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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Jñāna-yoga

This chapter briefly summarizes the process of jñāna-yoga, which previous chapters described in detail.

Every created thing in this universe is a material product of the three modes of nature, is subject to sensory perception, and is essentially unreal. Actually, the designations of “good” and “bad” that we assign to the various objects and activities of this world are all superficial. It is better to avoid condemning or praising anything of this world, because doing so simply entangles one in matter and deprives one of the higher goals of spiritual life. Hidden within every object of the material universe is the spirit soul, who underlies both the causes and products of manifest existence. One should see things in this light and thus move about the material world in a mood of detachment.

As long as there is a relationship between the bodily senses, which are comprised of matter, and the soul, which is the reality, one will continue in false consciousness. Although material existence is unreal, those who lack discrimination remain entangled in the cycle of birth and death because of their absorption in sense gratification. All the phases of material life — such as birth, death, sorrow and happiness — belong not to the soul but to the materialistic false ego. By learning to distinguish between the soul and its opposite, matter, one can destroy this false identification.

There is a single Absolute Truth present at the beginning and at the end of this world. During its interim, or maintenance phase, the cosmic manifestation is also founded upon the same Absolute Truth. This Absolute, Brahman, exists everywhere, both positively by its manifestations and negatively by its aloofness. Brahman is unique in being self-sufficient, whereas this world is the expansion of Brahman produced through the material mode of passion.

By the mercy of a bona fide spiritual master, one can understand the Absolute Truth and come to appreciate the nonspiritual nature of the material body and its extensions. Desisting from engagement in material sense enjoyment, one then becomes satisfied in the ecstasy of the self. Just as the sun remains untouched by the coming and going of clouds, the discriminating, liberated person remains unaffected by the activities of his senses. Nevertheless, until one becomes perfectly fixed in bhakti-yoga, pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord, one should carefully avoid contacting material sense objects. An aspiring devotee may meet various obstacles and fall down, but in his next life he will continue his practice by dint of what he has already accomplished in devotional service. He will never again become bound up by the laws of karma. The man who is liberated and established in discrimination will under no circumstances seek false enjoyment by indulging in material sense gratification. He knows that the soul is changeless and that any contrary conception imposed on the pure self is sheer illusion.

If, during the immature stage of spiritual practice, one suffers physical disease or other disturbances, the Vedas enjoin that he should certainly take proper measures to eradicate the problem. The prescribed remedies for lust and the other enemies of the mind are meditation on the Supreme Lord and saṅkīrtana, the loud chanting of His names. The remedy for the disease of false ego is rendering service to the Supreme Lord’s saintly devotees.

By practicing yoga, some nondevotees keep their bodies youthful and fit, and may even achieve mystic perfections or long life. But these attainments are actually worthless, because they are perfections only of the material body. An intelligent person is therefore uninterested in this kind of process. Rather, by taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, an aspiring devotee who is seriously dedicated to the Lord rids himself of all disturbances and becomes empowered to attain the highest perfection, the full bliss of spiritual life.

Devanagari

श्रीभगवानुवाच
परस्वभावकर्माणि न प्रशंसेन्न गर्हयेत् ।
विश्वमेकात्मकं पश्यन् प्रकृत्या पुरुषेण च ॥ १ ॥

Text

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
para-svabhāva-karmāṇi
na praśaṁsen na garhayet
viśvam ekātmakaṁ paśyan
prakṛtyā puruṣeṇa ca

Synonyms

śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; para — anyone else’s; svabhāva — nature; karmāṇi — and activities; na praśaṁset — one should not praise; na garhayet — one should not criticize; viśvam — the world; eka-ātmakam — based on one reality; paśyan — seeing; prakṛtyā — along with nature; puruṣeṇa — with the enjoying soul; ca — also.

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One should neither praise nor criticize the conditioned nature and activities of other persons. Rather, one should see this world as simply the combination of material nature and the enjoying souls, all based on the one Absolute Truth.

Purport

Material situations and activities appear to be good, passionate or ignorant according to the interaction of the modes of nature. These modes are produced by the illusory potency of the Lord, which is itself not different from its master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So a devotee of the Lord remains aloof from the illusory, temporary manifestations of material nature. At the same time, he accepts material nature as the potency of the Lord and thus essentially real. The example may be given that modeling clay is shaped by a child into various playful forms such as tigers, men or houses. The modeling clay is real, whereas the temporary shapes it assumes are illusory, not being actual tigers, men or houses. Similarly, the entire cosmic manifestation is modeling clay in the hands of the Supreme Lord, who acts through māyā to shape the glaring temporary forms of illusion, which absorb the minds of those who are not devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Devanagari

परस्वभावकर्माणि य: प्रशंसति निन्दति ।
स आशु भ्रश्यते स्वार्थादसत्यभिनिवेशत: ॥ २ ॥

Text

para-svabhāva-karmāṇi
yaḥ praśaṁsati nindati
sa āśu bhraśyate svārthād
asaty abhiniveśataḥ

Synonyms

para — another’s; svabhāva — personality; karmāṇi — and work; yaḥ — who; praśaṁsati — praises; nindati — criticizes; saḥ — he; āśu — quickly; bhraśyate — falls down; sva-arthāt — from his own interest; asati — in unreality; abhiniveśataḥ — because of becoming entangled.

Translation

Whoever indulges in praising or criticizing the qualities and behavior of others will quickly become deviated from his own best interest by his entanglement in illusory dualities.

Purport

A conditioned soul desires to lord it over material nature and thus criticizes another conditioned soul whom he considers inferior. Similarly, one praises a superior materialist because one aspires to that superior position, in which one may dominate others. Praising and criticizing other materialistic people are thus directly or indirectly based on envy of other living entities and cause one to fall down from sva-artha, one’s real self-interest, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The words asaty abhiniveśataḥ, “by absorption in the temporary, or unreal,” indicate that one should not adopt a concept of material duality and praise or criticize other materialistic persons. Rather, one should praise the pure devotees of the Supreme Lord and criticize the mentality of rebellion against the Personality of Godhead, by which one becomes a nondevotee. One should not criticize a low-class materialist, thinking that a high-class materialist is nice. In other words, one should distinguish between the material and the spiritual and should not become absorbed in good and bad on the material platform. For example, an honest citizen distinguishes between the life of civil freedom and that of imprisonment, whereas a foolish prisoner distinguishes between comfortable and uncomfortable prison cells. Just as for a free citizen any situation in prison is unacceptable, for a liberated, Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee any material position is unappealing.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura indicates that rather than trying to separate conditioned souls by materialistic distinctions, one should bring them together to chant the holy names of the Lord and propagate the saṅkīrtana movement of Lord Caitanya. A nondevotee, or even an envious third-class devotee, is not interested in uniting people on the platform of love of Godhead. Instead he unnecessarily separates them by emphasizing material distinctions like “communist,” “capitalist,” “black,” “white,” “rich,” “poor,” “liberal,” “conservative” and so on. Material life is always imperfect, full of ignorance and disappointing in the end. Rather than praising and criticizing the high and low features of ignorance, one should be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, on the spiritual platform of eternity, bliss and knowledge.

Devanagari

तैजसे निद्रयापन्ने पिण्डस्थो नष्टचेतन: ।
मायां प्राप्नोति मृत्युं वा तद्वन्नानार्थद‍ृक् पुमान् ॥ ३ ॥

Text

taijase nidrayāpanne
piṇḍa-stho naṣṭa-cetanaḥ
māyāṁ prāpnoti mṛtyuṁ vā
tadvan nānārtha-dṛk pumān

Synonyms

taijase — when the senses, which are the products of false ego in the mode of passion; nidrayā — by sleep; āpanne — are overcome; piṇḍa — in the shell of the material body; sthaḥ — (the soul) who is situated; naṣṭa-cetanaḥ — having lost his consciousness; māyām — the illusion of dreaming; prāpnoti — he experiences; mṛtyum — the deathlike condition of deep sleep; — or; tadvat — in the same way; nānā-artha — in terms of material varieties; dṛk — who sees; pumān — a person.

Translation

Just as the embodied spirit soul loses external consciousness when his senses are overcome by the illusion of dreaming or the deathlike state of deep sleep, so a person experiencing material duality must encounter illusion and death.

Purport

The material senses are described here as taijasa because they are born of false ego in the mode of passion. Impelled by false ego, one dreams of the material world without the Personality of Godhead and makes plans to lord it over nature, to exploit her resources. Modern atheistic scientists have developed this false ego to a fine art and imagine themselves great heroes conquering the obstacles of nature and moving forward toward inevitable omniscience. Such dreamy materialists are repeatedly stunned by the crushing reactions of the laws of nature, and their arrogant, agnostic civilizations are repeatedly annihilated by world wars, natural disasters and violent shifts of the cosmic situation.

On a simpler level, all conditioned souls are captivated by sex attraction and thus bound to the illusion of material society, friendship and love. They imagine themselves to be wonderful enjoyers of the material nature, which suddenly turns against them and kills them just like the “tamed” animal that suddenly turns on its master and kills him.

