43 verses
The Lord said: I shall speak about the characteristics of yoga, dependent on bhakti, by following which the mind attains the joyful, spiritual path.
One must follow ones duties of varṇāśrama to the best of ones ability and avoid sin. One should be satisfied with what comes of its own accord and worship the lotus feet of those who know the Lord.
Three verses and two syllables in verse 5 now explain the rules for controlling the mind. Non-violence, truthfulness, not stealing, not accepting more than necessary, celibacy and silence are a description of yama, the first stage of aṣṭāḍga-yoga (verse 4-5). The other items in verses 2, 3 and 4 are part of niyama.
One should avoid duties that lead to material attachment and be absorbed in those which lead to liberation. One should eat pure food in moderated quantities and always live in a secluded, peaceful place.
Grāmya-dharma means artha, dharma and kāma. According to the smṛti, moderate quantity of food means the following:
dvau bhāgau pūrayed annais toyenaikaṁ prapūrayet.
mārutasya pracārārthaṁ caturtham avaśeṣayet
One should fill half the stomach with food, one quarter with water. One quarter should remain with air for freedom of movement.
One should select a place which is solitary and free from fear (kṣemam).
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One should practice non-violence, truthfulness, and avoid theft. One should accept only what is necessary, and practice celibacy, austerity, and cleanliness. One should study the Vedas and worship the Supreme Lord.
One should accept what is necessary and not more than that for living.
One should observe silence. One should attain steadiness by mastering correct āsanas, and control the breath (prāṇāyama). Gradually one should withdraw the senses from material objects to the heart using the mind (pratyāhāra).
Three verses explain the other aḍgas of yoga. One should attain steadiness by mastering correct āsanas.
One should fix the prāṇa at one spot among the various cakras by the mind. One should meditate on the pastimes in the spiritual world. Then one should attain samādhi of the mind.
Among the places where prāṇa is situated, starting with the mūlādhāra-cakra, one should fix the prāṇa in one place. This is the stage of dhāraṇā. One should meditate on the limbs starting with the feet of the Lord along with his pastimes (līlābhidhyānam). Ātmanaḥ samādhānam means concentration of the mind.
Also engaging in other methods with the intelligence, having controlled the prāṇas, with attention one gradually engages the wicked mind which leads one to material life in meditation
Other processes are charity and vows. Yuñjīta means engage in meditation.
Mastering the āsanas, he should establish his seat in a clean place and sitting in svastikāsana, keeping the body straight, he should practice controlling the breath.
The āsana and other features are described. The āsana should be kuśa and deer skin, covered with cloth. On that he should sit in svasti position: placing the foot of one leg on the thigh of the other. He should sit and practice controlling the breath.
One should purify the passage for prāṇa by inhaling, holding and exhaling the breath or reversing the process, so that the unsteady mind becomes steady.
Inhaling through the left nostril is called pūraka. Holding the breath is called kumbhaka. Exhaling through the right nostril is called recaka. Reversing the process means to exhale, hold the breath and then inhale. By this means the unsteady mind becomes steady.
Very soon the mind of the yogī who controls his breath will become pure, just as heated gold gives up impurities by air and fire.
Loham means gold. Dhmātam means heated.
By controlling the breath, one burns up the faults in the doṣas of the body. By dhāranā one destroys sins. By pratyāhāra one destroys association with sense objects. By meditation one destroys uncontrollable qualities such as attraction and repulsion.
The effects of these practices are described. Doṣān means vāta, sleṣma and pitta, humours of the body. Kilbiṣāni means sins. Saṁsargān means association with sense objects. Anīśvarān means attraction, hatred etc.
When the mind becomes purified and steady by yama and other the aḍgas, looking at the tip of the nose, one should them meditate on the form of the Lord
Yogena means by yama and other aḍgas. Kāṣṭhām means attractive form. One looks at the nose to avoid sleep and wandering mind.
One should meditate on that form with joyful, lotus face, red lotus eyes, and complexion like a blue lotus, holding conch, cakra and club.
