, but in the conditioned state, one's desire is contaminated. Conditioned, one thinks, "I desire to satisfy my senses by material possession." Purified desire is desire for Krsna, and if we desire Krsna, desires for material possessions will automatically vanish.

sucau dese pratisthapya

sthiram asanam atmanah

naty-ucchritam nati-nicam

cailajina-kusottaram

tatraikagram manah krtva

yata-cittendriya-kriyah

upavisyasane yunjyad

yogam atma-visuddhaye

"To practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should lay kusa grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat should neither be too high nor too low and should be situated in a sacred place. The yogi should then sit on it very firmly and should practice yoga by controlling the mind and the senses, purifying the heart, and fixing the mind on one point." (Bg. 6.11-12) In these verses it is emphasized how and where one should sit. In the United States and other Western countries, there are many so-called yoga societies, but they do not practice yoga according to these prescriptions. "A sacred place" refers to a place of pilgrimage. In India, the yogis, the transcendentalists, or devotees, all leave home and reside in sacred places such as Prayaga, Mathura, Vrndavana, Hrsikesa, and Hardwar and in solitude practice yoga where the sacred rivers like the Yamuna and the Ganges flow. So how is this possible in this age? How many people are prepared to find such a sacred place? In order to earn one's livelihood, one has to live in a congested city. There is no question of finding a sacred place, but for the practice of yoga, that is the first prerequisite.

Therefore in this bhakti-yoga system, the temple is considered the sacred place. The temple is nirguna--transcendental. According to the Vedas, a city is in the mode of passion, and a forest is in the mode of goodness. The temple, however, is transcendental. If you live in a city or town, you live in a place where passion is predominant, and if you want to escape this, you may go to a forest, a place of goodness. God's temple, however, is above passion and goodness; therefore the temple of Krsna is the only secluded place for this age. In this age, it is not possible to retreat to a forest; nor is it useful to make a show of practicing yoga in so-called yoga societies and at the same time engage in nonsense.

Therefore, in the Brhan-naradiya Purana it is said that in Kali-yuga, when people are generally short-lived slow in spiritual realization, and always disturbed by various anxieties, the best means of spiritual realization is chanting the holy names of the Lord.

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."

This is the solution, the grand gift of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this age, other yoga practices are not feasible, but this practice is so simple and universal that even a child can take to it.

Chapter Four

Moderation in Yoga

In this Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, the system of sankhya-yoga, which is the meditational astanga-yoga system, is emphasized. Jnana-yoga emphasizes the philosophical process of analysis by which we determine what is Brahman and what is not Brahman. This process is known as the neti neti process, or "not this, not that." In the beginning of the Vedanta-sutra it is stated, janmady asya yatah.: "The Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth, is He from whom everything emanates." This is a hint, and from this we must try to understand the nature of the Supreme Brahman, from whom everything is emanating. The nature of that Absolute Truth is explained in detail in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

In the first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated,

om namo bhagavate vasudevaya

janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat

tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah

tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa

dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi

"O my Lord, Sri Krsna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Sri Krsna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance, and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmaji, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Sri Krsna, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode. which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth."

Thus from the very beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam the Absolute Truth is proclaimed to be cognizant. He is not dead or void. And what is the nature of His cognizance? Anvayad itaratas carthesu: "He is directly and indirectly cognizant of all manifestations." To a limited degree, each and every living entity is cognizant, but we are not completely cognizant. I may claim, "This is my head," but if someone asks me, "Do you know how many hairs are on your head?" I will not be able to reply. Of course, this kind of knowledge is not transcendental, but in Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that the Supreme Absolute Truth knows everything, directly and indirectly. I may know that I am eating, but I do not know the intricacies of the eating process--how my body is exactly assimilating food, how the blood is passing through my veins, etc. I am cognizant that my body is functioning, but I do not know how these processes are working perfectly and all at once. This is because my knowledge is limited.

By definition, God is He who knows everything. He knows what is going on in every corner of His creation; therefore, from the very beginning, Srimad-Bhagavatam explains that the Supreme Truth from whom everything is emanating is supremely cognizant (abhijnah). One may ask, "If the Absolute Truth is so powerful, wise, and cognizant, He must have attained this knowledge from some similar being." This is not the case. If He attains His knowledge from someone else, He is not God. Svarat. He is independent, and His knowledge is automatically there.

Srimad-Bhagavatam is the supreme combination of both the jnana- and bhakti-yoga systems, because it analyzes in detail the nature of that Supreme Being from whom everything is emanating. By the jnana-yoga system, one attempts to understand the nature of the Absolute Truth in a philosophical way. In the bhakti-yoga system, the target is the same. The methodology, however, is somewhat different. Whereas the jnani attempts to concentrate his mind philosophically on the Supreme, the bhakta simply engages himself in the service of the Supreme Lord, and the Lord reveals Himself. The jnana method is called the ascending process, and the bhakti method is called the descending process. If we are in the darkness of night, we may attempt to attain the sunlight by ascending in a powerful rocket. According to the descending process, however, we simply await the sunrise, and then we understand immediately.

