"Bhakti and Yogic Discipline": Satsang with Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati

Revered Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati continues his series on the Principles of Bhakti Yoga, reading from the teachings of Kapila Muni in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Skanda 3, Discourse 28 (translation by Swami Bhajanananda): 1. śrī-bhagavān uvācayogasya lakṣaṇaṁ vakṣyesabījasya nṛpātmajemano yenaiva vidhināprasannaṁ yāti sat-patham  The Blessed Lord said:"O princess, I shall describe the authorized system of yoga, by the practice of which one’s mind becomes joyful and advances on the path of Truth." 2. sva-dharmācaraṇaṁ śaktyāvidharmāc ca nivartanamdaivāl labdhena santoṣaātmavic-caraṇārcanam "One must perform one’s dharma with all one’s strength and avoided prohibited actions. One should be satisfied with what one has through destiny  and worship the lotus feet of the Self-realized." 3. grāmya-dharma-nivṛttiś camokṣa-dharma-ratis tathāmita-medhyādanaṁ śaśvadvivikta-kṣema-sevanam "Giving up worldly activities one should then develop a taste for activates that lead to liberation. One should always eat pure food in moderation and stay in a secluded and peaceful dwelling." 4. ahiṁsā satyam asteyaṁ yāvad-artha-parigrahaḥbrahmacaryaṁ tapaḥ śaucaṁsvādhyāyaḥ puruṣārcanam "One should practice nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, possessing only what is necessary, celibacy, austerity, cleanliness, self-study, and worship of the Supreme Person." 5. maunaṁ sad-āsana-jayaḥsthairyaṁ prāṇa-jayaḥ śanaiḥpratyāhāraś cendriyāṇāṁviṣayān manasā hṛdi "One should practice silence, attain mastery of a proper and steady posture, control the breath/prana, gradually withdraw the senses from sense-objects, and focus the mind on the heart." 6. sva-dhiṣṇyānām eka-deśemanasā prāṇa-dhāraṇamvaikuṇṭha-līlābhidhyānaṁsamādhānaṁ tathātmanaḥ "One should fix the mind and prana  in one place in a chakra in the body and meditate upon the pastimes of Lord of Vaikunta and thus become absorbed in the self." 7. etair anyaiś ca pathibhirmano duṣṭam asat-pathambuddhyā yuñjīta śanakairjita-prāṇo hy atandritaḥ "By these and other ways  this wicked mind on the path of illusion must be gradually controlled by the intelligence and one’s prana should be carefully focused." 8. śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpyavijitāsana āsanamtasmin svasti samāsīnaṛju-kāyaḥ samabhyaset "Spreading a proper seat in a pure place and sitting in an easy posture, with body erect , engage in practice." 9. prāṇasya śodhayen mārgaṁpūra-kumbhaka-recakaiḥpratikūlena vā cittaṁyathā sthiram acañcalam "One should purify the passages of prana by inhaling, retaining and exhaling and then reversing the process , thus making the mind-stuff (cittam yathā) steady and unwavering." 10. mano ’cirāt syād virajaṁjita-śvāsasya yoginaḥvāyv-agnibhyāṁ yathā lohaṁdhmātaṁ tyajati vai malam "When a yogi’s breath is thus controlled then the mind is soon freed from disturbance, just like gold in an air-fanned fire becomes free of impurities." 11. prāṇāyāmair dahed doṣāndhāraṇābhiś ca kilbiṣānpratyāhāreṇa saṁsargāndhyānenānīśvarān guṇān "Through pranayama, one overcomes faults; by concentration, sins; by withdrawal of the mind, worldliness; and by meditation, ungodly qualities." 12. yadā manaḥ svaḿ virajaḿyogena susamāhitamkāṣṭhāḿ bhagavato dhyāyetsva-nāsāgrāvalokanaḥ "When one’s mind is purified by yoga, gazing at the tip of the nose, with full concentration one should meditate upon the Supreme Lord." ____________ 34. evaḿ harau bhagavati pratilabdha-bhāvobhaktyā dravad-dhṛdaya utpulakaḥ pramodātautkaṇṭhya-bāṣpa-kalayā muhur ardyamānastac cāpi citta-baḍiśaḿ śanakair viyuńkte T"hus one will develop intense love for Bhagavan Hari, the heart will melt, hairs stand erect from excessive joy and tears will flow constantly from one’s eyes due to longing . Thus overcome , the mind, which has acted as a hook, begins to withdraw."