16 THE PATH OF PERFECTION Mastering the Mind and Senses 17

“‘benediction’’? Generally, benediction means receiving a great
kingdom, a beautiful wife, palatable food, and so forth, but when
One is actually connected with God, he does not want such
““benedictions.”’ He is fully satisfied. Sva@min krtdrtho 'smi varam
na yace.

Actually, Dhruva Maharaja initially searched for God in order
to attain his father’s kingdom. Dhruva Maharaja’s mother was re-
Jected by his father, and his stepmother resented his sitting on his
father’s lap. Indeed, she forbade him to sit on his father’s lap be-
cause Dhruva Maharaja was not born in her womb. Although only
five years old, Dhruva Maharaja was a ksatriya, and he took this as
a great insult. Going to his own mother, he said, ‘‘Mother, my
stepmother has insulted me by forbidding me to sit on my father’s
lap.’ Dhruva Maharaja then started to cry, and his mother said,
“‘My dear boy, what can I do? Your father loves your stepmother
more than he loves me. I can do nothing.’’ Dhruva Maharaja then
said, ‘‘But I want my father’s kingdom. Tell me how I can get it.”
‘My dear boy,”’ his mother said, ‘‘if Krsna, God, blesses you, you
can get it.’ ““Where is God?”’ Dhruva Maharaja asked. ‘‘Oh, it is
said that God is in the forest,’” his mother said. ‘‘Great sages go to
the forest to search for God.””

Hearing this, Dhruva Maharaja went directly to the forest and
began to perform severe penances. Finally he saw God, and when
he saw Him, he no longer desired his father’s kingdom. Instead,
he said, ‘‘My dear Lord, I was searching for some pebbles, but in-
stead I have found valuable jewels. I no longer care for my father’s
kingdom. Now I am fully satisfied.”” When one is actually con-
nected with God, he is totally satisfied. His satisfaction is infinitely
greater than so-called enjoyment in this material world. That is the
satisfaction resulting from God realization, and that is the perfec-
tlon of yoga.

When a person is fully engaged in the transcendental loving
service of the Lord, he is pleased in himself, and thus he is no
longer engaged in sense gratification or in fruitive activities.
Otherwise, one must be engaged in sense gratification, since one
cannot live without engagemént. It is impossible to cease all ac-
tivity. As stated before, it is our nature as living entities to act. It is

earn millions of dollars? Why am I wasting my energy? I should
engage my time and energy in understanding God. That is the
purpose of life.’’ If one has no economic problems, he has suffi-
cient time to understand Krsna consciousness. If he wastes this
precious time, he is called a mudha, a rascal or an ass.

According to the preceding verse, a person is said to have at-
tained yoga when he has renounced all material desires. Once we
are Situated perfectly in yoga, we are satisfied. We no longer ex-
perience material desires. We no longer act for sense gratification
or engage in fruitive activity. When we speak of ‘‘fruitive ac-
tivity,’ we refer to activities carried out for the purpose of sense
gratification. That is, we are earning money in order to gratify our
senses. If one is virtuous, he engages in pious activities—he do-
nates money to charities, opens hospitals, schools, etc. Although
these are certainly virtuous activities, they are ultimately meant
for sense gratification. How is this? If I donate to an educational
institution, for instance, I will receive good educational facilities
and will become highly educated in my next life. Being thus edu-
cated, I will attain a good position and will acquire a good amount
of money. Then how will I utilize this money? For sense gratifica-
tion. Thus these virtuous and fruitive activities form a kind of
cycle.

We often hear the expression ‘‘a better standard of life,’ but
what does this mean? It is said that the standard of life in America
is superior to that in India, but in both countries there is eating,
sleeping, defending, and mating. Of course, in America the
quality of food may be better, but the eating process is there. A
superior standard of life does not mean superior spiritual resliza-
tion. It just means better eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.
This is called fruitive activity, and it is based on sense gratification.

Yoga has nothing to do with sense gratification or fruitive ac-
tivity. Yoga means connecting with the Supreme. Dhruva Maha-
raja underwent severe austerities in order to see God, and
when he finally saw God, he said, svamin krtartho ’smi varam na
yace: ‘‘My dear Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I am not asking for
anything more. I do not want any further benediction from You.”’
Why didn’t Dhruva Maharaja ask for benedictions? What is a

abies
