HDG AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

In February of 1969, Srila Prabhupada gave a series of lectures in Los Angeles on the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, which deals with the yoga system. Path of Perfection is a collection of these historic talks.

“No one really wants to sit down and meditate. Why should we? We’re meant for positive activity, for recreation, for pleasure.”

He explains that a perfect life—in which the goal of yoga is reached—is dynamic and full of activity. Our nature is spiritual, and spirit is the essence of everything that lives. Real yoga means to connect our activities with the Supreme Spirit—in straightforward, practical ways. If perfection is possible, why settle for anything less?

“Perhaps you have seen pictures of Krishna, and if so, you have noticed that Krishna is always jolly. If you join His society, you will also become jolly. Have you ever seen pictures of Krishna working with a machine? Have you ever seen pictures of Krishna smoking? No, He is by nature full of pleasure, and if you unfold yourself in that way, you will also find pleasure.”

In these absorbing talks, Srila Prabhupada deeply explores the philosophy of yoga as explained in the Sixth and Eighth Chapters of the Gita, showing clearly how these timeless teachings apply today. Learn about the nature of consciousness, techniques of meditation, karma, death, reincarnation, and even spiritual ecstasy.

Our ?modern? educational system, is most defective because unless one knows what happens after death, one dies like an animal. An animal does not know that he is subject to death or that he is going to have another body. A living entity may have abundant supply of food for eating, or many nice buildings for sleeping, or good arrangements for sex life, or a good defense to protect him, but this does not mean that he is a human being. Since animals are also interested in these functions, human life is no different if he/she does not go beyond them. The distinction occurs when the human being becomes inquisitive and asks ‘Why have I been put into this miserable condition? Is there any remedy for it? Is there perpetual eternal life? I do not want to suffer but live happily and peacefully. Is there a chance to experience eternal happiness? What is the method or science by which this can be achieved?’ The answers to these questions are to be found in this book.

Although there are many types of yoga practice, the Vedic literature explains that no matter which practice you choose, success is only achieved when bhakti is present.
What is bhakti-yoga, and how can you add it to your life or your current yoga practice? As bhakti is a pivotal element in any yogic or religious practice, it is known as the topmost yoga. In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna explains bhakti-yoga to his dear friend Arjuna, and here Srila Prabhupada expands these concepts in this introductory text. On July 29, 1971, Srila Prabhupada spoke at the University of Florida in Gainesville on the meaning and goal of yoga. The lecture was transcribed, edited, and later published as Krishna Consciousness, the Topmost Yoga System.

The Sanskrit word yoga, he told the students, originally meant much more than physical exercise; it referred to a lifestyle focused on achieving direct experience of God. Practitioners would live far away from mainstream society, restrain their senses, and perform austere meditation with the aim of transcending the physical body entirely.

Such a lifestyle isn’t so practical now; very few people these days are prepared to live a secluded, austere, or sense-controlled life. But anyone can still attain yoga’s ultimate goal via the practical, effective method of Krishna consciousness, bhakti-yoga, the system of devotional service to the Supreme Person.

In bhakti, the mind and senses are fully engaged in spiritual activity, rather than controlled by rigorous gymnastics. Every aspect of our lives—working, playing, walking, talking, thinking, feeling, willing—can be yoga, when done in the right consciousness. Sweat, spandex, and expensive mats are optional.