The
Supreme Lord said: 'When a yogi fixes his attention upon Me and
thus being connected has conquered his senses and breathing, he
achieves the mystic perfections of yoga.'
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Uddhava, the
mystic perfections of yoga are acquired by a yogî who
has conquered his senses, steadied his mind, conquered the
breathing process and fixed his mind on Me.
(Vedabase)
Text
2
Uddhava said:
'O You who bring all yogis perfection, kindly tell me which
method is required for concentration and how these perfections
work. And, Acyuta, how many perfections are
there?'
S'rî
Uddhava said: My dear Lord Acyuta, by what process can
mystic perfection be achieved, and what is the nature of
such perfection? How many mystic perfections are there?
Please explain these things to me. Indeed, You are the
bestower of all mystic perfections. (Vedabase)
Text
3
The Supreme
Lord said: 'The masters of yoga speak of eighteen mystic
perfections [siddhis]
and meditations [leading to them], with eight of them
abiding primary in Me while ten manifest [as secondary]
from the quality [of goodness].
The
Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The masters of the yoga
system have declared that there are eighteen types of mystic
perfection and meditation, of which eight are primary,
having their shelter in Me, and ten are secondary, appearing
from the material mode of goodness. (Vedabase)
Text
4-5
The ability to
get, as for the form, into the smallest
[animâ], the biggest
[mahimâ] or the lightest
[laghimâ relative to garimâ, the
heaviest], to acquire whatever material object
[prâpti], the ability to enjoy sensually
whatever can be seen or heard
[prâkâmya], to have the upperhand in
employing the forces [îs'itâ or
îs'itvâ], to be in control -
unobstructed by the modes - by means of magic
[vas'itvâ] and to answer to any desire
that seeks [His] favor
[kâmâvasâyitâ], are the
eight mystical perfections, o gentle one. Know them as the ones
that originally belong to Me.
Among
the eight primary mystic perfections, the three by which one
transforms one's own body are animâ, becoming smaller
than the smallest; mahimâ, becoming greater than the
greatest; and laghimâ, becoming lighter than
the lightest. Through the perfection of prâpti one
acquires whatever one desires, and through
prâkâmya-siddhi one experiences any enjoyable
object, either in this world or the next. Through
is'itâ-siddhi one can manipulate the subpotencies of
mâyâ, and through the controlling potency called
vas'itâ-siddhi one is unimpeded by the three modes of
nature. One who has acquired
kâmâvasâyitâ-siddhi can obtain
anything from anywhere, to the highest possible limit. My
dear gentle Uddhava, these eight mystic perfections are
considered to be naturally existing and unexcelled within
this world. (Vedabase)
Text
6-7
In this body
not to be plagued by hunger and thirst and such, to hear and
see things far away, to be transported with the speed of mind,
to assume any form at will, to enter into the bodies of others,
to die at will, to witness the sporting [of the heavenly
girls] with the gods, to be of perfect accomplishment as
one likes, and to have one's commands fulfilled unimpeded
[are the ten secondary siddhis].
The
ten secondary mystic perfections arising from the modes of
nature are the powers of freeing oneself from hunger and
thirst and other bodily disturbances, hearing and seeing
things far away, moving the body at the speed of the mind,
assuming any form one desires, entering the bodies of
others, dying when one desires, witnessing the pastimes
between the demigods and the celestial girls called
Apsarâs, completely executing one's determination and
giving orders whose fulfillment is unimpeded.
(Vedabase)
Text
8-9
To know the
past, the present and the future, to be free from the
dualities, to know the minds of others, to check the potency of
fire, the sun, water, poison and so on and not to be conquered
by others are the perfections that are described as the result
of concentrating in yoga. Please learn now from Me by means of
which type of meditation what perfection occurs.
The
power to know past, present and future; tolerance of heat,
cold and other dualities; knowing the minds of others;
checking the influence of fire, sun, water, poison, and so
on; and remaining unconquered by others - these constitute
five perfections of the mystic process of yoga and
meditation. I am simply listing these here according to
their names and characteristics. Now please learn from Me
how specific mystic perfections arise from specific
meditations and also of the particular processes involved.
(Vedabase)
Text
10
The one who
worships Me, I who animates all subtle forms of existence,
obtains the perfection of animâ [to enter the
smallest] by focussing on the reality of the
elements.
