Yoga  as Rejected by Arjuna
27
These are the characteristics of man living in Kali-yuga, a degraded age. So properly speaking we can never attain success in this meditational  yoga  system described by Kṛṣṇa. At the utmost we can only gratify our personal whims by some pseudo-adaptation of this system. Thus people are paying money to attend some classes in gymnastic exercises and deep-breathing, and they’re happy if they think they can lengthen their lifetimes by a few years or enjoy better sex life. But we must understand that this is not the actual  yoga  system. In this age that meditational system cannot be properly executed. Instead, all of the perfections of that system can be realized through  bhakti-yoga , the sublime process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, specifically  mantra-yoga , the glorification of Śrī Kṛṣṇa through the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is recommended in Vedic Scriptures and is introduced by great authorities like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Indeed, the  Bhagavad-gītā  proclaims that the  mahātmās , the great souls, are always chanting the glories of the Lord. If one wants to be a  mahātmā  in terms of the Vedic literature, in terms of  Bhagavad-gītā  and in terms of the great authorities, then one has to adopt this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But if we’re content at making a show of meditation by sitting very straight in lotus position and going into a trance like some sort of performer, then that is a different thing. But we should understand that such show-bottle performances have nothing to do with the actual perfection of  yoga . The material disease cannot be cured by artificial medicine. We have to take the real cure straight from Kṛṣṇa.