Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya

  • 10-32: From practice to perfection in yoga
    • 10-32 defines how one will achieve perfection when one is practicing yoga.
  • 16-23: Realisation of Paramatma

 

Bg 6.17

yuktāhāra-vihārasya
yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya
yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā

Word for word: 

yukta — regulated; āhāra — eating; vihārasya — recreation; yukta — regulated; ceṣṭasya — of one who works for maintenance; karmasu — in discharging duties; yukta — regulated; svapna–avabodhasya — sleep and wakefulness; yogaḥ — practice of yoga; bhavati — becomes; duḥkha–hā — diminishing pains.

Translation: 

He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.

 

So Sri Krishna is saying yuktā, the word Yukta can have many meanings the word Yukta. Yukta is coming from yoga. In BG three words are used very frequently, Yoga, Yogi and   Yukta, so all these three words are used very frequently, essentially it means connected. Ref 6.8. Here Srila Prabhupada has translated word Yukta as regulated. yuktāhāra-vihārasya, one who is regulated in the eating. And then Vihara, which means entertainment, so we may wonder Yogi in Jungle what entertainment is there? Actually even Yogis can take break. Now when yogi is doing meditation seating in asana and doing meditation it is a hard work so one may need a break so you can go for a walk look at the beauty of the nature so that is fine that is Yukta, So Bharat Maharaj seeing the dear and saving him was not wrong in a way Yogi should also be aware what is happening around and take the beauty of nature and get refreshed by that is also a part that is ok so yuktāhāra-vihārasya

Then beyond that yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu which means whatever Karma one does one should be regulated. Sometimes people take up jobs which requires them to work 15-16 hours a day, in some cases in unavoidable circumstances one may have to work that much, say in case of a project deadlines etc. that is just unavoidable but in general if we choose a career which involve that kind of work then we are letting our material and spiritual life to come to have head on conflict. We want our material and spiritual life to go on parallel lanes, where we have time for material life and we have time for spiritual life, So if material life starts taking quota from spiritual life that is undesirable, Then we may have to reshuffle our career plans and choose work that have intelligent balance. yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu, This is not detrimental only spirituality but sometimes materially also sometimes people biological clock gets upset, in night shifts and work. Now if this is the option devotees cannot run away from their responsibility but when we have to choose we should keep long term goal in our mind, what career I choose so that I can balance.
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya, One should be regulated in one’s sleeping also.

When one is regulated in this way and practice yoga then yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā, duḥkha, ha is destruction hanti, so destruction of miseries. So regulation of material activities are required, otherwise practice of yoga is not very focused, if this happens it will not lead to fruitful results, and then liberation from miseries doesn’t come about, Sometimes there are disturbances like somehow we are finishing our chanting etc. but if that is the daily way then that is not a sustainable way to practice and then we will not make spiritual advancement anyway some advancement will be there but serious advancement will not happen

yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā. So for yoga which lead to fruit, the regulation with matter is required. Soul is surrounded by matter and we are trying to connect it to Sri Krishna at spiritual realm, when matter is not regulated then consciousness got caught up in matter and we will not be able to focus on Sri Krishna, when regulation is there one doesn’t need to think too much about material things, this is the time I will sleep and this is the time I will wake up, or this many hours I will sleep this is my regulated things. Occasionally we are too tired we may rest more but in general if we are regulated our energy is free for doing other things, Sometimes when people are not regulated in sleeping there is a conflict to sleep more or to get up that itself takes 1-2 hours. Put off the wake up alarm to go to sleep again , So there are people who use all different kinds of alarm also somehow trying to wake up, there are alarms which will keep ringing and only way to stop it is find all the pieces and fit it together, similarly if there is a regulated time for eating we will not be thinking about it should I take a snakes etc. so if there is a  regulation mental energy is freed for more purposeful engagement , otherwise mind is always hankering about eating, sleeping mating and defending. And gets dissipated in that, 

Srila Prabhupada Purport: Extravagance in the matter of eating, sleeping, defending and mating – which are demands of the body – can block advancement in the practice of yoga.

Now in a rough way ahara is relate with eating and Viharasya can be taken as mating, it is entertainment, recreation, people engages in sex that is primary recreation people do, ceṣṭasya karmasu we do our primarily duty that is like defending, we defend our arrangements for eating, sleeping, mating. And svapnāvabodhasya is sleeping so in a rough way these four activities are correlated with the bodily demands. 

Srila Prabhupada Purport: any unnecessary time spent in sleeping is considered a great loss.

We often say time is money this need to apply thoroughly we don’t go and ask money casually and we don’t give also money like that but we go and spend out time with someone casually and take his time, if we truly understand time is money they we will be conscious bout how we spend our time and how we take other’s time. Chankya Pandit said even if we spend 1000 gold coin we cannot get even one moment back. So time is more precious than money and it has to be valued like that. Any moment lost is a great loss one more reason why it is so is not only it is unrecoverable but it is un-storable. Money we can decide I will not spend right now in future I will spend but we don’t have that option with time. Every moment that is passing time is getting spent so we don’t have option whether to spend time, time it will be spent, only option we have is how do I spent my time, 

SP Purport: Avyartha-kālatvam: a Kṛṣṇa conscious person cannot bear to pass a minute of his life without being engaged in the service of the Lord

Devotee think so much has to be done in Sri Krishna’s mission how can I waste time. A serious devotee is defined by the sense of purpose and sense of urgency. There is so much to be done in Sri Krishna’s mission let us take one service this is Sri Krishna’s service and this I will do. And I will do soon I will do now, urgency. Goswamis was sleeping very less but physically we cannot imitate, but can keep them as ideal and do our part.

If I am eating and then I think should I eat some more then generally answer is NO because, actually body’ signal are enough and it is safer to eat less then eat more. Because body send a signal that means it is enough if we feel any spiritual activity should I do more YES do it, these are not absolute principles but general principles, which are helpful for us.

End of transcription.