Devanagari

किं भद्रं किमभद्रं वा द्वैतस्यावस्तुन: कियत् ।
वाचोदितं तदनृतं मनसा ध्यातमेव च ॥ ४ ॥

Text

kiṁ bhadraṁ kim abhadraṁ vā
dvaitasyāvastunaḥ kiyat
vācoditaṁ tad anṛtaṁ
manasā dhyātam eva ca

Synonyms

kim — what; bhadram — good; kim — what; abhadram — bad; — or; dvaitasya — of this duality; avastunaḥ — insubstantial; kiyat — how much; vācā — by words; uditam — generated; tat — that; anṛtam — false; manasā — by the mind; dhyātam — meditated upon; eva — indeed; ca — and.

Translation

That which is expressed by material words or meditated upon by the material mind is not ultimate truth. What, therefore, is actually good or bad within this insubstantial world of duality, and how can the extent of such good and bad be measured?

Purport

The actual truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom everything emanates, by whom everything is maintained, and in whom everything merges to rest. Material nature is the reflection of the Absolute Truth, and by the interaction of the material modes of nature the innumerable varieties of matter appear to be separate, independent truths. Māyā, illusion, distracts the conditioned soul from the Absolute Truth and absorbs his mind in the glaring manifestation of matter, which ultimately is nondifferent from the Absolute Truth, being an emanation from Him. The sense of good and bad as separate from the Supreme Lord is like the good and bad dreams experienced by a sleeping person. Good and bad dreams are equally unreal. Similarly, material good and evil have no permanent existence separate from the Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Lord is the well-wisher of every living entity, and therefore execution of His order is good, whereas disobeying His order is bad. Lord Kṛṣṇa has created a perfect social and occupational system called varṇāśrama-dharma, and the Lord has further given perfect spiritual knowledge in Bhagavad-gītā and other literatures. Execution of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s order will bring complete social, psychological, political, economic and spiritual success to human society. We should not foolishly look for so-called good outside the orders of the Personality of Godhead. Such orders are called the laws of God and constitute the essence, or substance, of religion.

Devanagari

छायाप्रत्याह्वयाभासा ह्यसन्तोऽप्यर्थकारिण: ।
एवं देहादयो भावा यच्छन्त्यामृत्युतो भयम् ॥ ५ ॥

Text

chāyā-pratyāhvayābhāsā
hy asanto ’py artha-kāriṇaḥ
evaṁ dehādayo bhāvā
yacchanty ā-mṛtyuto bhayam

Synonyms

chāyā — shadows; pratyāhvaya — echoes; ābhāsāḥ — and false appearances; hi — indeed; asantaḥ — nonexistent; api — although; artha — ideas; kāriṇaḥ — creating; evam — in the same way; deha-ādayaḥ — the body and so on; bhāvāḥ — material conceptions; yacchanti — they give; ā-mṛtyutaḥ — up to the point of death; bhayam — fear.

Translation

Although shadows, echoes and mirages are only illusory reflections of real things, such reflections do cause a semblance of meaningful or comprehensible perception. In the same way, although the identification of the conditioned soul with the material body, mind and ego is illusory, this identification generates fear within him even up to the moment of death.

Purport

Although shadows, echoes and mirages are mere reflections of real substances, they create strong emotions in persons falsely accepting them as real. In the same manner, a conditioned soul is seized by such emotions as fear, lust, anger and hope because of his illusory perception of himself as the material body, mind and false ego. By practical example it is thus shown that even illusory objects may cause highly emotional reactions. Ultimately our emotions should be absorbed in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is eternal truth. Fear is forever vanquished when one takes shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet. One can then enjoy the pure emotions of liberated life.

Devanagari

आत्मैव तदिदं विश्वं सृज्यते सृजति प्रभु: ।
त्रायते त्राति विश्वात्मा ह्रियते हरतीश्वर: ॥ ६ ॥
तस्मान्न ह्यात्मनोऽन्यस्मादन्यो भावो निरूपित: ।
निरूपितेऽयं त्रिविधा निर्मूला भातिरात्मनि ।
इदं गुणमयं विद्धि त्रिविधं मायया कृतम् ॥ ७ ॥

Text

ātmaiva tad idaṁ viśvaṁ
sṛjyate sṛjati prabhuḥ
trāyate trāti viśvātmā
hriyate haratīśvaraḥ
tasmān na hy ātmano ’nyasmād
anyo bhāvo nirūpitaḥ
nirūpite ’yaṁ tri-vidhā
nirmūlā bhātir ātmani
idaṁ guṇa-mayaṁ viddhi
tri-vidhaṁ māyayā kṛtam

Synonyms

ātmā — the Supreme Soul; eva — alone; tat idam — this; viśvam — universe; sṛjyate — is created; sṛjati — and creates; prabhuḥ — the Supreme Lord; trāyate — is protected; trāti — protects; viśva-ātmā — the Soul of all that be; hriyate — is withdrawn; harati — withdraws; īśvaraḥ — the supreme controller; tasmāt — than Him; na — no; hi — indeed; ātmanaḥ — than the Soul; anyasmāt — who is distinct; anyaḥ — other; bhāvaḥ — entity; nirūpitaḥ — is ascertained; nirūpite — thus established; ayam — this; tri-vidhā — threefold; nirmūlā — without basis; bhātiḥ — appearance; ātmani — within the Supersoul; idam — this; guṇa-mayam — consisting of the modes of nature; viddhi — you should know; tri-vidham — threefold; māyayā — by the illusory energy; kṛtam — created.

Translation

The Supersoul alone is the ultimate controller and creator of this world, and thus He alone is also the created. Similarly, the Soul of all existence Himself both maintains and is maintained, withdraws and is withdrawn. No other entity can be properly ascertained as separate from Him, the Supreme Soul, who nonetheless is distinct from everything and everyone else. The appearance of the threefold material nature, which is perceived within Him, has no actual basis. Rather, you should understand that this material nature, composed of the three modes, is simply the product of His illusory potency.

Purport

The Absolute Truth, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, expands His external potency and thus creates the material cosmos. As with the sun globe and its expanded rays, the Lord and His expanded potency are simultaneously one and different. Although to conditioned souls material duality seems to be based on the modes of nature, the entire material manifestation is actually nondifferent from the Lord and is of one ultimately spiritual nature. The modes of nature create sense objects, demigods, human beings, animals, friends, enemies and so forth. But in reality, everything is simply an expansion of the potency of the Supreme Lord.

Foolishly, the conditioned soul tries to lord it over material nature, but the Lord Himself, being nondifferent from that nature, is its only true proprietor. In several places the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has given the example of the spider spinning its web by expanding thread from its own mouth. Similarly, through His own potency the Lord manifests the material world, maintains it and eventually withdraws it within Himself. Although the Lord is the unique Supreme Personality of Godhead, above everyone and everything, He is simultaneously and inconceivably nondifferent from everything. Therefore it is the Lord Himself who is manifested when the Lord creates, it is the Lord Himself who is maintained when the Lord maintains, and it is the Lord Himself who is withdrawn at the time of annihilation.

Although the Lord is nondifferent from both His spiritual abode and His material creation, still the spiritual abode, Vaikuṇṭha, is always superior to the material manifestation. Both matter and spirit are energies of the Lord, yet the spiritual energy is molded into the eternal forms of bliss and knowledge, whereas the temporary forms of matter are symbols of ignorance and frustration for the conditioned souls who covet them. The Supreme Lord is Himself the reservoir of all pleasure and is thus dear to His devotees. The presumption that the Lord cannot give us complete pleasure is due to our misidentifying Him as a product of the material modes of nature. As a result, we pursue false happiness in the deadly embrace of māyā and thus deviate from our eternal loving relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Devanagari

एतद् विद्वान् मदुदितं ज्ञानविज्ञाननैपुणम् ।
न निन्दति न च स्तौति लोके चरति सूर्यवत् ॥ ८ ॥

Text

etad vidvān mad-uditaṁ
jñāna-vijñāna-naipuṇam
na nindati na ca stauti
loke carati sūrya-vat

Synonyms

etat — this; vidvān — one who knows; mat — by Me; uditam — described; jñāna — in knowledge; vijñāna — and realization; naipuṇam — the status of being fixed; na nindati — does not criticize; na ca — nor; stauti — praise; loke — within the world; carati — he wanders; sūrya-vat — just like the sun.

Translation

One who has properly understood the process of becoming firmly fixed in theoretical and realized knowledge, as described herein by Me, does not indulge in material criticism or praise. Like the sun, he wanders freely throughout this world.

Purport

Every living entity emanates from the Supreme Lord and is thus naturally full of realized knowledge. But when one becomes attached to praising or criticizing material good and bad for one’s personal sense gratification, one’s expert knowledge of the Lord becomes covered. A pure devotee should neither love nor hate any aspect of material illusion; he should rather accept whatever is favorable for serving Kṛṣṇa and reject whatever is unfavorable, following the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master.

Devanagari

प्रत्यक्षेणानुमानेन निगमेनात्मसंविदा ।
आद्यन्तवदसज्ज्ञात्वा नि:सङ्गो विचरेदिह ॥ ९ ॥

Text

pratyakṣeṇānumānena
nigamenātma-saṁvidā
ādy-antavad asaj jñātvā
niḥsaṅgo vicared iha

Synonyms

pratyakṣeṇa — by direct perception; anumānena — by logical deduction; nigamena — by the statements of scripture; ātma-saṁvidā — and by one’s own realization; ādi-anta-vat — having a beginning and an end; asat — unreal; jñātvā — knowing; niḥsaṅgaḥ — free from attachment; vicaret — one should move about; iha — in this world.

