Prabhupada 0647 - Yoga Means Connection With The Supreme
Lecture on BG 6.2-5 -- Los Angeles, February 14, 1969
Prabhupāda: Go on.
Devotee: Verse number four. "A person is said to have attained yoga when having renounced all material desires, he neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in fruitive activities (BG 6.4)."
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the perfectional stage of yoga system, yoga practice. A person is said to have attained to yoga. That means, yoga means connection. Just like, the same example. Suppose this finger was out of my body. Or don't take this finger, take any machine part. It is out of the machine, lying idle. And as soon as you join with the machine, it works with different functions. Cutacut, cutacut, cutacut, it works. Means yoga, it has been joined. Similarly, we are now differentiated. These material activities, fruitive activities, they have been described simply wasting time. Mūḍha. Mūḍha. They have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍha. Mūḍha means rascal. Why? Such a big businessman? You say rascal, why? He's earning thousands of dollars daily. But they have been described, mūḍha, rascal, because they're working so hard, but what he's enjoying? He's enjoying the same amount of eating, sleeping and mating. That's all. As… A man who's earning millions of dollars daily, that does not mean he can enjoy mating millions of woman. No, that is not possible. His power of mating is same one who is earning ten dollars. His power of eating is the same with the man, one who is earning ten dollars. So he does not think that "My enjoyment of life is the same amount with the man who is earning ten dollars. Then why I am working so hard for earning millions of dollars daily? Why I am spoiling my energy in that way?" You see? They are called mūḍha.
Na māṁ duṣkṛtinaḥ (BG 7.15) - actually he should have engaged, when he earns millions of dollars daily, he should have engaged himself, his time and energy, how to understand God, what is the purpose of life. Because he has no economic problem. So he has got enough time, he can utilize in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness. But he does not take part in that way. Therefore he is mūḍha. Mūḍha means, actually mūḍha means ass. So his intelligence is not very nice. A person is said to have attained yoga, when having renounced all material desires. If one is in perfection of yoga, then he's satisfied. He has no more any material desire. That is perfection. He neither acts for sense gratification nor engages in fruitive activities. Fruitive activities are also, fruitive activities means you earn something for sense gratification. One is practically engaged in some sense gratification, and one is collecting money for sense gratification.
So the fruitive activities, suppose pious activities. Pious activities, according to Veda, everywhere, if you are virtuous, if you give some money in charity, it is virtuous activities. If you give some money for opening hospital, if you give some money for opening schools, free education, these are certainly virtuous activities. But they are also meant for sense gratification. Suppose if I give in charity for distributing education. Then in my next life I will be getting good facilities for education, I'll be highly educated or being educated I shall get nice post. But at the end, what is the idea? If I get a good post, if I get a good position, how do I utilize it? For sense gratification. Nicely, that's all. Because I do not know anything else. That is fruitive activities. If I go to heaven, a better standard of life. Suppose, in your America, a better standard of life than India. But what does this mean, "better standard of life"? The same eating, sleeping, in a better type, that's all. You are not doing anything more. They are also eating. They are eating some coarse grain, you are eating very nice thing. But eating. Not beyond this eating.
So my better standard of life does not mean any spiritual realization. A better standard of eating, sleeping, mating, that's all. So this is called fruitive activities. Fruitive activity is also another pattern of sense gratification, but it is on the basis of sense gratification. And yoga means connection with the Supreme. When the Supreme is connected, as soon as, just like Dhruva Mahārāja. As soon as he saw God, Nārāyaṇa… That boy was undergoing severe austerities, penances to see God. He saw. But when he saw, then he said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). "My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I don't want to ask anything, any benediction from You." Because what is benediction? Benediction means you get very nice kingdom or a very nice wife or very nice foodstuff, very nice. These things we consider as benediction. But actually when one becomes connected with God, he does not want any such benediction. He's satisfied. Fully satisfied. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42).
The history of this Dhruva Mahārāja I have told you many times, that he was a child, five years boy, old. He was insulted by his stepmother. He was sitting on the lap of his father, or he was trying. And his stepmother said, "Oh, you cannot sit on the lap of your father because you are not born in my womb." So because he was kṣatriya boy, although five years old, he took it a great insult. So he went to his own mother. "Mother, stepmother has insulted me like this." He was crying. Mother said, "What can I do, my dear boy? Your father loves your stepmother more. What can I do?" "No, I, I want my father's kingdom. Tell me how can I get it." Mother said, "My dear boy, if Kṛṣṇa, God, blesses you, you can get." "Where is God?" She said, "Oh, we have heard God is in the forest. Great sages go there and find out." So he went to the forest and underwent severe penances and he saw God. But when he saw God, Nārāyaṇa, he was no more anxious for the kingdom of his father. No more anxious. He said, "My dear Lord, I am satisfied, fully satisfied. I do not want anymore, my kingdom, the kingdom of my father." He gave the comparison that "I was searching out some pebbles, but I have got valuable jewels." So that means he is more satisfied.
When you actually connect yourself with God, then you feel yourself many millions times satisfied than enjoying this material world. That is God realization. That is the perfection of yoga.