Meditation on the Lord, the third aḍga of the nine-limbed bhakti process (smaranam), becomes the seventh process in aṣṭāḍga-yoga. In yoga, this is for attaining liberation. Taking this opportunity, Kapila describes the form used by both devotees and yogīs for meditation. Though only three items are mentioned in the Lords hand, the fourth item, the lotus should also be included.
He wears cloth the color of glowing lotus pollen, has Śrīvatsa on his chest, and the brilliant Kaustubha on his neck.
The Kaustubha is tied (āmukta) around his neck (kandhara) by a gold thread.
He wears a garland filled with the sweet humming of intoxicated bees. He wears priceless necklaces, bracelets, crown, arm bands and anklets.
The garland has the sweet sound of intoxicated bees. Parārdhya means of maximum price.
His hips shine with the cords of his belt. He sits in the lotus heart of the devotees. He is most attractive to see, peaceful, and increases the joy of the mind and eye.
He has a waist shining with cords of his belt. His seat (viṣṭaram) is the lotus heart of the devotees. He is peaceful (śāntam).
He is beautiful, and worshipped by all people. He is eternally fifteen years old and eager to bless his servants.
He is beautiful to see. He is eternally situated at fifteen years (kaiśore).
One should meditate on this form of the Lord with all his limbs, who is worthy of glorification, who increases the fame of his devotees until the mind does not deviate.
His form (tīrtha) is worthy of glorification.
With ones heart filled with pure emotion, one should meditate on the Lord living in the spiritual world as he walks, sits or sleeps, and performs pastimes worthy of seeing.
Incidentally, this verse can be interpreted as a description of the pastimes for meditation of the rāgānuga-bhaktas. One should meditate on the Lord situated in Vaikuṇṭha or at base of a desire tree in Vṛndāvana, or as he goes out of Vaikuṇṭha, or goes from the cow pens to the forest. One should meditate on the Lord sitting on his jewel throne or on the peak of Govardhana. One should meditate on the Lord sleeping on Śeṣa or in a cave on Govardhana. His pastimes (īhitam) are worthy of being seen, by gazing outside at the Lord from the lattice windows with hearts of pure love.
The sage, having concentrated his mind on seeing the Lord with all his limbs, should concentrate on one limb of the Lord.
Having described the whole form for meditation, Kapila now describes meditation on individual limbs is described. Tasmin means on the Lords form.
One should meditate on the Lords lotus foot marked with a thunderbolt, elephant goad, flag, and lotus, which destroys the great darkness of the heart with the brilliance of the array of his gleaming, raised, red toenails.
Meditation on the limbs beginning from the feet is now described. One should meditate on the elephant goad below the little toe of the right foot. This foot is seen by the devotees, as Kṛṣṇa stands in the pose with three bends beneath a desire tree. Below the elephant goad is a thunder bolt. Below the next toe is a lotus and below the lotus is a flag. Below the big toe is a barley corn, a cakra and other items. The foot is adorned (āòhyam) with such marks (lāñchana).
One should meditate continually upon the Lords lotus feet from which the Gaḍgā flows and gives extra blessings to Lord Śiva on his head, and whose thunderbolt is released upon mountains of sin in the meditators mind.
After describing the sweetness of the Lords feet, Kapila describes the power of his feet. Śiva becomes additionally auspicious (adhikrṭena) on his head by the sacred water of the Gaḍgā flowing as wash water from the Lords feet. Or Śiva becomes blessed by attaining the qualification to hold on his head the water of the Gaḍgā. Śiva thinks I have become fortunate. The devotee meditates on the foot marked with the thunderbolt being released upon a mountain of sins of the meditator. The devotee meditates as well on the elephant goad to lead the elephant of his mind on the right path. He meditates on the lotus on the Lords foot to ornament the lake of his mind. He meditates on the flag to give the highest kingdom to the mind. He meditates on the barley corn to give the highest fame. He meditates on the umbrella to give relief from the three miseries. He meditates on the cakra to give complete protection.
