Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 3.21.4
Visarga· Brahmā's creationSpiritual Perfection Requires Disciplined Senses
“How many offspring did that great yogī beget through the princess, who was endowed with eightfold perfection in the yoga principles? Oh, pray tell me this, for I am eager to hear it.”
What the purport teaches
- Kardama and Devahūti were both advanced in yoga. Vidura eagerly asked about the children they produced.
- The eight divisions of yoga include sense control, following rules, postures, breath control, withdrawing the senses, concentration, meditation and self-realization.
- Great sages formerly perfected their lives before begetting children; otherwise, they observed celibacy. Unrestricted sense enjoyment and payment to a supposed teacher cannot make someone a great meditator.
Try this today
Choose one unnecessary sense indulgence to set aside today as a small exercise in self-control.
Ask yourself
Am I willing to practice discipline rather than seek spiritual shortcuts?
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.