Translation

By direct perception, logical deduction, scriptural testimony and personal realization, one should know that this world has a beginning and an end and so is not the ultimate reality. Thus one should live in this world without attachment.

Purport

According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, there are two main material dualities. The first duality is that one sees material good and bad, beautiful and ugly, rich and poor, and so on. The second is that one sees the entire material world as separate from or independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The first duality, that of opposites, is subject to dissolution by the influence of time, and the second duality, that of separateness, is merely a hallucination. One who is firmly convinced of the temporary, illusory nature of this world moves about freely, without attachment. Although engaging in all types of devotional service for the Lord, such a person is never entangled and remains cheerful and satisfied in spiritual consciousness.

Devanagari

श्रीउद्धव उवाच
नैवात्मनो न देहस्य संसृतिर्द्रष्टृद‍ृश्ययो: ।
अनात्मस्वद‍ृशोरीश कस्य स्यादुपलभ्यते ॥ १० ॥

Text

śrī-uddhava uvāca
naivātmano na dehasya
saṁsṛtir draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ
anātma-sva-dṛśor īśa
kasya syād upalabhyate

Synonyms

śrī-uddhavaḥ uvāca — Śrī Uddhava said; na — there is not; eva — indeed; ātmanaḥ — of the self; na — nor; dehasya — of the body; saṁsṛtiḥ — material existence; draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ — of the seer or the seen; anātma — of that which is not spirit; sva-dṛśoḥ — or of him who has innate knowledge; īśa — O Lord; kasya — of whom; syāt — may be; upalabhyate — which is experienced.

Translation

Śrī Uddhava said: My dear Lord, it is not possible for this material existence to be the experience of either the soul, who is the seer, or of the body, which is the seen object. On the one hand, the spirit soul is innately endowed with perfect knowledge, and on the other hand, the material body is not a conscious, living entity. To whom, then, does this experience of material existence pertain?

Purport

Since the living entity is pure spirit soul, innately full of perfect knowledge and bliss, and since the material body is a biochemical machine without knowledge or personal consciousness, who or what is actually experiencing the ignorance and anxiety of this material existence? The conscious experience of material life cannot be denied, and thus Uddhava asks Lord Kṛṣṇa this question to elicit a more precise understanding of the process by which illusion occurs.

Devanagari

आत्माव्ययोऽगुण: शुद्ध: स्वयंज्योतिरनावृत: ।
अग्निवद्दारुवदचिद्देह: कस्येह संसृति: ॥ ११ ॥

Text

ātmāvyayo ’guṇaḥ śuddhaḥ
svayaṁ-jyotir anāvṛtaḥ
agni-vad dāru-vad acid
dehaḥ kasyeha saṁsṛtiḥ

Synonyms

ātmā — the spirit soul; avyayaḥ — inexhaustible; aguṇaḥ — transcendental to the material modes; śuddhaḥ — pure; svayam-jyotiḥ — self-luminous; anāvṛtaḥ — uncovered; agni-vat — like fire; dāru-vat — like firewood; acit — nonliving; dehaḥ — the material body; kasya — of which; iha — in this world; saṁsṛtiḥ — the experience of material life.

Translation

The spirit soul is inexhaustible, transcendental, pure, self-luminous and never covered by anything material. It is like fire. But the nonliving material body, like firewood, is dull and unaware. So in this world, who is it that actually undergoes the experience of material life?

Purport

The words anāvṛtaḥ and agni-vat are significant here. Fire can never be covered with darkness because by nature fire is illuminating. Similarly, the spirit soul is svayaṁ-jyotiḥ, or self-luminous, and thus the soul is transcendental — he can never be covered by the darkness of material life. On the other hand, the material body, like firewood, is by nature dull and unilluminated. In itself it does not have any awareness of life. If the soul is transcendental to material life and the body is not even conscious of it, the following question arises: How does our experience of material existence actually take place?

Devanagari

श्रीभगवानुवाच
यावद् देहेन्द्रियप्राणैरात्मन: सन्निकर्षणम् ।
संसार: फलवांस्तावदपार्थोऽप्यविवेकिन: ॥ १२ ॥

Text

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
yāvad dehendriya-prāṇair
ātmanaḥ sannikarṣaṇam
saṁsāraḥ phalavāṁs tāvad
apārtho ’py avivekinaḥ

Synonyms

śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; yāvat — as long as; deha — by the body; indriya — senses; prāṇaiḥ — and vital force; ātmanaḥ — of the soul; sannikarṣaṇam — attraction; saṁsāraḥ — material existence; phala-vān — fruitful; tāvat — for that duration; apārthaḥ — meaningless; api — although; avivekinaḥ — for the undiscriminating.

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: As long as the foolish spirit soul remains attracted to the material body, senses and vital force, his material existence continues to flourish, although it is ultimately meaningless.

Purport

Here the word sannikarṣaṇam indicates that the pure spirit soul voluntarily connects himself with the material body, considering this a most fruitful arrangement. Actually, the situation is apārtha, useless, unless one uses one’s embodied situation to engage in the loving service of the Lord. At that time one’s connection is actually with Lord Kṛṣṇa, not with the body, which becomes a mere instrument for executing one’s higher purpose.

Devanagari

अर्थे ह्यविद्यमानेऽपि संसृतिर्न निवर्तते ।
ध्यायतो विषयानस्य स्वप्नेऽनर्थागमो यथा ॥ १३ ॥

Text

arthe hy avidyamāne ’pi
saṁsṛtir na nivartate
dhyāyato viṣayān asya
svapne ’narthāgamo yathā

Synonyms

arthe — real cause; hi — certainly; avidyamāne — not existing; api — although; saṁsṛtiḥ — the material existential condition; na — not; nivartate — does cease; dhyāyataḥ — contemplating; viṣayān — objects of the senses; asya — of the living entity; svapne — in a dream; anartha — of disadvantages; āgamaḥ — arrival; yathā — like.

Translation

Actually, the living entity is transcendental to material existence. But because of his mentality of lording it over material nature, his material existential condition does not cease, and, just as in a dream, he is affected by all sorts of disadvantages.

Purport

This same verse and other very similar verses occur elsewhere in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Third Canto, Chapter Twenty-seven, verse 4; Fourth Canto, Chapter Twenty-nine, verses 35 and 73; and Eleventh Canto, Chapter Twenty-two, verse 56. In fact, this verse completely explains the essence of illusion.

Devanagari

यथा ह्यप्रतिबुद्धस्य प्रस्वापो बह्वनर्थभृत् ।
स एव प्रतिबुद्धस्य न वै मोहाय कल्पते ॥ १४ ॥

Text

yathā hy apratibuddhasya
prasvāpo bahv-anartha-bhṛt
sa eva pratibuddhasya
na vai mohāya kalpate

Synonyms

yathā — as; hi — indeed; apratibuddhasya — for one who has not awakened; prasvāpaḥ — sleep; bahu — many; anartha — undesirable experiences; bhṛt — presenting; saḥ — that same dream; eva — indeed; pratibuddhasya — for one who has awakened; na — not; vai — certainly; mohāya — confusion; kalpate — generates.

Translation

Although while dreaming a person experiences many undesirable things, upon awakening he is no longer confused by the dream experiences.

Purport

Even a liberated soul must observe material objects while living in this world. But being awake to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he understands that sensory pains and pleasures, like dreams, are without substance. Thus the liberated soul is not bewildered by illusion.

Devanagari

शोकहर्षभयक्रोधलोभमोहस्पृहादय: ।
अहङ्कारस्य द‍ृश्यन्ते जन्म मृत्युश्च नात्मन: ॥ १५ ॥

Text

śoka-harṣa-bhaya-krodha-
lobha-moha-spṛhādayaḥ
ahaṅkārasya dṛśyante
janma-mṛtyuś ca nātmanaḥ

Synonyms

śoka — lamentation; harṣa — elation; bhaya — fear; krodha — anger; lobha — greed; moha — confusion; spṛhā — hankering; ādayaḥ — and so on; ahaṅkārasya — of false ego; dṛśyante — they appear; janma — birth; mṛtyuḥ — death; ca — and; na — not; ātmanaḥ — of the soul.

Translation

Lamentation, elation, fear, anger, greed, confusion and hankering, as well as birth and death, are experiences of the false ego and not of the pure soul.

Purport

False ego is the pure soul’s illusory identification with the subtle material mind and the gross material body. As a result of this illusory identification, the conditioned soul feels lamentation for things lost, jubilation over things gained, fear of things inauspicious, anger at the frustration of his desires, and greed for sense gratification. And so, bewildered by such false attractions and aversions, the conditioned soul must accept further material bodies, which means he must undergo repeated births and deaths. One who is self-realized knows that all such mundane emotions have nothing to do with the pure soul, whose natural propensity is to engage in the loving service of the Lord.

