3
Yoga As
Meditation On Krsna

In India there are sacred places where yogis go to
meditate in solitude, as prescribed in Bhagavad-gita.
Traditionally, yoga cannot be executed in a public
place, but insofar as kirtana—mantra-yoga, or the
yoga of chanting the Hare Krsna mantra: Hare Krsna,
Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama,
Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—is concerned,
the more people present, the better. When Lord
Caitanya Mahaprabhu was performing kirtana in
India some five hundred years ago, He organized in
each group sixteen persons to lead the chanting,
and thousands of persons chanted with them. This
participation in kirtana, in the public chanting of
the names and glories of God, is very possible and is
actually easy in this age; but as far as the medita-
tional process of yoga is concerned, that is very diffi-
cult. It is specifically stated in Bhagavad-gita that to
perform meditational yoga one should go to a se-
cluded and holy place. In other words, it is necessary
to leave home. In this age of overpopulation it is not
always possible to find a secluded place, but this is
not necessary in bhakti-yoga.

In the bhakti-yoga system there are nine different
processes: hearing, chanting, remembering, serving,
worshiping the Deity in the temple, praying, carrying
out orders, serving Krsna as friend and sacrificing for
Him. Out of these, sravanam kirtanam, hearing and

16