One should fix in the heart the two legs of the Lord who destroys material existence, from his foot to his knee, decorated with the lustrous, bud-like hands of lotus-eyed Lakṣmī, who is worshipped by all the devatās and who is mother of Brahmā. She places those lotus feet upon her thighs.
It has already been said that one should meditate on the Lord lying down in verse 19. One should fix in the mind the Lords legs from foot to knee as he lies on his bed of Ananta. His leg is made beautiful (saṁlālitam) by the yellow and pink color of the lotus hands, skilful at massage, of lotus-eyed Lakṣmī, who is the mother of Brahmā, and who is worshipped by the devatās. Her eyes are mentioned because without disturbance she can relish the beauty of the Lord. The yogī should relish the sweetness and the power of his feet and knees. The yogī should relish the rest of the limbs in the same way. The Lord extinguishes material life (abhavasya).
He should place in his mind the two beautiful, powerful thighs of the Lord, blue like the atasi flower, as he sits on the shoulders of Garuòa, with hips surrounded by a belt and draped with the best yellow cloth
It has already been said that one should meditate on the Lord moving in verse 19. One should meditate on the two thighs of the Lord mounted on Garuòa going to give blessings to Pṛthu and Dhruva. Bhūjayor adhi means upon the shoulders. Nitamba-bimbam means the area of his hips.
One should meditate on the navel lake of the Lord, situated on his abdomen, the base of all the worlds, from which the lotus residence of Brahmā sprouts, containing all the planets. One should meditate upon the two nipples of the Lord, like the best of emeralds, made white by the light from his shining pearl necklace.
One should meditate on the navel lake of Garbhodakaśāyī, situated on his abdomen, which is the foundation fro all of the worlds, from which sprang up the lotus residence of Brahmā, containing all the planets. One should meditate on the two nipples of the Lord, circular in shape, like the best (vṛṣa) emeralds, or which have righteousness (vṛṣa), and are the color of emeralds, since his right breast represents dharma. The nipples become white by the light from the shining pearl necklace. One should also meditate on the Śrīvatsa mark, turning to the right, above his right nipple, which glows white like the pearl necklace.
One should meditate on the Lords chest, the special residence of Mahā-lakṣmī, which bestows pleasure to the minds and eyes of men. One should meditate on neck of the Lord, respected by all the worlds, which is made beautiful by the Kaustubha jewel.
One should meditate on the chest of the Lord whose left side is the special place of Mahālakṣmī. One should meditate on the neck, ornamented additionally (adhi) by the Kaustubha.
One should meditate on the arms of the Lord, whose bracelets became polished by the turning of Mandara Mountain, and which bestow powers to the devatās protecting the planets. One should meditate on the arms of the Lord holding the cakra with unbearable power and the conch, white like a swan in his lotus hand.
One should meditate on the arms of the Lord which churned the milk ocean. His arm bands become polished by the turning of the mountain. By his arms, devotees become designated as protectors of the planets. One should also meditate on the four arms of the Lord in Vaikuṇṭha holding the four weapons, and also on his garland and Kaustubha. The sentence continues into the next verse. Daśaśatāram means cakra.
One should meditate on the Lords dear club Kaumadakī, smeared with the blood of the enemy. One should meditate on his garland buzzing with swarms of bees, and on the pure Kaustubha jewel on his neck, which represents jīva-tattva.
Digdhām means smeared. Upaghuṣṭām means buzzing. Citta means to be visible, to appear. Though the word caitya everywhere means the Paramātmā, in this case it means the jīva, since the jīva is his śakti. The Kaustubha is the tattva of jīva-śakti. It is said in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
ātmānam asya jagato nirlepam aguṇāmalaṁ
vibharti kaustabha-maṇi-svarūpaṁ bhagavān hariḥ
The Supreme Lord distributes the form of the Kaustubha jewel, uncontaminated and pure, as the ātmā in the universe.
Thus the Kaustubha represents the unlimited rays or jīvas.