Devanagari

देहेन्द्रियप्राणमनोऽभिमानो
जीवोऽन्तरात्मा गुणकर्ममूर्ति: ।
सूत्रं महानित्युरुधेव गीत:
संसार आधावति कालतन्त्र: ॥ १६ ॥

Text

dehendriya-prāṇa-mano-’bhimāno
jīvo ’ntar-ātmā guṇa-karma-mūrtiḥ
sūtraṁ mahān ity urudheva gītaḥ
saṁsāra ādhāvati kāla-tantraḥ

Synonyms

deha — with the material body; indriya — senses; prāṇa — life air; manaḥ — and mind; abhimānaḥ — who is falsely identifying; jīvaḥ — the living entity; antaḥ — situated within; ātmā — the soul; guṇa — according to his material qualities; karma — and work; mūrtiḥ — assuming his form; sūtram — the sūtra-tattva; mahān — the original form of material nature; iti — thus; urudhā — in many different ways; iva — indeed; gītaḥ — described; saṁsāre — in material life; ādhāvati — he runs about; kāla — of time; tantraḥ — under the strict control.

Translation

The living entity who falsely identifies with his body, senses, life air and mind, and who dwells within these coverings, assumes the form of his own materially conditioned qualities and work. He is designated variously in relation to the total material energy, and thus, under the strict control of supreme time, he is forced to run here and there within material existence.

Purport

False ego, which causes the living entity to suffer material existence, is here described in detail as the illusory identification with the material body, senses, life air and mind. The word kāla refers directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who imposes the limiting segments of time upon the conditioned souls, keeping them tightly bound under the laws of nature. Liberation is not an impersonal experience; liberation is attainment of one’s eternal body, senses, mind and intelligence in the association of the Personality of Godhead. We can revive our eternal, liberated personality, free from the contamination of false ego, by dedicating ourselves to the loving service of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When the pure spirit soul accepts the false ego, he must undergo material suffering. One automatically conquers the false ego by accepting oneself, in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to be the eternal servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Devanagari

अमूलमेतद् बहुरूपरूपितं
मनोवच:प्राणशरीरकर्म ।
ज्ञानासिनोपासनया शितेन-
च्छित्त्वा मुनिर्गां विचरत्यतृष्ण: ॥ १७ ॥

Text

amūlam etad bahu-rūpa-rūpitaṁ
mano-vacaḥ-prāṇa-śarīra-karma
jñānāsinopāsanayā śitena
cchittvā munir gāṁ vicaraty atṛṣṇaḥ

Synonyms

amūlam — without foundation; etat — this (false ego); bahu-rūpa — in many forms; rūpitam — ascertained; manaḥ — of the mind; vacaḥ — speech; prāṇa — the life air; śarīra — and the gross body; karma — the functions; jñāna — of transcendental knowledge; asinā — by the sword; upāsanayā — through devotional worship (of the spiritual master); śitena — which has been sharpened; chittvā — cutting off; muniḥ — a sober sage; gām — this earth; vicarati — wanders; atṛṣṇaḥ — free from material desires.

Translation

Although the false ego has no factual basis, it is perceived in many forms — as the functions of the mind, speech, life air and bodily faculties. But with the sword of transcendental knowledge, sharpened by worship of a bona fide spiritual master, a sober sage will cut off this false identification and live in this world free from all material attachment.

Purport

The word bahu-rūpa-rūpitam, “perceived in many forms,” also indicates that the false ego is manifest in the belief that one is a demigod, a great man, a beautiful lady, an oppressed worker, a tiger, a bird, an insect and so on. By the influence of false ego, the pure soul accepts some material covering to be his ultimate self, but such ignorance can be removed by the process described in this verse.

Devanagari

ज्ञानं विवेको निगमस्तपश्च
प्रत्यक्षमैतिह्यमथानुमानम् ।
आद्यन्तयोरस्य यदेव केवलं
कालश्च हेतुश्च तदेव मध्ये ॥ १८ ॥

Text

jñānaṁ viveko nigamas tapaś ca
pratyakṣam aitihyam athānumānam
ādy-antayor asya yad eva kevalaṁ
kālaś ca hetuś ca tad eva madhye

Synonyms

jñānam — transcendental knowledge; vivekaḥ — discrimination; nigamaḥ — the scripture; tapaḥ — austerity; ca — and; pratyakṣam — direct perception; aitihyam — the historical accounts of the Purāṇas; atha — and; anumānam — logic; ādi — in the beginning; antayoḥ — and the end; asya — of this creation; yat — which; eva — indeed; kevalam — alone; kālaḥ — the controlling factor of time; ca — and; hetuḥ — the ultimate cause; ca — and; tat — that; eva — alone; madhye — in the middle.

Translation

Real spiritual knowledge is based on the discrimination of spirit from matter, and it is cultivated by scriptural evidence, austerity, direct perception, reception of the Purāṇas’ historical narrations, and logical inference. The Absolute Truth, which alone was present before the creation of the universe and which alone will remain after its destruction, is also the time factor and the ultimate cause. Even in the middle stage of this creation’s existence, the Absolute Truth alone is the actual reality.

Purport

Material scientists and philosophers are desperately searching for the ultimate material cause or principle, which is described here as kāla, the time factor. The material process of cause and effect takes place entirely within a sequence of time; in other words, the time factor is the motivating impetus for material cause and effect. This time factor is a manifestation of the Supersoul, the form of the Supreme Lord that pervades and supports the cosmic manifestation. The method for acquiring knowledge is scientifically described here, and those who are serious, reasonable scholars will take advantage of the transcendental epistemology revealed here by the Lord.

Devanagari

यथा हिरण्यं स्वकृतं पुरस्तात्
पश्चाच्च सर्वस्य हिरण्मयस्य ।
तदेव मध्ये व्यवहार्यमाणं
नानापदेशैरहमस्य तद्वत् ॥ १९ ॥

Text

yathā hiraṇyaṁ sv-akṛtaṁ purastāt
paścāc ca sarvasya hiraṇ-mayasya
tad eva madhye vyavahāryamāṇaṁ
nānāpadeśair aham asya tadvat

Synonyms

yathā — just as; hiraṇyam — gold; su-akṛtam — unmanifest as manufactured products; purastāt — previously; paścāt — subsequently; ca — and; sarvasya — of everything; hiraṇ-mayasya — that is made of gold; tat — that gold; eva — alone; madhye — in the middle; vyavahāryamāṇam — being utilized; nānā — various; apadeśaiḥ — in terms of designations; aham — I; asya — of this created universe; tadvat — in the same way.

Translation

Gold alone is present before its manufacture into gold products, the gold alone remains after the products’ destruction, and the gold alone is the essential reality while it is being utilized under various designations. Similarly, I alone exist before the creation of this universe, after its destruction and during its maintenance.

Purport

Gold is manufactured into many types of jewelry, as well as into coins and other luxurious products. But at each stage — before manufacture, during manufacture, during utilization and afterward — the essential reality is gold. In the same way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the essential reality — both the dynamic and the ingredient cause of everything. All throughout the material creation, the Lord is simply setting into motion His own potency, which is not different from Him.

Devanagari

विज्ञानमेतत्‍त्रियवस्थमङ्ग
गुणत्रयं कारणकार्यकर्तृ ।
समन्वयेन व्यतिरेकतश्च
येनैव तुर्येण तदेव सत्यम् ॥ २० ॥

Text

vijñānam etat triy-avastham aṅga
guṇa-trayaṁ kāraṇa-kārya-kartṛ
samanvayena vyatirekataś ca
yenaiva turyeṇa tad eva satyam

Synonyms

vijñānam — (the mind, whose symptom is) full knowledge; etat — this; tri-avastham — existing in three conditions (wakeful consciousness, sleep and deep sleep); aṅga — My dear Uddhava; guṇa-trayam — manifesting through the three modes of nature; kāraṇa — as the subtle cause (adhyātma); kārya — the gross product (adhibhūta); kartṛ — and the producer (adhidaiva); samanvayena — in each of them, one after another; vyatirekataḥ — as separate; ca — and; yena — by which; eva — indeed; turyeṇa — fourth factor; tat — that; eva — alone; satyam — is the Absolute Truth.

Translation

The material mind manifests in three phases of consciousness — wakefulness, sleep and deep sleep — which are products of the three modes of nature. The mind further appears in three different roles — the perceiver, the perceived and the regulator of perception. Thus the mind is manifested variously throughout these threefold designations. But it is the fourth factor, existing separately from all this, that alone constitutes the Absolute Truth.

Purport

As stated in Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.2.15), tam eva bhāntam anubhāti sarvaṁ/ tasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti: “Everything radiates its illumination in pursuance of His original illumination; His light illuminates everything in this universe.” As thus described, the entire range of perception, cognition and sensitivity is an insignificant expansion of the perception, cognition and sensitivity of the Personality of Godhead.

Devanagari

न यत् पुरस्तादुत यन्न पश्चा-
न्मध्ये च तन्न व्यपदेशमात्रम् ।
भूतं प्रसिद्धं च परेण यद् यत्
तदेव तत् स्यादिति मे मनीषा ॥ २१ ॥

Text

na yat purastād uta yan na paścān
madhye ca tan na vyapadeśa-mātram
bhūtaṁ prasiddhaṁ ca pareṇa yad yat
tad eva tat syād iti me manīṣā

Synonyms

na — does not exist; yat — that which; purastāt — previously; uta — nor; yat — which; na — not; paścāt — afterward; madhye — in between; ca — and; tat — that; na — does not exist; vyapadeśa-mātram — merely a designation; bhūtam — created; prasiddham — made known; ca — and; pareṇa — by another; yat yat — whatever; tat — that; eva — only; tat — that other; syāt — actually is; iti — thus; me — My; manīṣā — idea.