Through the ascending process, we attempt to reach the Supreme through our own endeavor, through the process of induction. By induction, we may attempt to find out whether man is mortal by studying thousands of men, trying to see whether they are mortal or immortal. This, of course, will take a great deal of time. If, however, I accept from superior authority the fact that all men are mortal, my knowledge is complete and immediate. Thus it is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.29), "My dear Lord, a person who has received a little favor from You can understand You very quickly. But those who are trying to understand You by the ascending process may go on speculating for millions of years and still never understand You."

By mental speculation, one is more likely to simply reach a point of frustration and confusion and conclude, "Oh, God is zero." But if God is zero, how are so many figures emanating from Him? As the Vedanta says (janmady asya yatah), "Everything is generating from the Supreme." Therefore the Supreme cannot be zero. We have to study how so many forms, so many infinite living entities, are being generated from the Supreme. This is also explained in the Vedanta-sutra, which is the study of ultimate knowledge. The word veda means "knowledge," and anta means "ultimate." Ultimate knowledge is knowledge of the Supreme Lord.

So how is it possible to understand the form of Krsna? If it is stated that God does not have eyes, limbs, and senses like ours, how are we to understand His transcendental senses, His transcendental form? This is not possible by mental speculation. We simply have to serve Him, and then He will reveal Himself to us. As Krsna Himself states in the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (10.11),

tesam evanukampartham

aham ajnana-jam tamah

nasayamy atma-bhava-stho

jnana-dipena bhasvata

"Out of compassion for them, l, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance." Krsna is within us, and when we are sincerely searching for Him by the devotional process, He will reveal Himself.

Again, as stated in the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (18.55),

bhaktya mam abhijanati

yavan yas casmi tattvatah

tato mam tattvato jnatva

visate tad-anantaram

"One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." Thus God has to be understood by this process of bhakti-yoga, which is the process of sravanam kirtanam visnoh--hearing and chanting about Visnu. This is the beginning of the bhakti-yoga process. If we but hear sincerely and submissively, we will understand. Krsna will reveal Himself. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam. There are nine different processes in the bhakti-yoga system. By vandanam, we offer prayers, and that is also bhakti. Sravanam is hearing about Krsna fro m Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and other sastras. Kirtanam is chanting about His glories, chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. This is the beginning of the bhakti-yoga process. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh. Everything is Visnu, and meditation is on Visnu. It is not possible to have bhakti without Visnu. Krsna is the original form of Visnu (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam: "Krsna is the original form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead"). If we but follow this bhakti-yoga process, we should be able to understand the Supreme, and all doubts should be removed.

The astanga-yoga process is outlined very specifically in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (6.13-14):

samam kaya-siro-grivam-

dharayann acalam sthirah

sampreksya nasikagram svam

disas canavalokayan

prasantatma vigata-bhir

brahmacari-vrate sthitah

manah samyamya mac-citto

yukta asita mat-parah

"One should hold one's body, neck, and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life." Yoga does not mean going to some class, paying some money, engaging in gymnastics, and then returning home to drink, smoke, and engage in sex. Such yoga is practiced by societies of the cheaters and the cheated. The authoritative yoga system is here outlined by the supreme authority, Sri Krsna Himself. Is there a better yogi than Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead? First of all, one has to go alone to a holy place and sit in a straight line, holding one's body, neck, and head erect, and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Why is this? This is a method to help concentrate one's mind. That's all. The real purpose of yoga, however, is to keep oneself always aware that Lord Krsna is within.

One of the dangers of sitting in meditation and staring at the tip of one's nose is that one will fall asleep. I have seen many so-called meditators sitting like this and snoring. As soon as one closes his eyes, it is natural to feel sleepy; therefore it is recommended that the eyes are half closed. Thus it is said that one should look at the tip of his nose. With one's sight thus concentrated, the mind should be subdued and unagitated. In India, the yogi often goes to a jungle to practice such meditation in solitude. But in a jungle, the yogi may think, "Maybe some tiger or snake is coming. What is that noise?" In this way, his mind may be agitated; therefore it is especially stated that the yogi must be "devoid of fear." A deerskin is especially recommended as a yoga-asana, because it contains a chemical property that repels snakes; thus the yogi will not be disturbed by serpents. Whatever the case--serpents, tigers, or lions--one can be truly fearless only when he is established in Krsna consciousness. Due to perverted memory, the conditioned soul is naturally fearful. Fear is due to forgetting one's eternal relationship with Krsna. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.37): bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syad isad apetasya viparyayo 'smrtih. Krsna consciousness provides the only true basis for fearlessness; therefore perfect practice of yoga is not possible for one who is not Krsna conscious.