One
who worships Me in My atomic form pervading all subtle
elements, fixing his mind on that alone, obtains the mystic
perfection called animâ. (Vedabase)
Text
11
One achieves
the perfection of mahimâ [to enter the
greatness] by fixing the mind on the total material energy
animated by Me as also on the situation of each of the material
elements seperately [to be the great of the sky, the fire,
the water, the air and the earth].
One
who absorbs his mind in the particular form of the
mahat-tattva and thus meditates upon Me as the Supreme Soul
of the total material existence achieves the mystic
perfection called mahimâ. By further absorbing the
mind in the situation of each individual element such as the
sky, air, fire, and so on, one progressively acquires the
greatness of each material element. (Vedabase)
Text
12
The yogi may
obtain laghimâ [lightness] by conciliating
his consciousness in Me as being the subtle substance of the
[natural division of] time [as the basis or primal
substance] to the material elements that are there in the
form of atoms [see also cakra].
I
exist within everything, and I am therefore the essence of
the atomic constituents of material elements. By attaching
his mind to Me in this form, the yogî may achieve the
perfection called laghimâ, by which he realizes
the subtle atomic substance of time. (Vedabase)
Text
13
He who with his
mind focussed upon Me narrows the mind completely down to the
emotionality of the I-principle, obtains the siddhi
of prâpti [mystic acquisition] by
which he may call himself the proprietor of the senses of all
living beings.
Fixing
his mind completely in Me within the element of false ego
generated from the mode of goodness, the yogî obtains
the power of mystic acquisition, by which he becomes the
proprietor of the senses of all living entities. He obtains
such perfection because his mind is absorbed in Me.
(Vedabase)
Text
14
In order to
obtain from Me whose appearance lies beyond perception, the
superexcellent siddhi of prâkâmya
[to enjoy whatever whenever] one should firmly fix
one's mental activities in Me, the Supersoul that is the thread
running through the greater of matter [see also
sûtra].
One
who concentrates all mental activities in Me as the
Supersoul of that phase of the mahat-tattva which manifests
the chain of fruitive activities obtains from Me, whose
appearance is beyond material perception, the most excellent
mystic perfection called prâkâmya.
(Vedabase)
Text
15
When one
establishes one's consciousness within Vishnu, the Original
Controller of the Three [gunas, see also B.G.
7:
13] in the
form of Time, one will obtain the siddhi of
îs'itvâ [the supremacy] by means of
which the conditioned body [the field] and its knower
can be controlled [*].
One
who places his consciousness on Vishnu, the Supersoul, the
prime mover and Supreme Lord of the external energy
consisting of three modes, obtains the mystic perfection of
controlling other conditioned souls, their material bodies
and their bodily designations. (Vedabase)
Text
16
The yogi who
establishes his mind in Me, Nârâyana as denoted by
the word Fortunate [bhagavat] and known as the
fourth [beyond the three planes **],
may, being endowed with My nature, obtain the mystic potency of
vas'itvâ [to subdue by
magic].
The
yogî who places his mind in My form of
Nârâyana, known as the fourth factor, full of
all opulences, becomes endowed with My nature and thus
obtains the mystic perfection called vas'itâ.
(Vedabase)
Text
17
With the mind
that is pure in Me focussing on the impersonal
[brahman] that is free from material qualities
[transcendental], one obtains the supreme of happiness
wherein desire finds complete fulfillment
[kâmâvasâyitâ].
One
who fixes his pure mind on Me in My manifestation as the
impersonal Brahman obtains the greatest happiness, wherein
all his desires are completely fulfilled. (Vedabase)
Text
18
Concentrating
on Me, the Lord of S'vetadvîpa,
the personification of goodness, the sum total of dharma, a
person obtains freedom from the six waves
[anûrmi-mattvam, see also
shath-ûrmi].
A
human being who concentrates on Me as the upholder of
religious principles, the personification of purity and the
Lord of S'vetadvîpa obtains the pure existence in
which he is freed from the six waves of material
disturbance, namely hunger, thirst, decay, death, grief and
illusion. (Vedabase)
Text
19
Established in
Me, the personification of the sky, concentrating on the
transcendental sound present in the prâna [see
11.14:
35], the
Swan is perceived [Lord Hamsa or the saintly person, see
11.13:
19] and
one hears the words spoken by all living beings
[dûra-s'ravana, see also divyam
s'rotam].
