Lord Kṛṣṇa Explains the Yoga System to Śrī Uddhava

Because of false material identification, we accept our own body and mind, the bodies and minds of others, and supernatural material control to be ultimate realities. Supernatural control refers to the bodies and minds of the demigods, who ultimately are humble servitors of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even the mighty sun, which displays immense potencies, obediently treads its universal path by the order of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is clearly seen in this chapter that haṭha-yoga, karma-yoga, rāja-yoga, etc., are part and parcel of bhakti-yoga and do not actually exist separately. The goal of life is Lord Kṛṣṇa, and one must eventually come to the stage of pure devotion if one desires to perfect one’s meditation or yoga practice. In the mature stage of devotion, as described in this chapter, one becomes free from the artificial duality of meditator and object of meditation, and one spontaneously engages in hearing about and glorifying the Supreme Absolute Truth. Such activities of bhakti-yoga are natural because they spring from spontaneous love. When one revives one’s original nature as the loving servitor of Lord Kṛṣṇa, other yoga processes cease to be interesting. Uddhava was a pure devotee even before the Lord began His instruction; therefore it was not expected that Uddhava would give up the supreme platform of being a personal associate of the Lord to take up the mechanical exercises of the yoga system. Bhakti-yoga, or devotional service, is so elevated that even in the beginning stages of practice one is considered liberated, because all of one’s activities are executed under proper guidance for the pleasure of the Lord. In the haṭha-yoga system one is concerned with bodily control, and in jñāna-yoga one is concerned with speculative knowledge. In both systems one endeavors selfishly, desiring to become a great yogī or a philosopher. Such egoistic activity is described in this verse as kriyā. One must give up the illusory designations of dravya, jñāna and kriyā and come to the prideless stage of loving service to the Lord. Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Eleventh Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Lord Kṛṣṇa Explains the Yoga System to Śrī Uddhava.”