The yogi must also be "completely free from sex life." If one indulges in sex, he cannot concentrate; therefore brahmacarya, complete celibacy, is recommended to make the mind steady. By practicing celibacy, one cultivates determination. One modern example of such determination is that of Mahatma Gandhi, who was determined to resist the powerful British empire by means of nonviolence. At this time, India was dependent on the British, and the people had no weapons. The Britishers, being more powerful, easily cut down whatever violent revolutions the people attempted. Therefore Gandhi resorted to nonviolence, noncooperation. "I shall not fight with the Britishers," he declared, "and even if they react with violence, I shall remain nonviolent. In this way the world will sympathize with us." Such a policy required a great amount of determination, and Gandhi's determination was very strong because he was a brahmacari. Although he had children and a wife, he renounced sex at the age of thirty-six. It was this sexual renunciation that enabled him to be so determined that he was able to lead his country and drive the British from India.

Thus, refraining from sex enables one to be very determined and powerful. It is not necessary to do anything else. This is a secret people are not aware of. If you want to do something with determination, you have to refrain from sex. Regardless of the process--be it hatha-yoga, bhakti-yoga, jnana-yoga, or whatever--sex indulgence is not allowed. Sex is allowed only for householders who want to beget good children and raise them in Krsna consciousness. Sex is not meant for sense enjoyment, although enjoyment is there by nature. Unless there is some enjoyment, why should one assume the responsibility of begetting children? That is the secret of nature's gift, but we should not take advantage of it. These are the secrets of life. By taking advantage and indulging in sex life, we are simply wasting our time. If one tells you that you can indulge in sex as much as you like and at the same time become a yogi, he is cheating you. If some so-called guru tells you to give him money in exchange for some mantra and that you can go on and engage in all kinds of nonsense, he is just cheating you. Because we want something sublime and yet want it cheaply, we put ourselves in a position to be cheated. This means that we actually want to be cheated. If we want something valuable, we must pay for it. We cannot expect to walk into a jewelry store and demand the most valuable jewel for a mere ten cents. No, we must pay a great deal. Similarly, if we want perfection in yoga, we have to pay by abstaining from sex. Perfection in yoga is not something childish, and Bhagavad-gita instructs us that if we try to make yoga into something childish, we will be cheated. There are many cheaters awaiting us, waiting to take our money, giving us nothing, and then leaving. But according to Sri Krsna's authoritative statement in Bhagavad-gita, one must be "completely free from sex life." Being free from sex, one should "meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life." This is real meditation.

Krsna does not recommend meditation on the void. He specifically states, "meditate upon Me." The visnu-murti is situated in one's heart, and meditation upon Him is the object of yoga. This is the sankhya-yoga system, as first practiced by Lord Kapiladeva, an incarnation of God. By sitting straight, staring steadily at the tip of one's nose, subduing one's mind, and abstaining from sex, one may be able to concentrate the mind on the visnu-murti situated within the heart. When we refer to the Visnu form, or visnu-murti, we refer to Sri Krsna.

In this Krsna consciousness movement we are meditating directly on Sri Krsna. This is a process of practical meditation. The members of this movement are concentrating their minds on Krsna, regardless of their particular occupation. One may be working in the garden and digging in the earth, but he is thinking, "I am cultivating beautiful roses to offer to Krsna." One may be cooking in the kitchen, but he is always thinking, "I am preparing palatable food to be offered to Krsna." Similarly, chanting and dancing in the temple are forms of meditating on Krsna. Thus the boys and girls in this Society for Krsna consciousness are perfect yogis because they are meditating on Krsna twenty-four hours a day. We are teaching the perfect yoga system, not according to our personal whims but according to the authority of Bhagavad-gita. Nothing is concocted or manufactured. The verses of Bhagavad-gita are there for all to see. The activities of the bhakti-yogis in this movement are so molded that the practitioners cannot help but think of Krsna at all times. "Meditate upon Me within the heart, and make Me the ultimate goal of life," Sri Krsna says. This is the perfect yoga system, and one who practices it prepares himself to be transferred to Krsnaloka.

yunjann evam sadatmanam

yogi niyata-manasa h

santim nirvana-paramam

mat-samstham adhigacchati

"Thus practicing control of the body, mind, and activities, the mystic transcendentalist attains to the kingdom of God [or the abode of Krsna] by cessation of material existence." (Bg. 6.15)