That
purified living entity who fixes his mind on the
extraordinary sound vibrations occurring within Me as the
personified sky and total life air is then able to perceive
within the sky the speaking of all living entities.
(Vedabase)
Text
20
Merging one's
eyes with the sun and the sun with one's eyes [thus doing
so transcendentally and not staring physically] one is
able, with one's mind in meditation, to see anything that is
far away [dûra-dars'ana, see also
2.1:
30].
Merging
one's sight into the sun planet and then the sun planet into
one's eyes, one should meditate on Me as existing within the
combination of sun and vision; thus one acquires the power
to see any distant thing. (Vedabase)
Text
21
Completely
absorbing the mind in Me one can with the wind [the breath,
the subtle air], that follows the mind to have the body
focussed on Me, by the power of that meditation find the
[physical] self to be going wherever the mind goes
[manojava].
The
yogî who completely absorbs his mind in Me, and who
then makes use of the wind that follows the mind to absorb
the material body in Me, obtains through the potency of
meditation on Me the mystic perfection by which his body
immediately follows his mind wherever it goes.
(Vedabase)
Text
22
When the mind
embraces whatever form one desires to assume, may, by the
shelter of the potency of My yoga [to assume any form],
that very form appear that one had in mind
[kâmarûpa].
When
the yogî, applying his mind in a certain way, desires
to assume a particular form, that very form immediately
appears. Such perfection is possible by absorbing the mind
in the shelter of My inconceivable mystic potency, by which
I assume innumerable forms. (Vedabase)
Text
23
As a
siddha
desiring to enter the body of another person one must,
giving up one's own gross body, project oneself into that body
by, just like the wind, entering through the vital breath, just
like a bee that switches
flowers
[para-kâya-praves'anam].
When
a perfect yogî desires to enter another's body, he
should meditate upon himself within the other body, and
then, giving up his own gross body, he should enter the
other's body through the pathways of air, as easily as a bee
leaves one flower and flies into another. (Vedabase)
Text
24
With one's heel
blocking the anus and carrying the vital air from the heart up
to the chest and then from the throat going to the head, one
should positioned at the top of the skull [the
brahma-randhrena], [in order to die] give up
the material body and direct oneself to the spiritual world
[svacchandu-mrityu,
see also 2.2:
19-21].
The
yogî who has achieved the mystic perfection called
svacchandu-mrityu blocks the anus with the heel of
the foot and then lifts the soul from the heart to the
chest, to the neck and finally to the head. Situated within
the brahma-randhra, the yogî then gives up his
material body and guides the spirit soul to the selected
destination. (Vedabase)
Text
25
When
one desires to enjoy the heavenly places of the godly one
should, situated in Me, meditate upon the mode of goodness so
that one sees arrive the in goodness steeped women of the
demigods in their
vimânas
[devânâm
saha-krîdânudars'anam].
The
yogî who desires to enjoy in the pleasure gardens of
the demigods should meditate on the purified mode of
goodness, which is situated within Me, and then the heavenly
women, generated from the mode of goodness, will approach
him in airplanes. (Vedabase)
Text
26
When
someone has full faith in Me and knows that he in Me will find
his fulfillment, I who appear for the sake of the truth, he
will consequently obtain what he had in mind
[yathâ-sankalpa-samsiddhi].
A
yogî who has faith in Me, absorbing his mind in Me and
knowing that My purpose is always fulfilled, will always
achieve his purpose by the very means he has determined to
follow. (Vedabase)
Text
27
The
person who came to the realization of My nature, supremacy and
dominion, is someone who by no means can be frustrated because
his order and command is as good as Mine
[âjñâpratihatâ
gatih, see
also B.G.
9:
31].
A
person who perfectly meditates on Me acquires My nature of
being the supreme ruler and controller. His order, like
Mine, can never be frustrated by any means.
(Vedabase)
Text
28
A yogi pure of
character who by his devotion for Me knows to concentrate
[dhâranâ]
acquires insight into the three phases of time [past,
present and future], including knowledge about matters of
birth and death [see tri-kâlika].
