Canto 11: General HistoryChapter 15: Lord Kṛṣṇa's Description of Mystic Yoga Perfections

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.15.3

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

siddhayo 'ṣṭādaśa proktā

dhāraṇā yoga-pāra-gaiḥ

tāsām aṣṭau mat-pradhānā

daśaiva guṇa-hetavaḥ

SYNONYMS

śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; siddhayaḥ — mystic perfections; aṣṭādaśa — eighteen; proktāḥare declared; dhāraṇāḥ — meditations; yoga — of yoga; pāra-gaiḥ — by the masters; tāsām — of the eighteen; aṣṭau — eight; mat-pradhānāḥ — have their shelter in Me; daśa — ten; eva — indeed; guṇa-hetavaḥare manifested from the material mode of goodness.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains the word mat pradhānāḥ as follows. Lord Kṛṣṇa is naturally the shelter of the eight primary mystic potencies and meditations because such perfections emanate from the Lord's personal potency, and thus they are fully developed only within the Lord Himself and the Lord's personal associates. When materialistic persons mechanically acquire such potencies, the perfections awarded are of an inferior degree and are considered to be manifestations of māyā, illusion. A pure devotee of the Lord automatically receives from the Lord wonderful potencies to execute his devotional service. If for sense gratification one mechanically endeavors to acquire mystic perfections, then these perfections are certainly considered to be inferior expansions of the Lord's external potency.

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