“A yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogi.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 6.46)

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तपस्विभ्यो ऽधिको योगी
ज्ञानिभ्यो ऽपि मतो ऽधिकः
कर्मिभ्यश् चाधिको योगी
तस्माद् योगी भवार्जुन

tapasvibhyo ‘dhiko yogī
jñānibhyo ‘pi mato ‘dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna

“If I had a dime for every time I was asked. At this point, I wish I had a video, an audio recording, or a printed business card that explained everything. I am tired of repeating myself. They never understand, either. I always lose them in the first thirty seconds. They want nothing to do with the truth. They have their misconceptions, created and strengthened through the modern degradation of the otherwise ancient and timeless practice. To break those misconceptions is nearly impossible. My fatigue is growing.

“The question of which I speak is the definition of yoga. Everyone I talk to thinks it is about sitting down in the lotus position. You know, crossing your legs. Bending your body in different ways. They are interested in that, only. They want to know if I have any inside information. Am I an expert at it? Is that what I practice every day? Can I teach them?

“I have tried my best to explain to them what real yoga is, and that bhakti does not resemble what you see in a typical studio. I attempt to reach for the virtual bookshelf, to take out my trusted copy of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, to turn to the appropriate verse. This is to satisfy their inquisitiveness. This is to hopefully bring them to the proper understanding.

“I am telling you, it hardly ever works. Do you think we are going about it wrong? Why not avoid mentioning yoga, altogether? It appears to only confuse people. They are not ready to hear about God and our relationship to Him. They are not looking for an explanation on the imperishable nature of the soul and how nothing can destroy it. They want something else, entirely, it seems.”

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः
न चैनं क्ल‍ेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः

nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi
nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo
na śoṣayati mārutaḥ

“The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.23)

As His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada kindly explains, yoga simply means “plus.” As in, addition. Taking one object and adding another. If I go to the store and see an apple that I want, I might decide to pair it with a peach. I thus have two instances of fruit. If I have a giant puzzle that only has two pieces, yoga would be like adding those pieces together, joining them to make the complete whole. The whole, in that instance, is the proper condition. The separation is not natural. The separation prevents viewing the proper picture.

In the case of a material existence, the first piece of the puzzle is me. I am an individual. I am spirit soul. The Sanskrit is “aham brahmasmi.” I am not the body. I am not matter. Spirit is what facilitates the production and manipulation of matter. On its own, matter cannot do anything. Therefore, spirit is the superior entity. It is the higher energy, if conducting a comparative analysis.

As mentioned previously, yoga is addition. The piece missing is the Supreme Lord. He is not separated, disjointed, or alone. He is always there, in fact. We are like drivers seated on a machine. We think that we have full control, but the various components of the machine must cooperate in order for our driving efforts to succeed. Those various components represent material nature.

ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां
हृद्-देशे ऽर्जुन तिष्ठति
भ्रामयन् सर्व-भूतानि
यन्त्रारूढानि मायया

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.61)

Without connection to God, we are in a minus condition. This explains the necessity of yoga. We are recommending yoga because that is the way towards healing. Yoga is the natural, proper condition. We do not have to look far, since God is always with us. He is a neutral observer. He is a constant companion, birth after birth. The linking through yoga is looking in His direction, understanding His presence, and accepting guidance for moving along the proper path. That is the benefit of yoga. Otherwise, in the minus condition we are only miserable. This explains why people would descend into animal territory, in their behavior. This explains why they commit heinous crimes, tell lie after lie, and refuse to accept good counsel. The degradation can only occur in the minus condition.

There is yoga in the mechanical way, which involves the different positions for the body. There are eight limbs to this kind of yoga, and dhyana, or meditation, is one of them. Bhakti is a special kind of yoga, distinct from the mechanical way. There is yoga, all the same, due to the linking. The object on the other side, the person being linked to, recommends bhakti over anything else. No other path pleases Him as much as bhakti, which is devotion.

न साधयति मां योगो न साङ्ख्यं धर्म उद्धव
न स्वाध्यायस्तपस्त्यागो यथा भक्तिर्ममोर्जिता

na sādhayati māṁ yogo
na sāṅkhyaṁ dharma uddhava
na svādhyāyas tapas tyāgo
yathā bhaktir mamorjitā

“[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, said:] ‘My dear Uddhava, neither through ashtanga-yoga [the mystic yoga system to control the senses], nor through impersonal monism or an analytical study of the Absolute Truth, nor through study of the Vedas, nor through austerities, charity or acceptance of sannyasa can one satisfy Me as much as by developing unalloyed devotional service unto Me.’” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 11.14.20)

In Closing:

Known for sitting down,
Sometimes hands on the ground.

Inverted for time standing,
Mastery over poses commanding.

But actual meaning addition,
Otherwise in minus condition.

Supreme on other side to connect,
Bhakti preferred pathway direct.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, yoga