It is stated in Sanskrit in this verse, santim nirvana-paramam; that is, one attains peace through nirvana-paramam, or the cessation of material activities. Nirvana does not refer to void, but to putting an end to materialistic activities. Unless one puts an end to them, there is no question of peace. When Hiranyakasipu asked his five-year-old son Prahlada Maharaja, "My dear boy, what is the best thing you have thus far learned?" Prahlada immediately replied, tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat: "My dear father, O greatest of the demons, materialistic people are always full of anxiety because they have accepted as real that which is nonpermanent." The word asad-grahat is important because it indicates that materialists are always hankering to capture or possess something that is nonpermanent. History affords us many examples. Mr. Kennedy was a very rich man who wanted to become President, and he spent a great deal of money to attain that elevated position. Yet although he had a nice wife, children, and the presidency, everything was finished within a second. In the material world, people are always trying to capture something that is nonpermanent. Unfortunately, people do not come to their senses and realize, "I am permanent. I am spirit soul. Why am I hankering after something that is nonpermanent?"

We are always busy acquiring comforts for this body without considering that today, tomorrow, or in a hundred years this body will be finished. As far as the real "I" is concerned, "I am spirit soul. I have no birth. I have no death. What, then, is my proper function?" When we act on the material platform, we are engaged in bodily functions; therefore Prahlada Maharaja says that people are anxious because all their activities are targeted to capturing and possessing something nonpermanent. All living entities--men, beasts, birds, or whatever--are always full of anxiety, and this is the material disease. If we are always full of anxiety, how can we attain peace? People may live in a very nice house, but out front they place signs saying, "Beware of Dog," or "No Trespassers." This means that although they are living comfortably, they are anxious that someone will come and molest them. Sitting in an office and earning a very good salary, a man is always thinking, "Oh, I hope I don't lose this position." The American nation is very rich, but because of this, it has to maintain a great defense force. So who is free from anxiety? The conclusion is that if we want peace without anxiety, we have to come to Krsna consciousness. There is no alternative.

In order to attain peace, we must meditate on Krsna, and by meditating on Krsna, we can control the body. The first part of the body to control is the tongue, and the next part is the genital. When these are controlled, everything is controlled. The tongue is controlled by chanting and eating krsna-prasada. As soon as the tongue is controlled, the stomach is controlled, and next the genitals are controlled. Actually, controlling the body and mind is a very simple process. When the mind is fixed on Krsna and has no other engagement, it is automatically controlled. Activities should always be centered on working for Krsna--gardening, typing, cooking, cleaning, whatever. By engaging the body, mind, and activities in the service of Krsna, one attains the supreme nirvana, which abides in Krsna. Everything is in Krsna; therefore we cannot find peace outside Krsna conscious activities.

The ultimate goal of yoga is thus clearly explained. Yoga is not meant for attaining any kind of material facility; it is to enable the cessation of all material existence. As long as we require some material facilities, we will get them. But these facilities will not solve the problems of life. I have traveled throughout the world, and it is my opinion that American boys and girls have the best material facilities, but does this mean that they have attained peace? Can anyone say, "Yes, I am completely peaceful"? If this is so, why are American youngsters so frustrated and confused?

As long as we practice yoga in order to attain some material facility, there will be no question of peace. Yoga should only be practiced in order to understand Krsna. Yoga is meant for the reestablishment of our lost relationship with Krsna. Generally, one joins a yoga society in order to improve his health, to reduce fat. People in rich nations eat more, become fat, and then pay exorbitant prices to so-called yoga instructors in order to reduce. People try to reduce by all these artificial gymnastics; they do not understand that if they just eat vegetables or fruits and grains, they will never get fat. People get fat because they eat voraciously, because they eat meat. People who eat voraciously suffer from diabetes, overweight, heart attacks, etc., and those who eat insufficiently suffer from tuberculosis. Therefore moderation is required, and moderation in eating means that we eat only what is needed to keep body and soul together. If we eat more than we need or less, we will become diseased. All this is explained in the following verses:

naty-asnatas tu yogo 'sti

na caikantam anasnatah

na cati-svapna-silasya

jagrato naiva carjuna

"There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much, or does not sleep enough." (Bg. 6.16)

yuktahara-viharasya

yukta-cestasya karmasu

yukta-svapnavabodhasya

yogo bhavati duhkha-ha

"He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system." (Bg. 6.17) It is not that we are to starve ourselves. The body must be kept fit for any practice; therefore eating is required, and according to our program, we eat only krsna-prasada. If you can comfortably eat ten pounds of food a day, then eat it, but if you try to eat ten pounds out of greed or avarice, you will suffer.

So in the practice of Krsna consciousness, all these activities are present, but they are spiritualized. The cessation of material existence does not mean entering into "the void," which is only a myth. There is no void anywhere within the creation of the Lord. I am not void but spirit soul. If I were void, how would my bodily development take place? Where is this "void"? If we sow a seed in the ground, it grows into a plant or large tree. The father injects a seed into the womb of the mother, the body grows like a tree. Where is there void? In the Fourteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (14.4), Sri Krsna states,

sarva-yonisu kaunteya

murtayah sambhavanti yah

tasam brahma mahad yonir

aham bija-pradah pita

"It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father." The seed is originally given by Krsna, placed in the womb of material nature, and thus many living entities are generated. How can one argue against this process? If the seed of existence is void, how has this body developed?