One should meditate on the lotus face of the Lord who accepts forms in this world out of compassion for his servants. That face has a raised nose and clear cheeks glittering with the movements of his sparkling makara earrings.
Anukampita belong to the tārakādi class and means filled with compassion. The Lord accepts forms in this world by being filled with compassion for his servants, or he accepts forms along with his compassion which will live with him there. O mercy, essence of my svarūpa-śakti! Among my many forms, accept that form which you like, as your living place. Thinking in this way he accepts forms. His earrings sway because of the wind created by the cāmaras waved by two servants at the Lords sides. Or his earrings sway because of his head shaking caused by clever answers given by his close associates. Or he tilts his head to indicate the skilfulness as he relishes the dancing, singing, instrumental music with various rhythms. The two eyes, dancing with the reflections of the two moving earrings on his cheeks which are mirrors made of the best jewels, become dancing instructors, and make the four makaras (on the earrings and the reflections in the eyes) who have come to their classroom dance. This image should be understood. His nose is raised. Udāra means great and generous. Because of its good manners in tasting, the nose gives full self generously.
One should meditate on the lotus face of the Lord, the abode of beauty, with which the mind completely identifies, which has lotus eyes, black locks of hair, and trembling eyebrows, and which defeats a lotus served by bees and two fish.
One should meditate on the lotus face of the Lord (śrī-niketanam), the abode of beauty, which rivals a lotus served by bees and accompanied by two fish. By its beauty that face defeats any lotus. The face is surrounded by curly locks which are compared to a swarm of bees. The two eyes like lotus petals are compared to two fish. His eyebrows dance because they are indicating mercy to his devotees. This face is attained by the mind which identifies completely with it out of great taste.
One should meditate for a long time with deep love in the heart on the glance of the Lord, cast from his eyes to dispel the three terrible miseries, and which smiles with affection, continually multiplying with great mercy.
One should meditate on the Lords glance made by his two eyes to relieve the meditator of the three frightful miseries. One should meditate on the Lords glance which smiles affectionately, representing all the sweetness of the Lord, which first doubles, then triple, and final multiples millions and millions times.
One should meditate on the generous smile of the Lord which completely dries up the ocean of tears of intense grief in his devotees caused by separation. One should meditate on the Lords brow, manufactured by his own energy to bewilder Cupid for the benefit of the sages.
One should meditate on the Lords generous smile, which completely (vi) dries up the intense ocean of tears of grief caused by separation in all the devotees (avanata akhila-loka) with dāsya, sakhya or other bhāvas. The generous smile lifts the devotees from the ocean of grief and drowns them in the ocean of bliss. Or the smile dries up the ocean of tears caused by material suffering, and increases the ocean of bliss in prema which is far beyond the material world. This is astonishing even for the moon. The famous moon increases only the Milk Ocean. One should meditate on the brows of the Lord, which were produced to bewilder Cupid. Why should the brows bewildered Cupid? Cupid agitates the sages who are doing austerities of eating only leaves and water. The image is made with anger directed towards Cupid.
One should meditate upon the Lords laughter, an easy object of meditation, which shows his teeth like a row of jasmine buds with his shining, full, red lips. One should not desire to see anything except Viṣṇu who is present in ones heart with a mind steeped in mature devotion.
It has been said that one should meditate on the Lords pastimes in verse 19. The Lord sits on his flower bed, unable to give up closeness to his beloveds ears, eyes nose and mouth out of greed for the fragrance of his beloved. He watches as she becomes frightened of a humming of a bee, and starts waving her arms and cloth, and moving her neck and eyes about restlessly. Pitifully she cries out, O king of enjoyers! I fall at your feet. Please drive this evil thing away! One should meditate on loud laugher of the Lord as he says, O king of the bees! Do not leave her. Enjoy her!
