44
THE PATH OF PERECTION
how are we to understand His transcendental senses, His transcendental form? This is not possible by mental speculation. We simply have to serve Him, and then He will reveal Himself to us. As Kṛṣṇa Himself states in the Tenth Chapter of  Bhagavad-gītā  (10.11).
teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā
“Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” Kṛṣṇa is within us, and when we are sincerely searching for Him by the devotional process, He will reveal Himself.
Again, as stated in the Eighteenth Chapter of  Bhagavad-gītā  (18.55),
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti  
 yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ  
 tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā  
 viśate tad-anantaram
“One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.” Thus God has to be understood by this process of  bhakti-yoga , which is the process of  śravaṇam kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ —hearing and chanting about Viṣṇu. This is the beginning of the  bhakti-yoga  process. If we but hear sincerely and submissively, we will understand. Kṛṣṇa will reveal Himself.  Śravaṇam kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam pāda-sevanam arcanam vandanam dāsyam . There are nine different processes in the  bhakti-yoga  system. By  vandanam , we offer prayers, and that is also  bhakti .  Śravaṇam  is hearing about Kṛṣṇa from  Bhagavad-gītā ,  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , and other  śāstras .  Kīrtanam  is chanting about His glories, chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mantra . This is the beginning of the  bhakti-yoga  process.  Śravaṇam
Moderation in Yoga
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kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ.  Everything is Viṣṇu, and meditation is on Viṣṇu. It is not possible to have  bhakti  without Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa is the original form of Viṣṇu ( kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam : “Kṛṣṇa is the original form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead”). If we but follow this  bhakti-yoga  process, we should be able to understand the Supreme, and all doubts should be removed.
The  aṣṭāṅga-yoga  process is outlined very specifically in the Sixth Chapter of  Bhagavad-gītā  (6.13–14):
samam kāya-śiro-grīvam   dhārayann acalam sthiraḥ   samprekṣya nāsikāgram svam   diśaś cānavalokayan
praśāntātmā vigata-bhīr brahmacāri-vrate sthitaḥ manaḥ saṁyamya mac-citto yukta āsīta mat-parah
“One should hold one’s body, neck, and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life.”  Yoga  does not mean going to some class, paying some money, engaging in gymnastics, and then returning home to drink, smoke, and engage in sex. Such  yoga  is practiced by societies of the cheaters and the cheated. The authoritative  yoga  system is here outlined by the supreme authority, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself. Is there a better  yogī  than Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead? First of all, one has to go alone to a holy place and sit in a straight line, holding one’s body, neck, and head erect, and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Why is this? This is a method to help concentrate one’s mind. That’s all. The real purpose of  yoga , however, is to keep oneself always aware that Lord Kṛṣṇa is within.
One of the dangers of sitting in meditation and staring at the tip of one's nose is that one will fall asleep. I have seen many