A
yogî who has purified his existence by devotion to Me
and who thus expertly knows the process of meditation
obtains knowledge of past, present and future. He can
therefore see the birth and death of himself and others.
(Vedabase)
Text
29
Of a sage
versed in yoga whose consciousness is pacified by means of My
yoga the body cannot be injured by fire and such elements, just
as aquatics cannot be harmed by the water in which they live
[see also 7.5:
33-50].
Just
as the bodies of aquatics cannot be injured by water,
similarly, the body of a yogî whose consciousness is
pacified by devotion to Me and who is fully developed in
yoga science cannot be injured by fire, sun, water, poison,
and so forth. (Vedabase)
Text
30
He [my
devotee] becomes unconquerable when he meditates upon My
expansions that are decorated with the S'rîvatsa and
weapons, flags, ceremonial umbrellas and different fans
[see also B.G. 11:
32].
My
devotee becomes unconquerable by meditating on My opulent
incarnations, which are decorated with S'rîvatsa and
various weapons and are endowed with imperial paraphernalia
such as flags, ornamental umbrellas and fans.
(Vedabase)
Text
31
The man of
wisdom who worships Me thus by the process of concentrating in
yoga will reach the mystic perfections as described, in every
respect [according to the nature of his
practice].
A
learned devotee who worships Me through yoga meditation
certainly obtains in all respects the mystic perfections
that I have described. (Vedabase)
Text
32
What perfection
would be difficult to achieve for a sage who in Me bent on
meditation got a grip in conquering his senses, his breathing
and his mind?
For
a sage who has conquered his senses, breathing and mind, who
is self-controlled and always absorbed in meditation on Me,
what mystic perfection could possibly be difficult to
achieve? (Vedabase)
Text
33
One says that
they [siddhis], for the one who practices the
highest form of yoga by means of which one obtains directly
from Me all perfection in life, constitute limitations that are
a waste of time.
Learned
experts in devotional service state that the mystic
perfections of yoga that I have mentioned are actually
impediments and are a waste of time for one who is
practicing the supreme yoga, by which one achieves all
perfection in life directly from Me. (Vedabase)
Text
34
The many
perfections one in this world has by birth, by herbs,
austerities and by mantras are all obtained by yoga; by no
other method will one achieve the actual perfection of yoga
[***].
Whatever
mystic perfections can be achieved by good birth, herbs,
austerities and mantras can all be achieved by devotional
service to Me; indeed, one cannot achieve the actual
perfection of yoga by any other means. (Vedabase)
Text
35
Of all the
perfections am I indeed the cause and the protector. I am the
Lord of Yoga [the final union], the Lord of the
analysis, the dharma and of the community of vedic
teachers.
My
dear Uddhava, I am the cause, the protector and the Lord of
all mystic perfections, of the yoga system, of analytic
knowledge, of pure activity and of the community of learned
Vedic teachers. (Vedabase)
Text
36
The same way as
the material elements exist inside and outside of the living
beings, I Myself, the Soul, who cannot be covered [by
something bigger], exist within and without all the
embodied beings [see also B.G. 2:
29-30].'
Just
as the same material elements exist within and outside of
all material bodies, similarly, I cannot be covered by
anything else. I exist within everything as the Supersoul
and outside of everything in My all-pervading feature.
(Vedabase)
*:
Verse 15 refers to attainment of spiritual perfection by
meditation on the personal, transcendental, aspect of time of
Vishnu as its essential cohering substance, as opposed to
meditating time as mentioned in verse 12, relating more to the
impersonal aspect of the natural order belonging to the
elements, of the cakra that is Vishnu's weapon.
**:
Apart from the three gunas to Lord Nârâyana,
there is also mention of the three planes of existence of the
physical gross of the greater universe consisting of the five
elements; the astral, subtle, plane of the ten senses of action
and perception and their objects, the mind and intelligence,
and the causal plane of the consciousness and the knower; in
short: the world, the sensual body and the individual knower to
which there is the Original Person of God as the fourth
[see also B.G. 13:
19].
***:
The
actual perfection of yoga is, following verse 35 coming next,
named Krishna consciousness by the Vaishnavas who defend the
Bhâgavatam in the West.