Without effort, spontaneously, this becomes the object of meditation (dhyānāyanam). That is because of its sweetness. With the laughter one can see the profuse splendour of his lips and his row of fine teeth like jasmine buds. One should not desire to see anything else in ones heart except Viṣṇu who is seen in the heart. One should not desire to know anything else in ones heart, since there is nothing greater than this essence of all goals. This bewilderment through tasting bliss is the highest samādhi for the devotees. The third aḍga of nine-fold bhakti consisting of meditation on the sweet form, qualities, and pastimes of the avataras of the Lord has been described in the present context of aṣṭāḍga-yoga to attract the great yogīs and drown them in the ocean of bhakti-rasa.
pariniṣṭhito 'pi nairguṇya uttama-śloka-līlayā
gṛhīta-cetā rājarṣe ākhyānaṁ yad adhītavān
Though I was fixed in brahman and beyond the guṇas, my mind became attracted to the pastimes of the Lord. I thus learned his pastimes. SB 2.1.9
advaita-vīthī-pathikair upāsyāḥ
svānanda-siṁhāsana-labdha-dīkṣāḥ
śaṭhena kenāpi vayaṁ haṭhena
dāsī-kṛtā gopa-vadhū-viṭena
Although I was worshiped by those on the path of monism and initiated into self-realization through the yoga system, I have nonetheless been forcibly turned into a maidservant by some cunning boy who is always joking with the gopīs. Bilvamaḍgala, quoted in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 3.1.44
These verses show that great yogīs like Śukadeva and Bilvamaḍgala drowned in bhakti-rasa by the mercy of great devotees.
The unfortunate yogī who has developed love for the Lord, full of all sweet qualities, whose heart is somewhat soft because of devotion, whose body hairs stand on end in ecstasy, who is constantly overcome with intense tears of joy, gradually withdraws his hook-like mind from the Lords form.
The foolish yogī, who, receiving great mercy and experiencing the sweetness of meditation on the Lords pastimes, rejects it because he is not fixed in that taste, is considered low class among yogīs, even though he is steady in yoga. He is cheated of bhakti-rasa. By bhakti alone, he attains liberation with realization of pratyag-ātmā (individual soul) while destroying twenty-one types of suffering. But he does not attain liberation with realization of Paramātmā.1 That is explained starting in this verse and until the end of the chapter.
This yogī has attained bhāva for the Supreme Lord , Bhagavān, full of the nectar of all sweetness and powers, since the Lord is most attractive (harau), possessing the six bhagas (bhagavati). Pratilabdha besides meaning to attain suggests that he receives, but does not response appropriately. The word api later in the verse applies to all the previous words. Thus the meaning is Though he received bhāva for the sweet form of the Lord, though his heart melted, though his hairs stood on end, and though he was constantly afflicted with streams of tears caused by longing, he withdraws the hook of his mind from that form (tad api). It is said that one should give up jñāna to attain liberation (jñānañ ca mayi sannyaset, SB 11.19.1), but there is no rule to give up bhakti to attain liberation. On the contrary, it is forbidden to give up bhakti, for it has just been said in the previous verse One should not desire to see anything except the Viṣṇu who is present in ones heart with a mind steeped in mature devotion. Therefore, the yogī gives up that sweet form only by his own foolish decision. He does so without following rules. Because his heart is like a hook, he gives up that sweet form. This means that the heart which was inundated with the sweetness of the Lord then begins to negate that eagerness for sweetness of the Lord, in order to distance itself from eagerness for rasa for material objects. He does so gradually, because it is difficult to withdraw, since the heart has directly experienced that sweetness. Even if he has no direct experience of the sweetness, he can only withdraw his mind by repeated effort, two times, three times, four times, five times, seven or eight times.
The hook is made of iron. It does not melt like gold, silver or butter. It softens a little by applying great heat, but immediately becomes hard again. Thus the verse states that his heart is in the process of melting (dravat), rather than being fully fluid. The hook, though always bathed in the waters of the sacred Gaḍgā, remains permanently crooked, without appreciation of rasa. It is also a cheater, because it covers its point with bits of sweet food for attracting greedy fish. The yogīs heart is thus condemned by this analogy. Though purified by the holy place, it remains hard and crooked, and makes a show, covering its nature with devotional meditation to attract the Lord.
