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THE PATH OF PERECTION
This is the  sāṅkhya-yoga  system, as first practiced by Lord Kapiladeva, an incarnation of God. By sitting straight, staring steadily at the tip of one's nose, subduing one's mind, and abstaining from sex, one may be able to concentrate the mind on the  viṣṇu-mūrti  situated within the heart. When we refer to the Viṣṇu form, or  viṣnu-mūrti , we refer to Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
In this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are meditating directly on Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This is a process of practical meditation. The members of this movement are concentrating their minds on Kṛṣṇa, regardless of their particular occupation. One may be working in the garden and digging in the earth, but he is thinking, “I am cultivating beautiful roses to offer to Kṛṣṇa.” One may be cooking in the kitchen, but he is always thinking, “I am preparing palatable food to be offered to Kṛṣṇa.” Similarly, chanting and dancing in the temple are forms of meditating on Kṛṣṇa. Thus the boys and girls in this Society for Kṛṣṇa consciousness are perfect  yogīs  because they are meditating on Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours a day. We are teaching the perfect  yoga  system, not according to our personal whims but according to the authority of  Bhagavad-gītā . Nothing is concocted or manufactured. The verses of  Bhagavad-gītā  are there for all to see. The activities of the  bhakti-yogīs  in this movement are so molded that the practitioners cannot help but think of Kṛṣṇa at all times. “Meditate upon Me within the heart, and make Me the ultimate goal of life,” Śrī Kṛṣṇa says. This is the perfect  yoga  system, and one who practices it prepares himself to be transferred to Kṛṣṇaloka.
yuñjann evaṁ sadātmānaṁ yogī niyata-mānasaḥ śāntiṁ nirvāṇa-paramāṁ mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati
“Thus practicing control of the body, mind, and activities, the mystic transcendentalist attains to the kingdom of God [or the abode of Kṛṣṇa] by cessation of material existence.” (Bg. 6.15)
It is stated in Sanskrit in this verse,  śāntiṁ nirvāṇa-paramām ; that is, one attains peace through  nirvāṇa-paramām , or the cessa-
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tion of material activities.  Nirvāṇa  does not refer to void, but to putting an end to materialistic activities. Unless one puts an end to them, there is no question of peace. When Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his five-year-old son Prahlāda Mahārāja, “My dear boy, what is the best thing you have thus far learned?” Prahlāda immediately replied,  tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvignadhiyām asad-grahāt : “My dear father, O greatest of the demons, materialistic people are always full of anxiety because they have accepted as real that which is nonpermanent.” The word  asad-grahāt  is important because it indicates that materialists are always hankering to capture or possess something that is nonpermanent. History affords us many examples. Mr. Kennedy was a very rich man who wanted to become President, and he spent a great deal of money to attain that elevated position. Yet although he had a nice wife, children, and the presidency, everything was finished within a second. In the material world, people are always trying to capture something that is nonpermanent. Unfortunately, people do not come to their senses and realize, “I am permanent. I am spirit soul. Why am I hankering after something that is nonpermanent?”
We are always busy acquiring comforts for this body without considering that today, tomorrow, or in a hundred years this body will be finished. As far as the real “I” is concerned, “I am spirit soul. I have no birth. I have no death. What, then, is my proper function?” When we act on the material platform, we are engaged in bodily functions; therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says that people are anxious because all their activities are targeted to capturing and possessing something nonpermanent. All living entities—men, beasts, birds, or whatever—are always full of anxiety, and this is the material disease. If we are always full of anxiety, how can we attain peace? People may live in a very nice house, but out front they place signs saying, “Beware of Dog,” or “No Trespassers.” This means that although they are living comfortably, they are anxious that someone will come and molest them. Sitting in an office and earning a very good salary, a man is always thinking, “Oh, I hope I don’t lose this position.” The American nation is very rich, but because of this, it has to maintain a great