Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 33
Yoga-siddhi — The Mystic Perfections and Their Origin in Meditation on the Lord
अन्तरायान् वदन्त्येता युञ्जतो योगमुत्तमम् । मया सम्पद्यमानस्य कालक्षपणहेतव: ॥ ३३ ॥
antarāyān vadanty etā yuñjato yogam uttamam mayā sampadyamānasya kāla-kṣapaṇa-hetavaḥ
ভক্তিসেবার জ্ঞানীরা বলেন, আমি যে যোগসিদ্ধির কথা বলেছি, তা পরম যোগ অনুশীলনকারীর জন্য আসলে অন্তরায়; যে আমার কাছ থেকেই জীবনের পূর্ণ সিদ্ধি লাভ করে, তার জন্য এগুলি সময়নাশ মাত্র।
It is common sense that whatever is a useless waste of time should be given up; therefore one should not pray to God for mystic yoga perfections. For a pure devotee, who has no material desire, even impersonal liberation is a useless disturbance in his life, and what to speak of the material perfections of yoga, which cannot even be compared to impersonal liberation. Such mystic perfections may be wonderful for an immature and inexperienced person, but they are not impressive for a learned man who has understood the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Simply by obtaining Lord Kṛṣṇa one dwells within an infinite ocean of mystic opulences; therefore he should not waste precious time pursuing separate mystic perfections.
FAQs
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa explains that various factors become obstacles for one striving for the highest yoga, but for a devotee who is actually attaining Him, those same factors lose their power and amount only to time passing, not true impediments.
Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava that mystic attainments and related distractions can hinder the path of supreme yoga; the devotee’s aim is Kṛṣṇa Himself, so anything not leading to Him is treated as secondary.
Treat distractions and side-attractions (including “spiritual experiences”) as non-essential, return attention to devotion and remembrance of the Lord, and measure progress by steadiness in God-centered living rather than extraordinary sensations.