In commenting on dharamaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ (SB 1.1.2), Śrīdhara Svāmī says that the word pra indicates that even the desire for liberation, the desire for merging in the Lord, is rejected as cheating, for in that liberation, even Bhakti-devī, the highest object of meditation, worshipped as a mere aḍga of yoga, is finally rejected. The touch of that hook of the yogīs heart is uncomfortable for the Lord as well. Thus, after the withdrawal from the Lord, the Lord gives liberation with realization of pratyagātmā while destroying twenty-one type o f suffering to the fisherman yogī with his withdrawn hook-like heart. He does not give liberation with realization of Paramātmā.
The relishers of the Bhāgavatam say that the yogī described in the Gītā does not reject meditation on the Lord, and thus the Lord awards him liberation with realization of the form of Paramātmā, since that yogī never desires to withdraw from the sweet form of the Lord, the object of his meditation. Parīkṣit says:
dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati
mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā
A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey. SB 2.8.6
Uddhava says:
taṁ tvākhilātma-dayiteśvaram āśritānāṁ
sarvārtha-daṁ sva-kṛta-vid visṛjeta ko nu
ko vā bhajet kim api vismṛtaye 'nu bhūtyai
kiṁ vā bhaven na tava pāda-rajo-juṣāṁ naḥ
What person who knows the mercy you show to your devotees could reject you, the most dear among all souls, the Supreme Lord of all, who give all possible perfections to the devotees who take shelter of you? Who would reject you and accept something for the sake of material enjoyment or liberation, which simply leads to forgetfulness of you? And what lack is there for us who are engaged in the service of the dust of your lotus feet? SB 11.29.5
Nārada says:
na vai jano jātu kathañcanāvrajen
mukunda-sevy anyavad aḍga saṁsṛtim
smaran mukundāḍghry-upagūhanaṁ punar
vihātum icchen na rasa-graho janaḥ
Oh! The person who serves Mukunda will never under any condition return to the material world, unlike practitioners of other processes. Remembering the embrace of the Lords lotus feet, eager for that taste he has experienced, he will not desire to give up those feet again. SB 1.5.19
Even among the yogīs, Śukadeva and others were pleased with hearing about the Lord. They were rasa-graha, enjoyers of the taste of the Lord. In the previous verse also it was said that yogī whose mind is offered up with bhakti should not see anything accept the Lord. If the yogī offers his mind to the Lord, the mind belongs only to the Lord. If that is so, how can that mind reject the Lord? And how can he, once giving the mind, take it back? Such a person can only be condemned! And the Lord resides only in the hearts of the devotees, not in the hearts of the yogīs. Brahmā says:
ye tu tvadīya-caraṇāmbuja-kośa-gandhaṁ
jighranti karṇa-vivaraiḥ śruti-vāta-nītam
bhaktyā gṛhīta-caraṇaḥ parayā ca teṣāṁ
nāpaiṣi nātha hṛdayāmburuhāt sva-puṁsām
O my Lord, persons who smell the aroma of your lotus feet, carried by the air of Vedic sound through the holes of the ears, accept your devotional service. For them you are never separated from the lotus of their hearts. SB 3.9.5
Āvirhotra says:
visṛjati hṛdayaṁ na yasya sākṣād
dharir avaśābhihito 'py aghaugha-nāśaḥ
praṇaya-rasanayā dhṛtāḍghri-padmaḥ
sa bhavati bhāgavata-pradhāna uktaḥ
He who binds the lotus feet of the Lord by ropes of love, and whose heart the Lord, destroyer of heaps of sin, called even unconsciously, does not leave, is called the best of devotees. SB 11.2.55
When the mind of the foolish yogī, still under the shelter of the Lord, becomes devoid of material objects an d is detached from all material objects, that mind suddenly gets destroyed, just as a flame dies without oil and wick. The jīva, having destroyed misconceptions of his body, then sees his ātmā without coverings.
