Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.16.24

yogānām ātma-saḿrodho

mantro 'smi vijigīṣatām

ānvīkṣikī kauśalānāḿ

vikalpaḥ khyāti-vādinām

SYNONYMS

yogānām — among the eight stages of yoga practice (aṣṭāńga); ātma-saḿrodhaḥ — the ultimate stage, samādhi, in which the soul is completely separated from illusion; mantraḥ — prudent political counsel; asmi — I am; vijigīṣatām — among those desiring victory; ānvīkṣikī — spiritual science, by which one can distinguish between matter and spirit; kauśalānām — among all processes of expert discrimination; vikalpaḥ — diversity of perception; khyāti-vādinām — among the speculative philosophers.

TRANSLATION

Among the eight progressive states of yoga I am the final stage, samādhi, in which the soul is completely separated from illusion. Among those desiring victory I am prudent political counsel, and among processes of expert discrimination I am the science of the soul, by which one distinguishes spirit from matter. Among all speculative philosophers I am diversity of perception.

PURPORT

Any science is based on the faculty of expert discrimination. By skillful definition of isolated and interactive components one becomes expert in any field. Ultimately the most intelligent person can isolate the spirit soul from matter and describe the properties of matter and spirit as both isolated and interactive components of reality. The proliferation of innumerable philosophical speculations is due to differing modes of perception within the material world. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), sarvasya cāhaḿ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaḿ ca: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone's heart and awards a particular degree of knowledge or ignorance according to one's desire and merit. Thus the Lord Himself is the basis of the mundane process of philosophical speculation, for He creates differing and alternating modes of perception within the conditioned souls. It is to be understood that one can acquire perfect knowledge only by hearing directly from Lord Kṛṣṇa and not by hearing from conditioned philosophers who imperfectly perceive the creation of the Lord through the screen of their personal desires.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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