Prabhupada 0335 - Educating People to Become First-class Yogi
Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972
A brāhmaṇa, he prays to Kṛṣṇa: "My dear Lord, I have become the servant of my senses." Here everyone is servant of his senses. They want to enjoy the senses. Not enjoy—they want to serve the senses. My tongue says, "Please take me to such and such restaurant and give me such and such chicken juice." I immediately go. Not to enjoy, but to abide by the orders of my tongue. Therefore in the name of so-called enjoyment, we are all serving the senses. In Sanskrit it is called go-dāsa. Go means senses. So unless you become gosvāmī, your life is spoiled. Gosvāmī. You cannot be dictated by the senses. You have to dictate to the senses. As soon as the tongue says, "Now, you will take me to that restaurant, or give me a cigarette," if you say, "No. No cigarette, no restaurant; simply kṛṣṇa-prasāda," then you are gosvāmī. Then you are gosvāmī. This is the characteristic, sanātana. Because I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. So this is called sanātana-dharma. That we are describing in the Ajāmila-upākhyāna. This stage can be attained. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena śaucena tyāgena yamena niyamena (SB 6.1.13).
Therefore the whole Vedic literature is meant for how to control the senses. Yoga. Yoga indriya-saṁyama. That is yoga. Yoga means not to show some magic. This is the first-class magic. If you are practicing yoga... I have seen so many so-called yogis, but they cannot control the sense for smoking. You see. Smoking and so many things are going on. And still, they are passing on as yogi. What kind of yogi? Yogi means one who has controlled the senses. Śamena damena brahmacaryeṇa. There are... In the Bhagavad-gītā it is all explained where yoga system is described. And five thousand years ago, Arjuna was hearing about this yoga, controlling senses. So he was a gṛhastha, and politician also, because he belonged to the royal family. He was fighting for gaining victory over the kingdom. So Arjuna frankly said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible for me to become a yogi because this is very difficult job. You are asking me to sit down in a solitary place, in a sacred place, and in perpendicular state, simply looking on the point of your nose, of my nose, so many things You are... But it is not possible for me." He frankly refused. So Kṛṣṇa, just to encourage His friend and devotee... He could understand that Arjuna is becoming disappointed. He's frankly admitting that it is not possible for him. Actually, he's a politician. How it can be possible for him to become yogi? But our politicians, they're advertising they are practicing yoga. What kind of yoga? Has he become more than Arjuna? In this age of fallen age? Five thousand years ago, how much favorable condition was there. And now, in such unfavorable condition, deteriorated condition, you want to become a so-called yogi? It is not possible. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). Yoga means to meditate upon Viṣṇu. That was possible in the Satya-yuga. Just like Vālmīki. He meditated for sixty-thousands of years, and became perfect. So who is going to live for sixty-thousand years? So it is not possible. So therefore Kṛṣṇa, to encourage him... Actually, the purpose of yoga, He explained to Arjuna,
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
- (BG 6.47)
First-class yogi. Who? Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā. Who is thinking of, always of Me, Kṛṣṇa."
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is educating people to become first-class yogi. Think of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. It is not bogus thing. It is actual fact. You can become yogi. You can become Brahman. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate.
- māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
- bhakti-yogena sevate
- sa guṇān samatītyaitān
- brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
- (BG 14.26)
So one who becomes realized, self-realized person, brahma-bhūta, (SB 4.30.20) brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), then what does it remain for him? That is the ultimate goal of life, to become ahaṁ brahmāsmi. The Vedic literature teaches us that "Don't think that you belong to this matter. You are Brahman." Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman, and we are subordinate Brahman. Nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa. We are servant Brahman. He's master Brahman. So, so instead of, instead of understanding that I am servant Brahman, I am thinking I am master Brahman. That is another illusion. That is another illusion.