Nirvana actually means not accepting another material body. It's not that we attempt to make this body void. Nirvana means making the miserable, material, conditional body void--that is, converting the material body into a spiritual body. This means entering into the kingdom of God, which is described in the Fifteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (15.6):

na tad bhasayate suryo

sa sasanko na pavakah

yad gatva na nivartante

tad dhama paramam mama

"That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world."

So there is no void anywhere within the Lord's creation. All the planets in the spiritual sky are self-illumined, like the sun. The kingdom of God is everywhere, but the spiritual sky and the planets thereof are all param dhama, or superior abodes. As stated, sunlight, moonlight, or electricity are not required in the param-dhama. We cannot find such an abode within this universe. We may travel as far as possible within our spaceships, but we will not find any place where there is no sunlight. The sunlight is so extensive that it pervades the universe. Therefore, that abode in which there is no sunlight, moonlight, or electricity is beyond this material sky. Beyond this material nature is a spiritual nature. Actually, we know nothing of this material nature; we do not even know how it was originally formed. So how can we know anything about the spiritual nature beyond? We have to learn from Krsna, who lives there; otherwise we remain in ignorance.

In this Bhagavad-gita, information of the spiritual sky is given. How can we know anything about that which we cannot reach? Our senses are so imperfect, how can we attain knowledge? We just have to hear and accept. How will we ever know who our father is unless we accept the word of our mother? Our mother says, "Here is your father," and we have to accept this. We cannot determine our father by making inquiries here and there or by attempting to experiment. This knowledge is beyond our means. Similarly, if we want to learn about the spiritual sky, God's kingdom, we have to hear from the authority, mother Vedas. The Vedas are called veda-mata, or mother Vedas, because the knowledge imparted therein is like that knowledge received from the mother. We have to believe in order to acquire knowledge. There is no possibility of acquiring this transcendental knowledge by experimenting with our imperfect senses.

A consummate yogi, who is perfect in understanding Lord Krsna, as is clearly stated herein (santim nirvana-paramam mat-samstham adhigacchati) by the Lord Himself, can attain real peace and ultimately reach the supreme abode of the Lord. This abode is known as Krsnaloka, or Goloka Vrndavana. In the Brahma-samhita it is clearly stated (goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah) that the Lord, although residing always in His abode called Goloka, is the all-pervading Brahman and the localized Paramatma as well, by dint of His superior spiritual energies. No one can reach the spiritual sky or enter into the eternal abode of the Lord (Vaikuntha, Goloka Vrndavana) without properly understanding Krsna and His plenary expansion Visnu. And according to Brahma-samhita, it is necessary to learn from our authorized mother, veda-mata. Brahma-samhita states that the Supreme Lord is living not only in His abode, Goloka Vrndavana, but everywhere: goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah. He is like the sun, which is millions of miles away and yet is still present within this room.

In conclusion, the person who works in Krsna consciousness is the perfect yogi, because his mind is always absorbed in Krsna's activities. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh. In the Vedas we also learn, tam eva viditvati mrtyum eti: "One can overcome the path of birth and death only by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna." Thus perfection of yoga is the attainment of freedom from material existence and not some magical jugglery or gymnastic feat to befool innocent people.

In this system of yoga, moderation is required; therefore it is stated that we should not eat too much or too little, sleep too much or too little, or work too much or too little. All these activities are there because we have to execute the yoga system with this material body. In other words, we have to make the best use of a bad bargain. The material body is a bad bargain in the sense that it is the source of all miseries. The spirit soul does not experience misery, and the normal condition of the living entity is his healthy, spiritual life. Misery and disease occur due to material contamination, disease, infection. So in a sense, material existence is a diseased condition of the soul. And what is that disease? The answer is not a great mystery. The disease is this body. This body is actually not meant for me. It may be "my" body, but it is a symptom of my diseased condition. In any case, I should identify with this body no more than I should identify with my clothes. In this world, we are all differently dressed. We are dressed as red men, brown men, white men, black men, yellow men, etc., or as Indians, Americans, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, etc. All these designations are not symptomatic of our actual position but of our diseased condition. The yoga system is meant to cure this disease by connecting us again with the Supreme.

