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THE PATH OF PERFECTION
should be executed with that goal in mind. It is not that one attends  yoga  classes to reduce fat or to keep the body fit for sense gratification. This is not the goal of  yoga , but people are taught this way because they want to be cheated. Actually, if you undergo any exercise program, your body will be kept fit. There are many systems of bodily exercise—weight lifting and other sports—and they help keep the body fit, reduce fat, and help the digestive system. Therefore there is no need to practice  yoga  for these purposes. The real purpose for practicing  yoga  is to realize that I am not this body. I want eternal happiness, complete knowledge, and eternal life—that is the ultimate end of the true  yoga  system.
The goal of  yoga  is transcendental, beyond both body and mind. Self-realization is sought by three methods: (1) the path of knowledge ( jñāna ); (2) the path of the eightfold system; or (3) the path of  bhakti-yoga . In each of these processes, one has to realize the constitutional position of the living entity, his relationship with God, and the activities whereby he can reestablish the lost link and achieve the highest perfectional stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Following any of the above-mentioned three methods, one is sure to reach the supreme goal sooner or later. This was asserted by the Lord in the Second Chapter: even a little endeavor on the transcendental path offers a great hope for deliverance.
Of these three methods, the path of  bhakti-yoga  is especially suitable for this age, because it is the most direct method of God realization. To be doubly assured, Arjuna is asking Lord Kṛṣṇa to confirm His former statement. One may sincerely accept the path of self-realization, but the process of cultivation of knowledge ( jñāna ) and the practice of the eightfold  yoga  system are generally very difficult for this age. Therefore, despite constant endeavor, one may fail for many reasons. First of all, one may not be actually following the process, the rules and regulations. To pursue the transcendental path is more or less to declare war on the illusory energy. When we accept any process of self-realization, we are actually declaring war against  māyā , illusion, and  māyā  is certain to place many difficulties before us. Therefore, there is a chance of failure, but one has to become very steady. Whenever a person tries to escape the clutches of the illusory energy, she tries to
Failure and Success in  Yoga
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defeat the practitioner by various allurements. A conditioned soul is already allured by the modes of material energy, and there is every chance of being allured again, even while performing transcendental disciplines. This is called  yogāc calita-mānasaḥ : deviation from the transcendental path. Arjuna is inquisitive to know the results of deviation from the path of self-realization.
As stated in  Bhagavad-gītā  (6.37), quoted above,  yogāt  means “from the practice of  yoga ,”  calita  means “diversion,” and  mānasaḥ  means “mind.” So there is every chance for the mind to be diverted from  yoga  practice. We all have some experience of trying to concentrate by reading a book, and our mind is so disturbed that it does not allow us to concentrate on the book.
Actually, Arjuna is asking a very important question, for one is subject to failure in all types of  yoga —be it the eightfold  yoga  system, the  jñāna-yoga  system of speculative philosophy, or the  bhakti-yoga  system of devotional service. Failure is possible on any of these paths, and the results of failure are clearly explained by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself in the following dialogue with Arjuna (Bg. 6.38–44). Arjuna, continuing his inquiry, asks,
kaccin nobhaya-vibhraṣṭaś chinnābhram iva naśyati apratiṣṭho mahā-bāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi
“O mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa, does not such a man, being deviated from the path of Transcendence, perish like a riven cloud, with no position in any sphere?”
etan me saṁśayaṁ kṛṣṇa chettum arhasy aśeṣataḥ tvad-anyaḥ saṁśayasyāsya chettā na hy upapadyate
“This is my doubt, O Kṛṣṇa, and I ask You to dispel it completely. But for Yourself, no one is to be found who can destroy this doubt.”