Having described the conduct of the inferior yogī, Kapila now describes the condition of the mind which gives up the form of the Lord. When the mind becomes devoid of objects, it still is under the shelter of the Lord (muktāśrayam),
since a meditator cannot exist without some relationship with the Lord. It will not meditate on material sounds or forms as previously, since it is completely detached from those things. Though the mind has experienced the highest bliss, the mind does not again make the form of bliss his object of meditation, since the mind has withdrawn from that. In the previous verse, the foolish yogī made repeated attempts to withdraw his mind (śanakaiḥ). The mind then achieves destruction (layam), just as a lamp deprived of oil and wick gets extinguished. In this state (atra) the jīva (puruṣaḥ), having destroyed his mind, sees the pure ātmā, pratyagātmā (ekam), without obstruction, since the covering of the subtle body has been destroyed. Then he no longer takes birth. His misconceptions of body etc. have been destroyed (pratinivṛtta-guṇa-prabvāhaḥ).
By final cessation of the mind through yoga practice, that jīva becomes situated in his true position beyond happiness and distress. Realising himself as ātmā, he sees the cause of his happiness and distress in himself to be the ahaḍkāra, caused by ignorance.
Extinction of all designations is similar to a state of deep sleep. The jīva, because of destroying the mind, is situated in his svarūpa of bliss of knowledge, in his glory because of having destroyed the mind. Previously the mind had stolen his glory, but by destroying the mind, he regains that glory. Final (caramayā) destruction has taken place, devoid of all ignorance. This distinguishes it from deep sleep. In deep sleep, ignorance remains, but in this state there is no ignorance. The cause is mentioned. It is because of yoga practice (etayā). His position is beyond happiness and distress. Because by its very nature his condition is beyond happiness and distress, the jīvātmā is beyond happiness and distress.
It is seen that the very nature of the atmā is happiness and distress. Therefore how can the ātmā be completely beyond happiness and distress? The cause of happiness and distress is the ahaḍkāra (kartari) produced by ignorance (asati). The conception of being the doer of actions is the cause of happiness and distress. The jīva, realizing his condition as ātmā (upalabhda-parātma-kāṣṭhaḥ), see the ahaḍkāra as the cause of his previous condition of being the doer and enjoyer. Because he is devoid of ahaḍkāra, the pure jīva sees this condition.
Because he has attained his svarūpa, because he has achieved perfection, the last state, he does not see his body---whether it has risen from a chair, or remains there, or whether it is coming or going by fate, just as a drunk man does not know if he is wearing cloth or not.
Two verses describe the state of the jīvan-mukta. Having achieved the final state, he does not see the body. This means that he does not experience happiness and distress, because he has attained (adhyagamat) his svarūpa. Parikṛtam means clothed. Like a drunk man he does not understand whether he has risen from a chair or not or is still there or gone.
The body along with the senses, controlled by previous impressions, continues to live as long as the prārabdhā-karmas remain. That person does not again enjoy the body or its extensions such as sons since he has attained samādhi and has realized his position as ātmā. The body is a like a dream body.
How does this body continue to live? The body along with the senses (sāsuḥ) continues to live as long as the body is under the control of previous impressions (daiva-vaśa-gah). Will he again develop material attraction? He does not enjoy again his body or its extensions as sons etc. because he does not identify with I and mind, just as one does not identify with a dream body. This is because he has attained the perfection of yoga, samādhi, and has realization of his position as ātmā (vastu).
Just as the father is actually different from his son or wealth, though he identifies them as his self out of affection, so the jīva is different from his body.
In order to gain knowledge, those aspiring for liberation should always think in the following manner, explained in three verses. Just as a father is different from his son, though he regards the son as himself out of affection, so the jīva is different from his body.
bhūtendriyāntaḥ-karaṇāt pradhānāj jīva-saṁjñitāt ātmā tathā pṛthag draṣṭā bhagavān brahma-saṁjñitaḥ
Just as fire is actually different from a blazing coal, and similarly is different from the spark and the smoke, which arise from the fire, though by imagination they appear to be fire, similarly, Bhagavān, possessor of inconceivable powers, who also appears as impersonal Brahman, is different from pradhāna, the conscious jīva, and the body, senses and antaḥkaraṇa, because he is the witness of the others.
