“That is the Perfection of Life”

Those who are too much bodily concept of life, bodily consciousness, they should practice this yoga, hatha-yoga, astanga-yoga, so that the mind can be purified.

Prabhupada, Bombay, January 14, 1975: Manasa-vrtti. This is called the characteristic of the mind. Then subtle action of mind: thinking, feeling, willing. And the mind is expanding in hundreds, thousands, millions of ideas. In this way I am becoming entangled. So when this mind is controlled… The yoga system is for that purpose. Those who are too much bodily concept of life, bodily consciousness, they should practice this yoga, hatha-yoga, astanga-yoga, so that the mind can be purified. As soon as the mind is purified, then all this expansion into thousands and millions of ideas will be controlled, and the only idea will be Krsna. This is called yoga system, concentrating. Dhyanavasthita yogena pasyanti yam yoginah. Dhyanavasthita-manasa: “The mind is controlled, and the focus of the mind is on Krsna or Visnu.” Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. Then we can see the effulgence, and the localized, and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So any system of yoga, either hatha-yoga, jnana-yoga, or… Karma-yoga is in the lowest standard. And above all, bhakti-yoga. Then, when you come to the bhakti-yoga, that is the perfection of life. Bhakti-yogena manasi samyak pranihite amale. Bhakti-yogena amala: “The mind becomes cleansed.” Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. That is the effect of…, direct effect of bhakti-yoga, because the mind is now contaminated, and under the creation of senses and sense activities, we are making millions and trillions of ideas and become entangled in that idea. We have to accept millions and trillions of body and then go on in the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease. This is implication. So purify the mind. That is the chanting of Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam. When our mind is cleansed… This is maha-davagni. This expansion of mental ideas, thousands and millions, that is maha…, bhava-maha-davagni. Bhava-maha- davagni. So it is the duty of guru to get out his disciple from the bhava-maha-davagni. Samsara-davanala-lidha-loka-tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam.

Full lecture: http://causelessmercy.com/t/t/750114SB.BOM.htm