Text 26] Sati Quits Her Body 139

to keep the body fit, for it is the spirit soul that keeps the body always
fresh. As soon as the spirit soul is out of the body, the material body
immediately begins to decompose. Any spiritual process keeps the body
fit without separate endeavor, but if one takes it that the ultimate aim of
yoga is to maintain the body, then he is mistaken. The real perfection of
yoga is elevation of the soul to a higher position or the liberation of the
soul from material entanglement. Some yogis try to elevate the soul to
higher planetary systems where the standard of life is different from that
of this planet and where the material comforts, life span and other facilities
for self-realization are greater, and some yogts endeavor to elevate the soul
to the spiritual world, the spiritual Vaikuntha planets. The bhakti-yoga
process directly elevates the soul to the spiritual planets where life is
eternally blissful and full of knowledge; therefore bhakti-yoga is consid-
ered to be the greatest of all yoga systems.

TEXT 26
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evam sva-deham mahatam mahiyasad
muhuh samaropitam ankam adarat
jihasati daksa-rusd manasvini
dadhara gatresv anilagni-dharanam

evam—thus; sva-deham—her own body; mahatéam—of the great saints;
mahiyasa—most worshipful; muhuh—again and again; samaropitam—
seated; ankam—on the lap; ddarat—respectfully ; jihdsati—wishing to give
up; daksa-rusa—due to anger towards Daksa; manasvini—voluntarily ;
dadhara—placed; gatresu—on the limbs of the body; anila-agni-dharanam—
meditation on the fire and air.

TRANSLATION

Thus, in order to give up her body, which had been so respectfully and
affectionately seated on the lap of Lord Siva, who is worshiped by great
sages and saints, Sati, due to anger towards her father, began to meditate
on the fiery air within the body.