We are meant to be connected with the Supreme just as our hand is meant to be connected to our body. We are part and parcel of the Supreme, just as the hand is part and parcel of the body. When the hand is severed from the body, it is valueless, but when it is joined to the body, it is invaluable. Similarly, in this material condition, we are disconnected from God. Actually, the word disconnected is not precise, because the connection is always there. God is always supplying all our necessities. Since nothing can exist without Krsna, we cannot be disconnected from Him. Rather, it is better to say that we have forgotten that we are connected to Krsna. Because of this forgetfulness, we have entered the criminal department of the universe. The government still takes care of its criminals, but they are legally disconnected from the civilian state. Our disconnection is a result of our engaging in so many nonsensical activities instead of utilizing our senses in the performance of our Krsna conscious duties.

Instead of thinking, "I am the eternal servant of God, or Krsna," we are thinking, "I am the servant of my society, my country, my husband, my wife, my dog, or whatever." This is called forgetfulness. How has this come about? All these misconceptions have arisen due to this body. Because I was born in America, I am thinking that I am an American. Each society teaches its citizens to think in this way. Because I am thinking that I am an American, the American government can tell me, "Come and fight. Give your life for your country." This is all due to the bodily conception; therefore an intelligent person should know that he is suffering miseries due to his body and that he should not act in such a way that he will continue to be imprisoned within a material body birth after birth. According to Padma Purana, there are 8,400,000 species of life, and all are but different forms of contamination--whether one has an American body, an Indian body, a dog's body, a hog's body, or whatever. Therefore the first instruction in yoga is, "I am not this body."

Attaining liberation from the contamination of the material body is the first teaching of Bhagavad-gita. In the Second Chapter, after Arjuna told Sri Krsna, "I shall not fight," the Lord said, "While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead." (Bg. 2.11) In other words, Arjuna was thinking on the bodily platform. He wanted to leave the battlefield because he did not want to fight with his relatives. All his conceptions were within the bodily atmosphere; therefore after Arjuna accepted Sri Krsna as his spiritual master, the Lord immediately chastised him, just as a master chastises his disciple in order to teach him. Essentially, Sri Krsna told Arjuna, "You are talking very wisely, as if you know so many things, but actually you are speaking nonsense, because you are speaking from the bodily position." Similarly, people throughout the world are posing themselves as highly advanced in education, science, philosophy, politics, etc., but their position is on the bodily platform.

A vulture may rise very high in the sky--seven or eight miles--and it is wonderful to see him fly in this way. He also has powerful eyes, for he can spot a carcass from a great distance. Yet what is the object of all these great qualifications? A dead body, a rotting carcass. His perfection is just to discover a dead piece of meat and eat it. That's all. Similarly, we may have a very high education, but what is our objective? Sense enjoyment, the enjoyment of this material body. We may rise very high with our spaceships, but what is the purpose? Sense gratification, that's all. This means that all the striving and all this high education are merely on the animal platform.

Therefore we should first of all know that our miserable material condition is due to this body. At the same time, we should know that this body is not permanent. Although I identify with my body, family, society, country, and so many other things, how long will these objects exist? They are not permanent. Asat is a word meaning that they will cease to exist. Asann api klesada asa dehah.: "The body is simply troublesome and impermanent."

Many people come to us saying, "Swamiji, my position is so troublesome," but as soon as we suggest the medicine, they will not accept it. This means that people want to manufacture their own medicine. Why do we go to a physician if we want to treat ourselves? People want to accept only what they think is palatable.

Although we are suggesting that this body is useless and is a form of contamination, we are not recommending that it be abused. We may use a car to carry us to work, but this does not mean that we should not take care of the car. We should take care of the car for it to carry us to and fro, but we should not become so attached to it that we are polishing it every day. We must utilize this material body in order to execute Krsna consciousness, and to this end we should keep it fit and healthy, but we should not become too attached to it. That is called yukta-vairagya. The body should not be neglected. We should bathe regularly, eat regularly, sleep regularly in order to keep mind and body healthy. Some people say that the body should be renounced and that we should take some drugs and abandon ourselves to intoxication, but this is not a yoga process. Krsna has given us nice food--fruits, grains, vegetables, and milk--and we can prepare hundreds and thousands of nice preparations and offer them to the Lord. Our process is to eat krsna-prasada and to satisfy the tongue in that way. But we should not be greedy and eat dozens of samosas, sweetballs, and rasagullas. No. We should eat and sleep just enough to keep the body fit, and no more. It is stated,

yuktahara-viharasya

yukta-cestasya karmasu

yukta-svapnavabodhasya

yogo bhavati duhkha-ha

"He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system." (Bg. 6.17)

Although we should minimize our eating and sleeping, we should not attempt this too rapidly, at the risk of becoming sick. Because people are accustomed to eating voraciously, there are prescriptions for fasting. We can reduce our sleeping and eating, but we should remain in good health for spiritual purposes. We should not attempt to reduce eating and sleeping too rapidly or artificially; when we advance we will naturally not feel pain due to the reduction of these natural bodily processes. In this respect, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami offers a good example. Although a very rich man's son, Raghunatha dasa left his home to join Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because he was the only son, Raghunatha dasa was very beloved by his father. Understanding that his son had gone to Jagannatha Puri to join Lord Caitanya, the father sent four servants with money to attend him. At first, Raghunatha accepted the money, thinking, "Oh, since my father has sent all this money, I will accept it and invite all the sannyasis to feast."

