Bg. 5.26

Of the saintly persons who are constantly engaged in striving toward salvation, one who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the best of all. The Bhāgavatam confirms this fact as follows:

yat-pāda-paṅkaja-palāśa-vilāsa-bhaktyā

karmāśayaṁ grathitam udgrathayanti santaḥ

tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo 'pi ruddha-

srotogaṇās tam araṇaṁ bhaja vāsudevam.

"Just try to worship, in devotional service, Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even great sages are not able to control the forces of the senses as effectively as those who are engaged in transcendental bliss by serving the lotus feet of the Lord, uprooting the deep grown desire for fruitive activities." (Bhāg. 4.22.39)

In the conditioned soul the desire to enjoy the fruitive results of work is so deep-rooted that it is very difficult even for the great sages to control such desires, despite great endeavors. A devotee of the Lord, constantly engaged in devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, perfect in self-realization, very quickly attains liberation in the Supreme. Owing to his complete knowledge in self-realization, he always remains in trance. To cite an analagous example of this:

darśana-dhyāna-saṁsparśair matsya-kūrma-vihaṅgamāḥ

svānya patyāni puṣṇanti tathāham api padmaja.

"By vision, by meditation and by touch only do the fish, the tortoise and the birds maintain their offspring. Similarly do I also, O Padmaja!"

The fish brings up its offspring simply by looking at them. The tortoise brings up its offspring simply by meditation. The eggs of the tortoise are laid on land, and the tortoise meditates on the eggs while in the water. Similarly, a devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, although far away from the Lord's abode, can elevate himself to that abode simply by thinking of Him constantly-by engagement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He does not feel the pangs of material miseries; this state of life is called brahma-nirvāṇa, or the absence of material miseries due to being constantly immersed in the Supreme.

TEXTS 27-28

sparśān kṛtvā bahir bāhyāṁś

cakṣuś caivāntare bhruvoḥ

prāṇāpānau samau kṛtvā

nāsābhyantara-cāriṇau

yatendriya-mano-buddhir

munir mokṣa-parāyaṇaḥ

vigatecchā-bhaya-krodho

yaḥ sadā mukta eva saḥ

SYNONYMS

sparśān-external sense objects, such as sound, etc.; kṛtvā-doing so; bahiḥ-external; bāhyān-unnecessary; cakṣuḥ-eyes; ca-also; eva-certainly; antare-within; bhruvoḥ-of the eyebrows; prāṇa-apānau-up-and down-moving air; samau-in suspension; kṛtvā-doing so; nāsā-abhyantara-within the nostrils; cāriṇau-blowing; yata-controlled; indriya-senses; manaḥ-mind; buddhih-intelligence; muniḥ-the transcendentalist; mokṣa-liberation; parāyaṇaḥ-being so destined; vigata-discarded; icchā-wishes; bhaya-fear; krodhaḥ-anger; yaḥ-one who; sadā-always; muktaḥ-liberated; eva-certainly; saḥ-he is.

TRANSLATION

Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils-thus controlling the mind, senses and intelligence, the tranecendentalist becomes free from desire, fear and anger. One who is always in this state is certainly liberated.

PURPORT

Being engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can immediately understand one's spiritual identity, and then one can understand the Supreme Lord by means of devotional service. When he is well situated in devotional service, one comes to the transcendental position, qualified to feel the presence of the Lord in the sphere of one's activity. This particular position is called liberation in the Supreme.

After explaining the above principles of liberation in the Supreme, the Lord gives instruction to Arjuna as to how one can come to that position by the practice of mysticism or yoga, known as aṣṭāṅga-yoga, which is divisible into an eightfold procedure called yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi. In the Sixth Chapter the subject of yoga is explicitly detailed, and at the end of the Fifth it is only preliminarily explained. One has to drive out the sense objects such as sound, touch, form, taste and smell by the pratyāhāra (breathing) process in yoga, and then keep the vision of the eyes between the two eyebrows and concentrate on the tip of the nose with half closed lids. There is no benefit in closing the eyes altogether, because then there is every chance of falling asleep. Nor is there benefit in opening the eyes completely, because then there is the hazard of being attracted by sense objects. The breathing movement is restrained within the nostrils by neutralizing the up- and down-moving air within the body. By practice of such yoga one is able to gain control over the senses, refrain from outward sense objects, and thus prepare oneself for liberation in the Supreme.

This yoga process helps one become free from all kinds of fear and anger and thus feel the presence of the Supersoul in the transcendental situation. In other words, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the easiest process of executing yoga principles. This will be thoroughly explained in the next chapter. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, however, being always engaged in devotional service, does not risk losing his senses to some other engagement. This is a better way of controlling the senses than by the aṣṭāṅga-yoga.