Translation

That which did not exist in the past and will not exist in the future also has no existence of its own for the period of its duration, but is only a superficial designation. In My opinion, whatever is created and revealed by something else is ultimately only that other thing.

Purport

Although all material products, such as our own bodies, are temporary and thus ultimately false, the material world is a real manifestation of the Lord’s potency. The basic substance, or reality, of this world is the Personality of Godhead Himself, whereas the temporary designations imposed by the conditioned souls are illusion. Thus we consider ourselves American, Russian, British, German, Indian, black, white, Hindu, Muslim, Christian and so forth. In fact, we are the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, but by attempting to exploit the Lord’s inferior material potency we have become entangled in illusion. Everything should be properly defined in terms of the Personality of Godhead, who is the essential reality of this and all other worlds.

Devanagari

अविद्यमानोऽप्यवभासते यो
वैकारिको राजससर्ग एष: ।
ब्रह्म स्वयंज्योतिरतो विभाति
ब्रह्मेन्द्रियार्थात्मविकारचित्रम् ॥ २२ ॥

Text

avidyamāno ’py avabhāsate yo
vaikāriko rājasa-sarga eṣaḥ
brahma svayaṁ jyotir ato vibhāti
brahmendriyārthātma-vikāra-citram

Synonyms

avidyamānaḥ — actually not existing; api — although; avabhāsate — appears; yaḥ — which; vaikārikaḥ — manifestation of transformations; rājasa — of the mode of passion; sargaḥ — the creation; eṣaḥ — this; brahma — the Absolute Truth (on the other hand); svayam — established in Himself; jyotiḥ — luminous; ataḥ — therefore; vibhāti — becomes manifest; brahma — the Absolute Truth; indriya — of the senses; artha — their objects; ātma — the mind; vikāra — and of the transformations of the five gross elements; citram — as the variety.

Translation

Although thus not existing in reality, this manifestation of transformations created from the mode of passion appears real because the self-manifested, self-luminous Absolute Truth exhibits Himself in the form of the material variety of the senses, the sense objects, the mind and the elements of physical nature.

Purport

The total material nature, pradhāna, is originally undifferentiated and inert, but later it undergoes transformation when the Supreme Lord, through His time agent, glances upon it and activates the mode of passion. Material transformation thus takes place and is exhibited as the Lord’s inferior energy. In contrast, the Supreme Lord’s personal abode possesses eternal variety, which is the self-luminous, internal opulence of the Absolute Truth and is not subject to material creation, transformation or annihilation. The material world is in this way simultaneously one with and different from the Absolute Truth.

Devanagari

एवं स्फुटं ब्रह्मविवेकहेतुभि:
परापवादेन विशारदेन ।
छित्त्वात्मसन्देहमुपारमेत
स्वानन्दतुष्टोऽखिलकामुकेभ्य: ॥ २३ ॥

Text

evaṁ sphuṭaṁ brahma-viveka-hetubhiḥ
parāpavādena viśāradena
chittvātma-sandeham upārameta
svānanda-tuṣṭo ’khila-kāmukebhyaḥ

Synonyms

evam — in this way; sphuṭam — clearly; brahma — of the Absolute Truth; viveka-hetubhiḥ — by discriminating, logical arguments; para — of misidentification with other conceptions; apavādena — by refutation; viśāradena — expert; chittvā — cutting off; ātma — regarding the identity of the self; sandeham — doubt; upārameta — one should desist; sva-ānanda — in his own transcendental ecstasy; tuṣṭaḥ — satisfied; akhila — from all; kāmukebhyaḥ — things of lust.

Translation

Thus clearly understanding by discriminating logic the unique position of the Absolute Truth, one should expertly refute one’s misidentification with matter and cut to pieces all doubts about the identity of the self. Becoming satisfied in the soul’s natural ecstasy, one should desist from all lusty engagements of the material senses.

Devanagari

नात्मा वपु: पार्थिवमिन्द्रियाणि
देवा ह्यसुर्वायुर्जलम् हुताश: ।
मनोऽन्नमात्रं धिषणा च सत्त्व-
महङ्कृति: खं क्षितिरर्थसाम्यम् ॥ २४ ॥

Text

nātmā vapuḥ pārthivam indriyāṇi
devā hy asur vāyur jalam hutāśaḥ
mano ’nna-mātraṁ dhiṣaṇā ca sattvam
ahaṅkṛtiḥ khaṁ kṣitir artha-sāmyam

Synonyms

na — is not; ātmā — the self; vapuḥ — the body; pārthivam — made of earth; indriyāṇi — the senses; devāḥ — the presiding demigods; hi — indeed; asuḥ — the living air; vāyuḥ — the external air; jalam — water; huta-āśaḥ — fire; manaḥ — the mind; anna-mātram — being only matter; dhiṣaṇā — intelligence; ca — and; sattvam — material consciousness; ahaṅkṛtiḥ — false ego; kham — the ether; kṣitiḥ — earth; artha — the objects of sense perception; sāmyam — and the original, undifferentiated state of nature.

Translation

The material body made of earth is not the true self; nor are the senses, their presiding demigods or the air of life; nor is the external air, water or fire or one’s mind. All these are simply matter. Similarly, neither one’s intelligence, material consciousness nor ego, nor the elements of ether or earth, nor the objects of sense perception, nor even the primeval state of material equilibrium can be considered the actual identity of the soul.

Devanagari

समाहितै: क: करणैर्गुणात्मभि-र्गुणो भवेन्मत्सुविविक्तधाम्न: ।
विक्षिप्यमाणैरुत किं नु दूषणंघनैरुपेतैर्विगतै रवे: किम् ॥ २५ ॥

Text

samāhitaiḥ kaḥ karaṇair guṇātmabhir
guṇo bhaven mat-suvivikta-dhāmnaḥ
vikṣipyamāṇair uta kiṁ nu dūṣaṇaṁ
ghanair upetair vigatai raveḥ kim

Synonyms

samāhitaiḥ — which are perfectly concentrated in meditation; kaḥ — what; karaṇaiḥ — by senses; guṇa-ātmabhiḥ — which are basically manifestations of the modes of nature; guṇaḥ — virtue; bhavet — will be; mat — My; su-vivikta — who has properly ascertained; dhāmnaḥ — the personal identity; vikṣipyamāṇaiḥ — which are being agitated; uta — on the other hand; kim — what; nu — indeed; dūṣaṇam — blame; ghanaiḥ — by clouds; upetaiḥ — which have come; vigataiḥ — or which have gone away; raveḥ — of the sun; kim — what.

Translation

For one who has properly realized My personal identity as the Supreme Godhead, what credit is there if his senses — mere products of the material modes — are perfectly concentrated in meditation? And on the other hand, what blame is incurred if his senses happen to become agitated? Indeed, what does it mean to the sun if the clouds come and go?

Purport

A pure devotee of the Lord is considered eternally liberated, because he has perfectly understood the Lord’s transcendental personality and abode and is always engaged in serving the Lord’s mission within this world. Although superficially such a devotee may appear agitated by events in the material world while engaged in the Lord’s mission, this does not change his exalted status as the Lord’s eternal servitor, just as the exalted status of the sun is not changed even when the sun is apparently covered by clouds.

Devanagari

यथा नभो वाय्वनलाम्बुभूगुणै-
र्गतागतैर्वर्तुगुणैर्न सज्जते ।
तथाक्षरं सत्त्वरजस्तमोमलै-
रहंमते: संसृतिहेतुभि: परम् ॥ २६ ॥

Text

yathā nabho vāyv-analāmbu-bhū-guṇair
gatāgatair vartu-guṇair na sajjate
tathākṣaraṁ sattva-rajas-tamo-malair
ahaṁ-mateḥ saṁsṛti-hetubhiḥ param

Synonyms

yathā — just as; nabhaḥ — the sky; vāyu — of air; anala — fire; ambu — water; bhū — and earth; guṇaiḥ — by the qualities; gata-āgataiḥ — which come and go; — or; ṛtu-guṇaiḥ — by the qualities of the seasons (such as heat and cold); na sajjate — is not entangled; tathā — similarly; akṣaram — the Absolute Truth; sattva-rajaḥ-tamaḥ — of the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance; malaiḥ — by the contaminations; aham-mateḥ — of the conception of false ego; saṁsṛti-hetubhiḥ — by the causes of material existence; param — the Supreme.

Translation

The sky may display the various qualities of the air, fire, water and earth that pass through it, as well as such qualities as heat and cold, which continually come and go with the seasons. Yet the sky is never entangled with any of these qualities. Similarly, the Supreme Absolute Truth is never entangled with the contaminations of goodness, passion and ignorance, which cause the material transformations of the false ego.

Purport

The word ahaṁ-mateḥ here indicates the conditioned living entity, who becomes manifest with the false ego of a particular material body. By contrast, the Personality of Godhead is unaffected by the modes of nature, and thus He is never covered by a material body and never subject to false ego. As described here, the Lord is eternally infallible and pure.

