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The Activities of Mahārāja Āgnīdhra
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senses, practicing yoga with half-open eyes, he could see her with his lotuslike eyes, and when he heard the sweet tinkling of her bangles, he opened his eyes slightly more and could see that she was just nearby.
PURPORT
It is said that  yogīs  always think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within their hearts.  Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yam yoginaḥ  ( Bhāg.  12.13.1). The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always observed by  yogīs  who practice controlling the venomous senses. As recommended in  Bhagavad-gītā ,  yogīs  should practice  samprekṣya nāsikāgram , keeping their eyes half-open. If the eyes are closed completely, there will be a tendency to sleep. So-called  yogīs  sometimes practice a fashionable form of  yoga  by closing their eyes and meditating, but we have actually seen such so-called  yogīs  sleeping and snoring while meditating. This is not the practice of  yoga . To actually practice  yoga , one should keep his eyes half-open and gaze at the tip of his nose.
Although Āgnīdhra, the son of Priyavrata, was practicing mystic  yoga  and trying to control his senses, the tinkling sound of Pūrvacitti's ankle bells disturbed his practice.  Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ : actual  yoga  practice means controlling the senses. One must practice mystic  yoga , to control the senses, but the sense control of a devotee who fully engages in the service of the Lord with his purified senses ( hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam ) can never be disturbed. Śrila Prabodhānanda Sarasvati therefore stated,  durdāntendriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-damṣṭrā-yate  ( Caitanya-candrāmṛta  5). The practice of  yoga  is undoubtedly good because it controls the senses, which are like venomous serpents. When one engages in devotional service, however, completely employing all the activities of the senses in the service of the Lord, the venomous quality of the senses is completely nullified. It is explained that a serpent is to be feared because of its poison fangs, but if those fangs are broken, the serpent, although it seems fearsome, is not at all dangerous. Devotees, therefore, may see hundreds and thousands of beautiful women with fascinating bodily movements and gestures but not be allured, whereas such women would make ordinary  yogīs  fall. Even the advanced  yogī  Viśvāmitra broke his mystic practice to unite with Menakā and