After some time, however, the feasts came to an end. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu then inquired from His secretary, Svarupa Damodara, "Nowadays I don't receive any invitations from Raghunatha. What has happened?"

"That is because Raghunatha has stopped accepting his father's money."

"Oh, that's very nice," Caitanya Mahaprabhu said.

"Raghunatha was thinking, 'Although I have renounced everything, I am still enjoying my father's money. This is hypocritical.' Therefore he has told the servants to go home and has refused the money."

"So how is he living?" Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired.

"Oh, he's standing on the steps of the Jagannatha temple, and when the priests pass him on their way home, they offer him some prasada. In this way, he is satisfied."

"This is very nice," Caitanya Mahaprabhu commented.

Regularly going to the Jagannatha temple, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu would see Raghunatha standing on the steps. After a few days, however, He no longer saw him there. Therefore the Lord commented to His secretary, "I no longer see Raghunatha standing on the temple steps."

"He has given that up," Svarupa Damodara explained. "He was thinking, 'Oh, I am standing here just like a prostitute, waiting for someone to come and give me food. No. I don't like this at all.' "

"That is very nice," Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "but how is he eating?"

"Every day he is collecting some rejected rice from the kitchen and is eating that."

To encourage Raghunatha, Caitanya Mahaprabhu one day visited him. "Raghunatha," the Lord said, "I hear that you are eating very palatable food. Why are you not inviting Me?"

Raghunatha did not reply, but the Lord quickly found the place where he kept the rice, and the Lord immediately took some and began to eat it.

"Dear Lord," Raghunatha implored, "please do not eat this. It is not fit for You."

"Oh, no? Why do you say it's not fit for Me? It's Lord Jagannatha's prasada!"

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu enacted this pastime just to discourage Raghunatha from thinking, "I am eating this miserable, rejected rice." Through the Lord's encouragement, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami reduced his daily quantity of food until he was finally eating only one pat of butter every other day. And every day he was also bowing down hundreds of times and constantly chanting the holy names. Sankhya-purvaka-nama-gana-natibhih kalavasani-krtau.

Although this is an excellent example of minimizing all material necessities, we should not try to imitate it. It is not possible for an ordinary man to imitate Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, who was one of the six Gosvamis, a highly elevated associate of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. Each one of the six Gosvamis displayed a unique example of how one can advance in Krsna consciousness, but it is not our duty to imitate them. We should just try to follow, as far as possible, in their footsteps. If we immediately try to become like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami by imitating him, we are sure to fail, and whatever progress we have made will be defeated. Therefore the Lord says (Bg. 6.16) that there is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi if one eats too much or too little.

The same moderation applies to sleep. Presently I may be sleeping ten hours a day, but if I can keep myself fit by sleeping five hours, why sleep ten? As far as the body is concerned, there are four demands--eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. The problem with modern civilization is that it is trying to increase these demands, but they should be decreased instead. Eat what we need, and sleep when we need, and our health will be excellent. There is no question of artificial imitation.

And what is the result obtained by one who is temperate in his habits?

yada viniyatam cittam

atmany evavatisthate

nisprhah sarva-kamebhyo

yukta ity ucyate tada

"When the yogi, by practice of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and becomes situated in Transcendence--devoid of all material desires--he is said to have attained yoga." (Bg. 6.18)

The perfection of yoga means keeping the mind in a state of equilibrium. Materially speaking, this is impossible. After reading a mundane novel once, you will not want to read it again, but you can read Bhagavad-gita four times a day and still not tire of it. You may chant someone's name a half an hour, or sing a mundane song three or four times, but before long this becomes tiresome. Hare Krsna, however, can be chanted day and night, and one will never tire of it. Therefore it is only through transcendental vibration that the mind can be kept in a state of equilibrium. When one's mental activities are thus stabilized, one is said to have attained yoga.

