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

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.15.8-9

tri-kāla-jñatvam advandvaḿ

para-cittādy-abhijñatā

agny-arkāmbu-viṣādīnāḿ

pratiṣṭambho 'parājayaḥ

etāś coddeśataḥ proktā

yoga-dhāraṇa-siddhayaḥ

yayā dhāraṇayā yā syād

yathā vā syān nibodha me

SYNONYMS

tri-kāla-jñatvam — the perfection of knowing past, present and future; advandvam — being unaffected by dualities such as heat and cold; para — of others; citta — the mind; ādi — and so on; abhijñatā — knowing; agni — of fire; arka — the sun; ambu — water; viṣa — of poison; ādīnām — and so on; pratiṣṭambhaḥ — checking the potency; aparājayaḥ — not being conquered by others; etāḥ — these; ca — also; uddeśataḥ — merely by mentioning their names and characteristics; proktāḥare described; yoga — of the yoga system; dhāraṇa — of meditation; siddhayaḥ — perfections; yayā — by which; dhāraṇayā — meditation; — which (perfection); syāt — may occur; yathā — by which means; — or; syāt — may occur; nibodha — please learn; me — from Me.

TRANSLATION

The power to know past, present and future; tolerance of heat, cold and other dualities; knowing the minds of others; checking the influence of fire, sun, water, poison, and so on; and remaining unconquered by others — these constitute five perfections of the mystic process of yoga and meditation. I am simply listing these here according to their names and characteristics. Now please learn from Me how specific mystic perfections arise from specific meditations and also of the particular processes involved.

PURPORT

According to the ācāryas these five perfections are considered to be quite inferior to the others already mentioned, since they involve more or less ordinary physical and mental manipulations. According to Śrīla Madhvācārya, in the perfection called agny-arkāmbu-viṣādīnāḿ pratiṣṭambhaḥ, or checking the influence of fire, sun, water, poison, and so on, the term "and so on" refers to one's remaining invulnerable to all types of weapons as well as attacks by nails, teeth, beating, curses and other such sources.

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