Devanagari

तथापि सङ्ग: परिवर्जनीयो
गुणेषु मायारचितेषु तावत् ।
मद्भ‍‍क्तियोगेन द‍ृढेन यावद्
रजो निरस्येत मन:कषाय: ॥ २७ ॥

Text

tathāpi saṅgaḥ parivarjanīyo
guṇeṣu māyā-raciteṣu tāvat
mad-bhakti-yogena dṛḍhena yāvad
rajo nirasyeta manaḥ-kaṣāyaḥ

Synonyms

tathā api — nevertheless; saṅgaḥ — association; parivarjanīyaḥ — must be rejected; guṇeṣu — with the modes; māyā-raciteṣu — produced by the illusory material energy; tāvat — for that long; mat-bhakti-yogena — by devotional service to Me; dṛḍhena — firm; yāvat — until; rajaḥ — passionate attraction; nirasyeta — is eliminated; manaḥ — of the mind; kaṣāyaḥ — the dirt.

Translation

Nevertheless, until by firmly practicing devotional service to Me one has completely eliminated from his mind all contamination of material passion, one must very carefully avoid associating with the material modes, which are produced by My illusory energy.

Purport

The word tathāpi in this verse indicates that even though the material nature is nondifferent from the Supreme Lord (as elaborately described in this chapter), one who has yet to conquer material desire should not artificially associate with material things, declaring them to be nondifferent from the Lord. Thus one aspiring to be Kṛṣṇa conscious should not loosely associate with women, claiming them to be nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead, for by such imitation of the most advanced devotees one will become a sense gratifier. A neophyte devotee who presumes himself liberated is impelled by the mode of passion to become falsely proud of his position, and thus he neglects the actual process of devotional service to the Lord. One must have firm and steady engagement in the loving service of the Lord, under the direction of higher authorities; then advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be easy and sublime.

Devanagari

यथामयोऽसाधुचिकित्सितो नृणां
पुन: पुन: सन्तुदति प्ररोहन् ।
एवं मनोऽपक्व‍कषायकर्म
कुयोगिनं विध्यति सर्वसङ्गम् ॥ २८ ॥

Text

yathāmayo ’sādhu cikitsito nṛṇāṁ
punaḥ punaḥ santudati prarohan
evaṁ mano ’pakva-kaṣāya-karma
kuyoginaṁ vidhyati sarva-saṅgam

Synonyms

yathā — as; āmayaḥ — a disease; asādhu — imperfectly; cikitsitaḥ — treated; nṛṇām — of men; punaḥ punaḥ — again and again; santudati — gives distress; prarohan — rising up; evam — in the same way; manaḥ — the mind; apakva — unpurified; kaṣāya — of contamination; karma — from its activities; ku-yoginam — the imperfect yogī; vidhyati — torments; sarva-saṅgam — who is full of all kinds of material attachment.

Translation

Just as an improperly treated disease recurs and gives repeated distress to the patient, the mind that is not completely purified of its perverted tendencies will remain attached to material things and repeatedly torment the imperfect yogī.

Purport

Sarva-saṅgam refers to one’s stubborn attachment to material objects of so-called enjoyment, such as children, wife, money, nation and friends. One who increases his attachment to children, wife and so on, although supposedly performing devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, is understood to be either a kuyogī, as described in this verse, or a bewildered neophyte who has failed to properly treat the disease of the heart called material attachment. If one has repeated relapses into material attachment, he has failed to eradicate the darkness of ignorance from his heart.

Devanagari

कुयोगिनो ये विहितान्तरायै-
र्मनुष्यभूतैस्‍त्रिदशोपसृष्टै: ।
ते प्राक्तनाभ्यासबलेन भूयो
युञ्जन्ति योगं न तु कर्मतन्त्रम् ॥ २९ ॥

Text

kuyogino ye vihitāntarāyair
manuṣya-bhūtais tridaśopasṛṣṭaiḥ
te prāktanābhyāsa-balena bhūyo
yuñjanti yogaṁ na tu karma-tantram

Synonyms

ku-yoginaḥ — those practitioners of yoga whose knowledge is not complete; ye — who; vihita — imposed; antarāyaiḥ — by obstructions; manuṣya-bhūtaiḥ — in the form of human beings (their relatives, disciples and so on); tridaśa — by the demigods; upasṛṣṭaiḥ — sent; te — they; prāktana — of the previous life; abhyāsa — of the accumulated practice; balena — on the strength; bhūyaḥ — once again; yuñjanti — engage; yogam — in spiritual practice; na — never; tu — however; karma-tantram — the entanglement of fruitive work.

Translation

Sometimes the progress of imperfect transcendentalists is checked by attachment to family members, disciples or others, who are sent by envious demigods for that purpose. But on the strength of their accumulated advancement, such imperfect transcendentalists will resume their practice of yoga in the next life. They will never again be trapped in the network of fruitive work.

Purport

Sometimes sannyāsīs and other spiritual teachers are bewildered by flattering followers and disciples sent by the demigods to embarrass spiritual leaders who are lacking complete spiritual knowledge. Similarly, spiritual progress is sometimes checked by attachment to one’s bodily relatives. Although an imperfect transcendentalist may fall down from yoga practice in this life, he will resume it in the next life on the strength of his accumulated merit, as described in the Bhagavad-gītā. The words na tu karma-tantram indicate that a fallen transcendentalist does not have to pass through the lower stages of fruitive activity and gradually be promoted to the practice of yoga. Rather, he will immediately resume his yoga practice at that point at which he left it. Of course, one should not presume to fall back on the facility offered here but should try to become perfect in this lifetime. Sannyāsīs, especially, should remove the knot of lust from their hearts and should avoid falling into the clutches of flattering followers or female disciples sent by the demigods to expose a so-called spiritual leader who is imperfect in Kṛṣṇa conscious knowledge.

Devanagari

करोति कर्म क्रियते च जन्तु:
केनाप्यसौ चोदित आनिपातात् ।
न तत्र विद्वान् प्रकृतौ स्थितोऽपि
निवृत्ततृष्ण: स्वसुखानुभूत्या ॥ ३० ॥

Text

karoti karma kriyate ca jantuḥ
kenāpy asau codita ā-nipātāt
na tatra vidvān prakṛtau sthito ’pi
nivṛtta-tṛṣṇaḥ sva-sukhānubhūtyā

Synonyms

karoti — he performs; karma — material work; kriyate — is acted upon; ca — also; jantuḥ — the living entity; kena api — by some force or other; asau — he; coditaḥ — impelled; ā-nipātāt — up to the point of death; na — not; tatra — there; vidvān — a wise person; prakṛtau — in material nature; sthitaḥ — situated; api — even though; nivṛtta — having given up; tṛṣṇaḥ — material desire; sva — by his own; sukha — of happiness; anubhūtyā — experience.

Translation

An ordinary living entity performs material work and is transformed by the reaction to such work. Thus he is driven by various desires to continue working fruitively up to the very moment of his death. A wise person, however, having experienced his own constitutional bliss, gives up all material desires and does not engage in fruitive work.

Purport

By sexual association with women, a man is driven to enjoy the female form again and again, and indeed he remains lusty up to the moment of death. Similarly, through association with family and friends the knot of material attachment becomes very tight. Thus the reactions of fruitive work bind one more and more in the cycle of material defeat. But a learned person, one who is in touch with the Supreme Lord within his heart, realizes the ultimate frustration of material work and the danger of entering the womb of a pig or dog in a future life as the result of sinful activities. One on the platform of self-realization does not regard himself as an enjoyer of the world. Rather, he regards the entire cosmos as simply an insignificant expansion of the Lord’s potency — and himself as the Lord’s humble servant.

Devanagari

तिष्ठन्तमासीनमुत व्रजन्तं
शयानमुक्षन्तमदन्तमन्नम् ।
स्वभावमन्यत् किमपीहमान-
मात्मानमात्मस्थमतिर्न वेद ॥ ३१ ॥

Text

tiṣṭhantam āsīnam uta vrajantaṁ
śayānam ukṣantam adantam annam
svabhāvam anyat kim apīhamānam
ātmānam ātma-stha-matir na veda

Synonyms

tiṣṭhantam — standing; āsīnam — sitting; uta — or; vrajantam — walking; śayānam — lying down; ukṣantam — urinating; adantam — eating; annam — food; sva-bhāvam — manifested from his conditioned nature; anyat — other; kim api — whatever; īhamānam — executing; ātmānam — his own bodily self; ātma-stha — fixed in the true self; matiḥ — whose consciousness; na veda — he does not recognize.

Translation

The wise man, whose consciousness is fixed in the self, does not even notice his own bodily activities. While standing, sitting, walking, lying down, urinating, eating or performing other bodily functions, he understands that the body is acting according to its own nature.

Devanagari

यदि स्म पश्यत्यसदिन्द्रियार्थं
नानानुमानेन विरुद्धमन्यत् ।
न मन्यते वस्तुतया मनीषी
स्वाप्नं यथोत्थाय तिरोदधानम् ॥ ३२ ॥

Text

yadi sma paśyaty asad-indriyārthaṁ
nānānumānena viruddham anyat
na manyate vastutayā manīṣī
svāpnaṁ yathotthāya tirodadhānam

Synonyms

yadi — if; sma — ever; paśyati — he sees; asat — impure; indriya-artham — sense objects; nānā — of their being based on duality; anumānena — by the logical inference; viruddham — refuted; anyat — separate from true reality; na manyate — does not accept; vastutayā — as real; manīṣī — the intelligent man; svāpnam — of a dream; yathā — as if; utthāya — waking; tirodadhānam — which is in the process of disappearing.

