Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 2.1.23
Mukti· LiberationYoga Aims at God Realization
“Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered: One should control the sitting posture, regulate the breathing process by the yogic prāṇāyāma and thus control the mind and senses and with intelligence apply the mind to the gross potencies of the Lord [called the virāṭ-rūpa].”
What the purport teaches
- Regulating posture and breathing and fixing the mind upon the Supreme are prescribed to train the materially absorbed person. The mind must be cleansed before it can concentrate on transcendence.
- The real purpose of yogic regulations is to remove lust, anger, avarice and other material impurities. Becoming diverted by mystic powers defeats the aim of God realization.
- Fixing the mind on the Lord’s gross external feature helps one recognize His potencies. Understanding these as manifestations of transcendence allows gradual progress toward full realization.
Try this today
Identify one instance of anger or greed today and pause before acting, remembering that spiritual discipline is meant to cleanse the mind.
Ask yourself
Am I measuring spiritual progress by unusual abilities or by freedom from lust, anger and greed?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.