Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.6.38
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesYoga’s Perfection Goes Beyond Sitting Postures
“His left leg was placed on his right thigh, and his left hand was placed on his left thigh. [This sitting posture is called vīrāsana.] In his right hand he held rudrākṣa beads, and his finger was in the mode of argument.”
What the purport teaches
- Lord Śiva sat in vīrāsana, a posture within the system of aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Yoga includes controlling oneself, following rules and regulations, and practicing sitting postures.
- Practicing āsanas without progressing toward realization of the Supersoul, Viṣṇu, is not the perfectional stage of yoga.
- Lord Śiva is yogīśvara: no one surpasses his yoga practice. Kṛṣṇa is yogeśvara: no one surpasses His yogic perfection.
Try this today
Write a reminder that yoga’s perfection is not posture alone, but realization of the Supersoul, Viṣṇu.
Ask yourself
Do you think of yoga mainly as bodily practice, or as a path toward realizing the Supersoul?
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.