Text 28] Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender lll

karmanah. As long as one is covered by material nature’s modes of ig-
norance and passion, there is no possibility of understanding the
Supreme Lord. Tad4 rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye. When
one is freed from the modes of ignorance and passion, one becomes free
from the lowest qualities— kama and lobha, lust and greed.

Nowadays there are so many yoga schools to encourage people in
developing their lusty desires and greed through the practice of yoga.
People are therefore very much fond of so-called yoga practice. The ac-
tual practice of yoga, however, is described here. As authoritatively
stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.1), dhydnavasthita-tad-gatena
manasa pasyanti yam yoginah: a yogi is one who always meditates on
the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is also con-
firmed in the Brahma-samhita (5.38):

premajijana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti

yam Syamasundaram acintya-guna-svariipam
govindam Gdi-purusam tam aharh bhajami

“TI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Syamasundara, Krsna
Himself, with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure de-
votees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with
the salve of love.” The bhakti-yogi constantly sees Syamasundara—
beautiful Lord Krsna with His blackish bodily hue. Because the King of
the elephants, Gajendra, thought himself an ordinary animal, he thought
himself unfit to see the Lord. In his humility, he thought that he could
not practice yoga. In other words, how can those who are like animals in
the bodily concept of life, and who have no purity of consciousness, prac-
tice yoga? In the present day, people who have no control over their
senses, who have no understanding of philosophy and who do not follow
religious principles or rules and regulations are nonetheless pretending
to be yogis. This is the greatest anomaly in the practice of mystic yoga.

TEXT 28
aat AACA TAATAT-
afaararaiasdtiors =|