Translation

Although a self-realized soul may sometimes see an impure object or activity, he does not accept it as real. By logically understanding impure sense objects to be based on illusory material duality, the intelligent person sees them to be contrary to and distinct from reality, in the same way that a man awakening from sleep views his fading dream.

Purport

A sane person can clearly distinguish between a dream experience and his real life. Similarly a manīṣī, or intelligent person, can clearly perceive polluted material sense objects to be creations of the Lord’s illusory energy and not factual reality. This is the practical test of realized intelligence.

Devanagari

पूर्वं गृहीतं गुणकर्मचित्र-
मज्ञानमात्मन्यविविक्तमङ्ग ।
निवर्तते तत् पुनरीक्षयैव
न गृह्यते नापि विसृज्य आत्मा ॥ ३३ ॥

Text

pūrvaṁ gṛhītaṁ guṇa-karma-citram
ajñānam ātmany aviviktam aṅga
nivartate tat punar īkṣayaiva
na gṛhyate nāpi visṛjya ātmā

Synonyms

pūrvam — previously; gṛhītam — accepted; guṇa — of the modes of nature; karma — by the activities; citram — made varied; ajñānam — the ignorance; ātmani — upon the soul; aviviktam — imposed as identical; aṅga — My dear Uddhava; nivartate — ceases; tat — that; punaḥ — again; īkṣayā — by knowledge; eva — alone; na gṛhyate — is not accepted; na — nor; api — indeed; visṛjya — being rejected; ātmā — the soul.

Translation

Material nescience, which expands into many varieties by the activities of the modes of nature, is wrongly accepted by the conditioned soul to be identical with the self. But through the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, My dear Uddhava, this same nescience fades away at the time of liberation. The eternal self, on the other hand, is never assumed and never abandoned.

Purport

It is emphasized here that the eternal self is never assumed or imposed as a material designation, nor is it ever abandoned. As explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, the soul is eternally the same and does not undergo transformation. The modes of nature, however, create the gross material body and subtle mind as a result of one’s previous fruitive activities, and these gross and subtle bodies are imposed upon the soul. Thus the living entity can neither assume nor reject the soul, which is an eternal fact. Rather, he should give up the gross ignorance of material consciousness by cultivating spiritual knowledge, as indicated here.

Devanagari

यथा हि भानोरुदयो नृचक्षुषां
तमो निहन्यान्न तु सद् विधत्ते ।
एवं समीक्षा निपुणा सती मे
हन्यात्तमिस्रं पुरुषस्य बुद्धे: ॥ ३४ ॥

Text

yathā hi bhānor udayo nṛ-cakṣuṣāṁ
tamo nihanyān na tu sad vidhatte
evaṁ samīkṣā nipuṇā satī me
hanyāt tamisraṁ puruṣasya buddheḥ

Synonyms

yathā — as; hi — indeed; bhānoḥ — of the sun; udayaḥ — the rising; nṛ — human; cakṣuṣām — of eyes; tamaḥ — the darkness; nihanyāt — destroys; na — not; tu — but; sat — objects that exist; vidhatte — creates; evam — similarly; samīkṣā — full realization; nipuṇā — potent; satī — true; me — of Me; hanyāt — destroys; tamisram — the darkness; puruṣasya — of a person; buddheḥ — in the intelligence.

Translation

When the sun rises it destroys the darkness covering men’s eyes, but it does not create the objects they then see before them, which in fact were existing all along. Similarly, potent and factual realization of Me will destroy the darkness covering a person’s true consciousness.

Devanagari

एष स्वयंज्योतिरजोऽप्रमेयो
महानुभूति: सकलानुभूति: ।
एकोऽद्वितीयो वचसां विरामे
येनेषिता वागसवश्चरन्ति ॥ ३५ ॥

Text

eṣa svayaṁ-jyotir ajo ’prameyo
mahānubhūtiḥ sakalānubhūtiḥ
eko ’dvitīyo vacasāṁ virāme
yeneṣitā vāg-asavaś caranti

Synonyms

eṣaḥ — this (Supersoul); svayam-jyotiḥ — self-luminous; ajaḥ — unborn; aprameyaḥ — impossible to measure; mahā-anubhūtiḥ — full of transcendental consciousness; sakala-anubhūtiḥ — aware of everything; ekaḥ — one; advitīyaḥ — without a second; vacasām virāme — (realized only) when material words cease; yena — by whom; īṣitāḥ — impelled; vāk — speech; asavaḥ — and the life airs; caranti — move.

Translation

The Supreme Lord is self-luminous, unborn and immeasurable. He is pure transcendental consciousness and perceives everything. One without a second, He is realized only after ordinary words cease. By Him the power of speech and the life airs are set into motion.

Purport

The Supreme Lord is self-luminous, self-manifested, whereas the individual living entity is manifested by Him. The Lord is unborn, but the living entity, because of material, designative coverings, takes birth in conditioned life. The Lord is immeasurable, being all-pervasive, whereas the living entity is localized. The Supreme Lord is mahānubhūti, the totality of consciousness, whereas the living entity is a tiny spark of consciousness. The Lord is sakalānubhūti, omniscient, whereas the living entity is aware only of his own limited experience. The Supreme Lord is one, whereas the living entities are innumerable. Considering all these contrasts between the Lord and ourselves, we should not waste time like the foolish material scientists and philosophers, who struggle to find the origin of this world by their insignificant mental speculation and word jugglery. Although one may discover some of the gross laws of material nature through material research, there is no hope of achieving the Absolute Truth by such petty endeavors.

Devanagari

एतावानात्मसम्मोहो यद् विकल्पस्तु केवले ।
आत्मनृते स्वमात्मानमवलम्बो न यस्य हि ॥ ३६ ॥

Text

etāvān ātma-sammoho
yad vikalpas tu kevale
ātman ṛte svam ātmānam
avalambo na yasya hi

Synonyms

etāvān — whatever; ātma — of the self; sammohaḥ — delusion; yat — which; vikalpaḥ — idea of duality; tu — but; kevale — in the unique; ātman — in the self; ṛte — without; svam — that very; ātmānam — self; avalambaḥ — basis; na — there is not; yasya — of which (duality); hi — indeed.

Translation

Whatever apparent duality is perceived in the self is simply the confusion of the mind. Indeed, such supposed duality has no basis to rest upon apart from one’s own soul.

Purport

As explained in verse 33 of this chapter, the eternal self is neither assumed nor lost, since every living entity is an eternal reality. The word vikalpa, or “duality,” here refers to the mistaken idea that the spirit soul is partly composed of matter in the form of the gross body or subtle mind. It is thus that foolish persons consider the material body or mind to be an intrinsic or fundamental component of the self. In fact the living entity is pure spirit, without any tinge of matter. Consequently the false ego, which is generated by the false identification with matter, is a mistaken identity imposed upon the pure spirit soul. The sense of ego, or “I am” — in other words, the sense of one’s individual identity — comes from the spirit soul, because there is no other possible basis for such self-awareness. By studying one’s false sense of ego, one can analytically understand that there is a pure ego, which is expressed by the words ahaṁ brahmāsmi, “I am pure spirit soul.” One can easily understand in a similar way that there is a supreme spirit soul, the Personality of Godhead, who is the omniscient controller of everything. Such understanding in Kṛṣṇa consciousness constitutes perfect knowledge, as described here by the Lord.

Devanagari

यन्नामाकृतिभिर्ग्राह्यं पञ्चवर्णमबाधितम् ।
व्यर्थेनाप्यर्थवादोऽयं द्वयं पण्डितमानिनाम् ॥ ३७ ॥

Text

yan nāmākṛtibhir grāhyaṁ
pañca-varṇam abādhitam
vyarthenāpy artha-vādo ’yaṁ
dvayaṁ paṇḍita-māninām

Synonyms

yat — which; nāma — by names; ākṛtibhiḥ — and forms; grāhyam — perceivable; pañca-varṇam — consisting of the five material elements; abādhitam — undeniable; vyarthena — in vain; api — indeed; artha-vādaḥ — the imaginative interpretation; ayam — this; dvayam — duality; paṇḍita-māninām — of so-called scholars.

Translation

The duality of the five material elements is perceived only in terms of names and forms. Those who say this duality is real are pseudoscholars vainly proposing fanciful theories without basis in fact.

Purport

Material names and forms, subject as they are to creation and annihilation, have no permanent existence and so do not constitute essential, fundamental principles of reality. The material world consists of variegated transformations of the potency of God. Although God is real and His potency is real, the particular forms and names that temporarily or circumstantially appear have no ultimate reality. Gross ignorance occurs when the conditioned soul imagines himself to be material or a mixture of matter and spirit. Some philosophers argue that the eternal soul in contact with matter is permanently transformed and that the false ego represents a new and permanent reality of the soul. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī replies that spirit is the living, superior energy of the Lord, whereas matter is the inferior, unconscious energy of the Lord, and that these two energies thus possess opposite qualities, as with light and darkness. The superior living entity and inferior matter therefore cannot possibly merge into a common existence, since they eternally possess opposite and incompatible characteristics. The hallucination of a mixture of matter and spirit is called illusion; it becomes specifically manifest as false ego, which identifies with a specific material body or mind created by illusion. Clearly those scientists or philosophers who are embedded in gross ignorance cannot be real scientists and philosophers. The simple criterion of spiritual self-awareness unfortunately eliminates a huge percentage of modern so-called scientists and philosophers, who bury their foolish noses in the Lord’s material energy, without any knowledge of or interest in the Lord Himself.

