Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.8.43
Mukti· LiberationPrepare to Concentrate on Lord Viṣṇu
“Nārada Muni instructed: My dear boy, in the waters of the Yamunā River, which is known as Kālindī, you should take three baths daily because the water is very auspicious, sacred and clear. After bathing, you should perform the necessary regulative principles for aṣṭāṅga-yoga and then sit down on your āsana [sitting place] in a calm and quiet position.”
What the purport teaches
- Nārada Muni instructed Dhruva Mahārāja to bathe three times daily in the sacred, clear waters of the Yamunā. This external purification is part of the gradual process of mystic yoga.
- After bathing and following the necessary regulative principles, Dhruva was to sit calmly on his prepared āsana, or sitting place.
- Aṣṭāṅga-yoga is not a bodily gymnastic exercise. Its purpose is to settle the mind and concentrate it on the form of Lord Viṣṇu.
Try this today
After washing today, sit quietly for a minute and direct your attention toward Lord Viṣṇu.
Ask yourself
Do I understand yoga chiefly as bodily exercise or as concentration on the Lord?
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.