Text 8]
Mahārāja Pṛthu's Going Back Home
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TEXT 8
तेन क्रमानुसिद्धेन ध्वस्तकर्ममलाशयः । प्राणायामैः सन्निरुद्धषड्वर्गश्छिन्नबन्धनः ॥ ८ ॥
tena kramānusiddhena dhvasta-karma-malāśayaḥ prāṇāyāmaiḥ sanniruddha- ṣaḍ-vargaś chinna-bandhanaḥ
tena —thus by practicing such austerities;  krama —gradually;  anu —constantly;  siddhena —by perfection;  dhvasta —smashed;  karma —fruitive activities;  mala —dirty things;  āśayaḥ —desire;  prāṇāyāmaiḥ —by practice of  prāṇāyāma-yoga , breathing exercises;  san —being;  niruddha —stopped;  ṣaṭ-vargaḥ —the mind and the senses;  chinna-bandhanaḥ —completely cut off from all bondage.
TRANSLATION
By thus practicing severe austerities, Mahārāja Pṛthu gradually became steadfast in spiritual life and completely free of all desires for fruitive activities. He also practiced breathing exercises to control his mind and senses, and by such control he became completely free from all desires for fruitive activity.
PURPORT
The word  prāṇāyāmaiḥ  is very important in this verse because the  haṭha-yogīs  and  aṣṭānga-yogīs  practice  prāṇāyāma , but generally they do not know the purpose behind it. The purpose of  prāṇāyāma , or mystic  yoga , is to stop the mind and senses from engaging in fruitive activities. The so-called  yogīs  who practice in Western countries have no idea of this. The aim of  prāṇāyāma  is not to make the body strong and fit for working hard. The aim is worship of Kṛṣṇa. In the previous verse it was specifically mentioned that whatever austerity,  prāṇāyāma  and mystic  yoga  practices Pṛthu Mahārāja performed were performed for the sake of worshiping Kṛṣṇa. Thus Pṛthu Mahārāja serves as a perfect example for  yogīs  also. Whatever he did, he did to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.
The minds of those who are addicted to fruitive activity are always filled with unclean desires. Fruitive activities are symptomatic of our polluted desire to dominate material nature. As long as one continues to