Though the father can be perceived to be different from the son and wealth, since they are separately situated, the same does not apply to the jīva and his body and senses. And how can the Paramātmā be understood to be different from the jīva?2 Though not situated separately, the jīva is different from the products of māyā, and Paramātmā is different from the jīva. An example is given.
An explanation will be given which accounts for the repetition of the two words yathā and ulmukaḥ. Fire is different from wood which is burning, and just as it is different from wood, it is different from sparks, and just as it is different sparks, it different from smoke, its product. The foolish person however will think that the wood, spark and smoke are fire, because of imagining (abhimatāt) them to be the svarūpa of fire. Similarly, Paramātmā is different from the jīva. Or, the second yathā can stand for yathāvat (correctly) and the second ulmukāt can be a combination of ulmuka and the verb at meaning to eat. It thus means blazing which modifies the word fire. Thus the verse means Just as blazing fire is correctly different from wood, sparks and fire, though by imagination they are considered the same, so Paramātmā is different from jīva.
The last part of the example is in the second verse. Pradhāna is compared to the wood. The jīva is compared to the spark, since it has consciousness (saṁjñitāt). The body, senses and antaḥkaraṇa are compared to the smoke. Paramāmtā (ātmā) is compared to the fire. Paramātmā is different from pradhāna, the jīva, the body, senses and antaḥkaraṇa because he is the witness (drastā). Because he sees everything else, he is different. Though situated together with the other items, he is not contaminated, because he possesses inconceivable powers (bhagavān). He also appears as Brahman: to some persons of certain qualification, he makes an appearance as consciousness alone without qualities.
This yogī should see Paramātmā in all beings, and all beings in Paramātmā, just as one sees the material elements in all beings.
Contemplating that Paramātmā is different from all else, one should see him as the cause and ultimate resting place of all things. One sees Paramātmā in all beings because the cause is present in the effect. One sees all beings in Paramātmā because all of the effects merge into him at final destruction of the universe. Tad-ātmatām means made of the five great elements.
Just as one fire in various types of wood appears to be different because of different qualities in the wood, Paramātmā is one, but appears to be of many varieties, because he is situated in different bodies.
The perception of various forms of the Paramātmā because he is in all bodies and perception of Paramātmā possessing good or bad bodies is not actual. One fire (jyotih) in various types of wood (sva-yoniṣu) is perceived to be various because of different qualities in the wood. It may have long or short wood, crooked or straight wood, with different odors and colors. Similarly Paramātmā (ātmā), though residing in different bodies, is one.
Because of the bewildering forms of prakṛti, after conquering self-supporting prakṛti, composed of cause and effect, which is difficult to conquer, one should be situated in ones uncovered form of consciousness.
Because prakṛti shows itself in a variety of forms and is thus the cause of many problems (tasmāt), one should conquer prakṛti. Prakṛti is self-supporting (svām). It is composed of karma or fate (daivīm), or is a śakti of the Lord (deva). It is hard to conquer, but one should conquer it. This is explained in the Gītā:
daivī hyena guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā
māmeva ye prapadyante māyāmetāṁ taranti te
My māyā made of the guṇas, fit for the jīvas pleasure, is hard to surpass, but those who surrender to me alone can cross over this māyā. BG 7.14
Having conquered prakṛti, the jīva is situated as a form of consciousness uncovered by matter.
Thus ends the commentary on Twenty-eighth Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Twenty-eighth Chapter, meditation in the asṭāḍga-yoga system is described in detail, by which the yogī attains liberation without effort. Teaching devotion to himself (Chapter 26), and speaking about Sāḍkhya mixed with bhakti (Chapter 27,28), the Lord now begins to speak about aṣṭāḍga-yoga mixed with bhakti.
Sabījasya means taking support.