100 THE PATH OF PERFECTION Failure and Success in Yoga 101
Sri-bhagavan uvaca purvabhyasena tenaiva
partha naiveha namutra hriyate hy avaso ‘pi sah
vindSas tasya vidyate jijnasur api yogasya
na hi kalyana-krt kascid Sabda-brahmativartate
durgatim tata gacchati
‘**By virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he
**The Blessed Lord said: Son of Prtha, a transcendentalist engaged automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles—even
in auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in without seeking them. Such an inquisitive transcendentalist, striv-
this world or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, ing for yoga, stands always above the ritualistic principles of the
is never overcome by evil.” scriptures.”
Purification of consciousness is the purpose of this Krsna con-
prapya punya-krtam lokan sciousness movement. Presently we are preparing this divine con-
. usitva SaSvatih samah sciousness, for our consciousness goes with us at the time of
Sucinam Ssrimatam gehe death. Consciousness is carried from the body just as the aroma of
yoga-bhrasto ‘bhijayate a flower is carried by the air. When we die, this material body com-
posed of five elements—earth, water, air, fire, and ether—decom-
‘**The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on poses, and the gross materials return to the elements. Or, as the
the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of Christian Bible says, ‘‘Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt
righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.” return.” In some societies the body is burned, in others it is
buried, and in others it is thrown to animals. In India, the Hindus
atha va yoginam eva burn the body, and thus the body is transformed into ashes. Ash is
kule bhavati dhimatam simply another form of earth. Christians bury the body, and after
. etad dhi durlabhataram some time in the grave, the body eventually turns to dust, which
loke janma yad idrsam again, like ash, is another form of earth. There are other
; societies—like the Parsee community in India—that neither burn
““Or he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are nor bury the body but throw it to the vultures, and the vultures
surely great in wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this world.”” immediately come to eat the body, and then the body is eventually
transformed into stool. So in any case, this beautiful body, which
tatra tam buddhi-samyogam we are soaping and caring for so nicely, will eventually turn into
labhate paurva-dehikam either stool, ashes, or dust. ©
| yatate ca tato bhiiyah At death, the finer elements (mind, intelligence, and ego),
samsiddhau kuru-nandana which, combined, are called consciousness, carry the small parti-
cle of spirit soul to another body to suffer or enjoy, according to
**On taking such a birth, he again revives the divine consciousness one’s work. Our consciousness is molded by our work. If we
of his previous life, and he tries to make further progress in order associate with stool, our consciousness, which is like the air, will
to achieve complete success, O son of Kuru.”” carry the aroma of stool, and thus at the time of death will
;
