Upadeśa – Song Seven

Texts 1 & 2

mana, jogī ho’te tomāra bāsanā
joga-śāstra adhyayana niyama-yama-sādhana
prāṇāyama āsana-racanā

pratyāhāra dhyāna dhṛti samādhite ho’le bratī
phala kibā hoibe bolo nā
deho mana śuṣka kori’ rohibe kumbhaka dhori’
brahmātmatā koribe bhābanā

O my heart, now you want to be yogī. Now you study the yoga scriptures. Now you vow to practice yama (controlling the senses), niyama (controlling the mind), prāṇāyāma (breath control), āsana (sitting postures), pratyāhāra (withdrawing from the material world), dhyāna (meditation), dhṛti (rapt meditation), and samādhi (trance). What wonderful benefit will you gain from all this? You cannot say. Making the body and heart dry and withered, and stopping the breath, you will imagine I have become the Supreme Brahman.

Text 3

aṣṭādaśa siddhi pā’be paramārtha bhule jā’be
aiśwaryādi koribe kāmanā
sthūla joḍa parihari’ sukṣmete prabeśa kori’
punarāya bhugibe jatanā

Attaining the eighteen mystic perfections, you will forget the true goal of life. You will hanker for more and more mystic powers. Leaving the gross world behind, you will enter the world of subtle matter, but still you will suffer.

Text 4

ātmā nitya śuddha dhana hari-dāsa akicana
joge tā’ra ki phala ghaṭanā
koro’ bhakti-jogāśroya nā thākibe kona bhoya
sahaja amṛta sambhābanā

The eternal soul already possesses a great wealth. He has nothing to do with matter. He is a servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa. What benefit will yoga bring to the soul? Therefore please take shelter of devotional service. Then you will not have any fears. Then you will taste nectar.

Text 5

binodera e minati chāri’ anya-joga-gati
koro’ rādhā-kṛṣṇa-arādhāna

Here is Bhaktivinoda’s request: Turning away from all other yogas, please worship Śrī Śrī Rādha and Kṛṣṇa.