322
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch.8]
impurity;  śanaiḥ —gradually;  vyudasya —giving up;  abhidhyāyet —meditate upon;  manasā —by the mind;  guruṇā —undisturbed;  gurum —the supreme spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa.
TRANSLATION
After sitting on your seat, practice the three kinds of breathing exercises, and thus gradually control the life air, the mind and the senses. Completely free yourself from all material contamination, and with great patience begin to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In this verse the entire  yoga  system is described in summary, and special stress is given to the breathing exercise for stopping the disturbing mind. The mind, by nature, is always oscillating, for it is very fickle, but the breathing exercise is meant to control it. This process of controlling the mind might have been very possible in those days millions of years ago when Dhruva Mahārāja took to it, but at the present moment the mind has to be fixed directly on the lotus feet of the Lord by the chanting process. By chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mantra  one immediately concentrates on the sound vibration and thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord, and very quickly one is elevated to the position of  samādhi , or trance. If one goes on chanting the holy names of the Lord, which are not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, naturally his mind becomes absorbed in thought of the Lord.
It is here recommended to Dhruva Mahārāja that he meditate on the supreme  guru  or supreme spiritual master. The supreme spiritual master is Kṛṣṇa, who is therefore known as  caitya-guru . This refers to the Supersoul, who is sitting in everyone's heart. He helps, as stated in  Bhagavad-gītā , from within, and He sends the spiritual master, who helps from without. The spiritual master is the external manifestation of the  caitya-guru , or the spiritual master sitting in everyone's heart.
The process by which we give up our thoughts of material things is called  pratyāhāra , which entails being freed from all material thoughts and engagements. The word  abhidhyāyet , which is used in this verse, indicates that unless one's mind is fixed, one cannot meditate. The conclusion, therefore, is that meditation means thinking of the Lord within. Whether one comes to that stage by the  aṣṭānga-yoga  system or by the method which is recommended in the  śāstras  especially for this present age—to constantly chant the holy name of the Lord—the goal is to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.