Devanagari

योगिनोऽपक्व‍योगस्य युञ्जत: काय उत्थितै: ।
उपसर्गैर्विहन्येत तत्रायं विहितो विधि: ॥ ३८ ॥

Text

yogino ’pakva-yogasya
yuñjataḥ kāya utthitaiḥ
upasargair vihanyeta
tatrāyaṁ vihito vidhiḥ

Synonyms

yoginaḥ — of the yogī; apakva-yogasya — who is immature in the practice of yoga; yuñjataḥ — trying to engage; kāyaḥ — the body; utthitaiḥ — which have arisen; upasargaiḥ — by disturbances; vihanyeta — may be frustrated; tatra — in that connection; ayam — this; vihitaḥ — is prescribed; vidhiḥ — recommended process.

Translation

The physical body of the endeavoring yogī who is not yet mature in his practice may sometimes be overcome by various disturbances. Therefore the following process is recommended.

Purport

Having described the process of cultivating knowledge, the Lord now gives instructions to the yogī whose body may be disturbed by disease or other impediments. Those inferior yogīs who are attached to the body and bodily exercises are often incomplete in their realization, and thus the Lord here offers them some assistance.

Devanagari

योगधारणया कांश्चिदासनैर्धारणान्वितै: ।
तपोमन्त्रौषधै: कांश्चिदुपसर्गान् विनिर्दहेत् ॥ ३९ ॥

Text

yoga-dhāraṇayā kāṁścid
āsanair dhāraṇānvitaiḥ
tapo-mantrauṣadhaiḥ kāṁścid
upasargān vinirdahet

Synonyms

yoga-dhāraṇayā — by yogic meditation; kāṁścit — some disturbances; āsanaiḥ — by prescribed postures; dhāraṇā-anvitaiḥ — together with meditation on controlled breathing; tapaḥ — by special austerities; mantra — magical chants; auṣadhaiḥ — and medicinal herbs; kāṁścit — some; upasargān — obstructions; vinirdahet — can be eradicated.

Translation

Some of these obstructions may be counteracted by yogic meditation or by sitting postures, practiced together with concentration on controlled breathing, and others may be counteracted by special austerities, mantras or medicinal herbs.

Devanagari

कांश्चिन्ममानुध्यानेन नामसङ्कीर्तनादिभि: ।
योगेश्वरानुवृत्त्या वा हन्यादशुभदान् शनै: ॥ ४० ॥

Text

kāṁścin mamānudhyānena
nāma-saṅkīrtanādibhiḥ
yogeśvarānuvṛttyā vā
hanyād aśubha-dān śanaiḥ

Synonyms

kāṁścit — some; mama — of Me; anudhyānena — by constant thought; nāma — of the holy names; saṅkīṛtana — by the loud chanting; ādibhiḥ — and so on; yoga-īśvara — of the great masters of yoga; anuvṛttyā — by following in the footsteps; — or; hanyāt — may be destroyed; aśubha-dān — (the obstructions) that create inauspicious situations; śanaiḥ — gradually.

Translation

These inauspicious disturbances can be gradually removed by constant remembrance of Me, by congregational hearing and chanting of My holy names, or by following in the footsteps of the great masters of yoga.

Purport

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, by meditation on the Supreme Lord one can overcome lust and other mental disturbances, and by following in the footsteps of great transcendentalists one can overcome hypocrisy, false pride and other types of mental imbalance.

Devanagari

केचिद् देहमिमं धीरा: सुकल्पं वयसि स्थिरम् ।
विधाय विविधोपायैरथ युञ्जन्ति सिद्धये ॥ ४१ ॥

Text

kecid deham imaṁ dhīrāḥ
su-kalpaṁ vayasi sthiram
vidhāya vividhopāyair
atha yuñjanti siddhaye

Synonyms

kecit — some; deham — the material body; imam — this; dhīrāḥ — self-controlled; su-kalpam — fit; vayasi — in youth; sthiram — fixed; vidhāya — making; vividha — by various; upāyaiḥ — means; atha — thus; yuñjanti — they engage; siddhaye — for the achievement of material perfections.

Translation

By various methods, some yogīs free the body from disease and old age and keep it perpetually youthful. Thus they engage in yoga for the purpose of achieving material mystic perfections.

Purport

The process described here is meant to fulfill one’s material desires, not to bring one transcendental knowledge. Therefore this process cannot be accepted as devotional service to the Lord, according to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Despite all such mystic perfections, the material body will ultimately die. Actual eternal youth and happiness are available only on the spiritual platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Devanagari

न हि तत् कुशलाद‍ृत्यं तदायासो ह्यपार्थक: ।
अन्तवत्त्वाच्छरीरस्य फलस्येव वनस्पते: ॥ ४२ ॥

Text

na hi tat kuśalādṛtyaṁ
tad-āyāso hy apārthakaḥ
antavattvāc charīrasya
phalasyeva vanaspateḥ

Synonyms

na — not; hi — indeed; tat — that; kuśala — by those expert in transcendental knowledge; ādṛtyam — to be respected; tat — of that; āyāsaḥ — the endeavor; hi — certainly; apārthakaḥ — useless; anta-vattvāt — because of being subject to destruction; śarīrasya — on the part of the material body; phalasya — of the fruit; iva — just as; vanaspateḥ — of a tree.

Translation

This mystic bodily perfection is not valued very highly by those expert in transcendental knowledge. Indeed, they consider endeavor for such perfection useless, since the soul, like a tree, is permanent, but the body, like a tree’s fruit, is subject to destruction.

Purport

The example given here is of a tree that seasonally bears fruit. The fruit exists for a very short time, whereas the tree may exist for thousands of years. Similarly, the spirit soul is eternal, whereas the material body, even when preserved as long as possible, is destroyed relatively quickly. The body should never be equated with the eternally existing spirit soul. Those who are actually intelligent, who actually have spiritual knowledge, are not interested in material mystic perfections.

Devanagari

योगं निषेवतो नित्यं कायश्चेत् कल्पतामियात् ।
तच्छ्रद्दध्यान्न मतिमान्योगमुत्सृज्य मत्पर: ॥ ४३ ॥

Text

yogaṁ niṣevato nityaṁ
kāyaś cet kalpatām iyāt
tac chraddadhyān na matimān
yogam utsṛjya mat-paraḥ

Synonyms

yogam — the practice of yoga; niṣevataḥ — of one executing; nityam — regularly; kāyaḥ — the material body; cet — even if; kalpatām — fitness; iyāt — attains; tat — in that; śraddadhyāt — take faith; na — does not; mati-mān — who is intelligent; yogam — the system of mystic yoga; utsṛjya — giving up; mat-paraḥ — the devotee dedicated to Me.

Translation

Although the physical body may be improved by various processes of yoga, an intelligent person who has dedicated his life to Me does not place his faith in the prospect of perfecting his physical body through yoga, and in fact he gives up such procedures.

Purport

A devotee of the Lord keeps his body fit by eating nourishing Kṛṣṇa prasādam, by maintaining a clean and regulated life, free from unnecessary anxiety, and by chanting and dancing before the Deity of the Lord. When a devotee is sick, he accepts medical treatment by normal methods, but beyond this there is no need to absorb one’s mind in the physical body in the name of so-called yoga practice. Ultimately one must accept the destiny that has been ordained by the Lord.

Devanagari

योगचर्यामिमां योगी विचरन् मदपाश्रय: ।
नान्तरायैर्विहन्येत नि:स्पृह: स्वसुखानुभू: ॥ ४४ ॥

Text

yoga-caryām imāṁ yogī
vicaran mad-apāśrayaḥ
nāntarāyair vihanyeta
niḥspṛhaḥ sva-sukhānubhūḥ

Synonyms

yoga-caryām — the prescribed process of yoga; imām — this; yogī — the practitioner; vicaran — executing; mat-apāśrayaḥ — having taken shelter of Me; na — not; antarāyaiḥ — by obstacles; vihanyeta — is checked; niḥspṛhaḥ — free from hankering; sva — of the soul; sukha — the happiness; anubhūḥ — experiencing within.

Translation

The yogī who has taken shelter of Me remains free from hankering because he experiences the happiness of the soul within. Thus while executing this process of yoga, he is never defeated by obstacles.

Purport

According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the Supreme Lord has briefly described to Uddhava the essential wisdom of all the Upaniṣads, with the conclusion that pure devotional service to the Lord is the real means of ultimate liberation. In this regard Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura emphasizes that although haṭha-yogīs and rāja-yogīs try to make progress along their prescribed paths, they confront obstacles and often fail to achieve their desired goals. However, one who surrenders to the Supreme Lord will certainly be victorious on his spiritual path back home, back to Godhead.

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Eleventh Canto, Twenty-eighth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Jñāna-yoga.”