Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 9
Yoga-siddhi — The Mystic Perfections and Their Origin in Meditation on the Lord
त्रिकालज्ञत्वमद्वन्द्वं परचित्ताद्यभिज्ञता । अग्न्यर्काम्बुविषादीनां प्रतिष्टम्भोऽपराजय: ॥ ८ ॥ एताश्चोद्देशत: प्रोक्ता योगधारणसिद्धय: । यया धारणया या स्याद् यथा वा स्यान्निबोध मे ॥ ९ ॥
tri-kāla-jñatvam advandvaṁ para-cittādy-abhijñatā agny-arkāmbu-viṣādīnāṁ pratiṣṭambho ’parājayaḥ
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.
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-viṣādīnāṁ 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.
FAQs
In Canto 11, Krishna lists siddhis such as knowing past-present-future, reading others’ minds, neutralizing dangers like fire or poison, and being unconquered, and explains they arise from specific forms of dhāraṇā (concentrated meditation).
During the Uddhava-gītā teachings, Krishna systematically explains yoga and its byproducts; here He summarizes the siddhis and then prepares to map each power to its corresponding meditative concentration.
Cultivating steadiness amid praise/blame, comfort/discomfort, and gain/loss—responding with clarity rather than emotional swings—reflects advandva, a key inner fruit of disciplined meditation and spiritual focus.