The perfectional stage of yoga was exhibited by King Ambarisa, who utilized all his senses in the service of the Lord. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.4.18-20),

sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor

vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane

karau harer mandira-marjanadisu

srutim cakaracyuta-sat-kathodaye

mukunda-lingalaya-darsane drsau

tad-bhrtya-gatra-sparse 'nga-sangamam

ghranam ca tat-pada-saroja-saurabhe

srimat-tulasya rasanam tad-arpite

padau hareh ksetra-padanusarpane

siro hrsikesa-padabhivandane

kamam ca dasye na tu kama-kamyaya

yathottamasloka-janasraya ratih

"King Ambarisa first of all engaged his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Krsna; then, one after another, he engaged his words in describing the transcendental qualities of the Lord, his hands in mopping the temple of the Lord, his ears in hearing of the activities of the Lord, his eyes in seeing the transcendental forms of the Lord, his body in touching the bodies of the devotees, his sense of smell in smelling the scents of the lotus flowers offered to the Lord, his tongue in tasting the tulasi leaf offered at the temple of the Lord, his head in offering obeisances unto the Lord, and his desires in executing the mission of the Lord. All these transcendental activities are quite befitting a pure devotee."

This, then, is the perfection of yoga devoid of all material desire. If all our desires are for Krsna, there is no scope for material desire. All material desire is automatically finished. We don't have to try to concentrate artificially. All perfection is there in Krsna consciousness because it is on the spiritual platform. Being on the spiritual platform, this supreme yoga is eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge. Therefore there are no misgivings or material impediments.

Chapter Five

Determination and Steadiness in Yoga

yatha dipo nivata-stho

nengate sopama smrta

yogino yata-cittasya

yunjato yogam atmanah

"As a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist, whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on the transcendent Self." (Bg. 6.19)

If the mind is absorbed in Krsna consciousness, it will remain as steady as the flame of a candle that is in a room where there is no wind. Therefore it is said that a truly Krsna conscious person always absorbed in transcendence, in constant undisturbed meditation on his worshipable Lord, is as steady as a lamp or candle in a windless place. Just as the flame is not agitated, the mind is not agitated, and that steadiness is the perfection of yoga.

The state of one thus steadily situated in meditation on the transcendent Self, or the Supreme Lord, is described by Sri Krsna in the following verses of Bhagavad-gita (6.20-23):

yatroparamate cittam

niruddham yoga-sevaya

yatra caivatmanatmanam

pasyann atmani tusyati

sukham atyantikam yat tad

buddhi-grahyam atindriyam

vetti yatra na caivayam

sthitas calati tattvatah

yam labdhva caparam labham

manyate nadhikam tatah

yasmin sthito na duhkhena

gurunapi vicalyate

tam vidyad duhkha-samyoga-

viyogam yoga-samjnitam

"The stage of perfection is called trance, or samadhi, when one's mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one's ability to see the Self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the Self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact."

Samadhi does not mean making oneself void or merging into the void. That is impossible. Kleso 'dhikataras tesam avyaktasakta-cetasam. Some yogis say that one has to put an end to all activities and make himself motionless, but how is this possible? By nature, the living entity is a moving, acting spirit. "Motionless" means putting an end to material motion and being fixed in Krsna consciousness. In such a state, one is no longer disturbed by material propensities. As one becomes materially motionless, one's motions in Krsna consciousness increase. As one becomes active in Krsna consciousness, one becomes automatically motionless in respect to material activities.

I have often used the example of a restless child. Since it is impossible to make such a child motionless, it is necessary to give him some playthings or some pictures to look at. In this way, he will be engaged, or motionless in the sense that he will not be committing some mischief. But if one really wants to make him motionless, one must give him some engagement in Krsna consciousness. Then there will be no scope for mischievous activities, due to realization in Krsna consciousness. To be engaged in Krsna consciousness, one should first realize, "I am Krsna's. I am not this matter. I am not of this nation or of this society. I do not belong to this rascal or that rascal. I am simply Krsna's." This is motionless; this is full knowledge, realizing our actual position as part and parcel of Krsna. As stated in the Fifteenth Chapter (Bg. 15.7), mamaivamso jiva-loke: "The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts." As soon as we understand this, we immediately cease our material activities, and this is what is meant by being motionless. In this state, one sees the Self by the pure mind and relishes and rejoices in the Self. "Pure mind" means understanding, "I belong to Krsna." At the present moment, the mind is contaminated because we are thinking, "I belong to this; I belong to that." The mind is pure when it understands, "I belong to Krsna."

Rejoicing in the Self means rejoicing with Krsna. Krsna is the Supersoul, or the Superself. I am the individual soul, or the individual self. The Superself and the self enjoy together. Enjoyment cannot be alone; there must be two. What experience do we have of solitary enjoyment? Solitary enjoyment is not possible. Enjoyment means two: Krsna, who is the Supersoul, and the individual soul.

If one is convinced that "I am part and parcel of Krsna," one is not disturbed even in the midst of the greatest difficulties, because one knows that Krsna will give protection. That is surrender. To attain this position, one must try his best, use his intelligence, and believe in Krsna. Balasya neha saranam pitarau nrsimha (Bhag. 7.9.19). If Krsna does not protect us, nothing can save us. If Krsna neglects us, there is no remedy, and whatever meas